Acclimation

I float for 10 minutes, add a cup or two of my water to the bag, let it sit another five minutes and let it go. That's if I am patient. Usually it's a ten minute float and in it goes. CR pretty much hit the nail on the head, and it is especially true if the bag has come from an Internet source via Overnight express. You can do a lot of damage to the livestock by drip acclimating. Chemistry in the bag goes wild and things flat out get toxic fast.

 

Julian Sprung and Charles Delbeek also, are fans of once the temp is stable, put the livestock in the tank. DO NOT add the shipping bag water to the tank though!!!
Think about it this was as maybe I can shed some light on this dilemma, I could be way off the mark, but here goes:
Water in the bag
Fish in the bag for any amount of time
fish respires
fish deficates
what do you think is happening to the water that supports the fish?
Elevated ammonia...possibly
Elevated nitrites...possibly
Elevated nitrates...I would think so
Then you have the issues of dissolved oxygen increasing and dissolved oygen on the decline!
You then have to imagine what is going on with the alkalinity levels and pH of the shipping water. The above variables can and will effect the contents of the bag water.
Now, combine this with the fact that you are leaving the fish in the bag for x amount of time, where the water can and will depreciate even more, you are opening up a can of worms for problems.
If your water parameters are ideal in your main tank, do you know how long it will take for the shipping water to be comporable to that...probably won't happen atleast for a long time as the shipping water being dripped with water from the main tank is always degrading through chemical processes without much if any biological filtration or breakdown of ammonia, nitrite or nitrates just to touch the surface.
Now, I maybe wrong but I have never had any problems with adding my fish directly into the tank after the temperature of tank and shipping water, has be reached.
The way I look at this makes perfect sense to me as well as Sprung and Delbeek and Fenner to enable our livestock to successfully be added to our aquarium.

 

The only time I would drip is if there is such a wild salinity difference like in the case of this thread's starter.

 

Well about 12 hours later and my Purple Dottyback looks healthy(No signs of Ich). The only problem is that my only Damsel is a bully and has the dotty hiding behind a pump. He did come out and eat this morning some btu went right back to hiding after.

 

1 4 inch Diamond goby
1 1.5 inch Lemon damsel
2 1 inch Blue tangs
1 Fire goby

and I just added a Dottyback


I have a rather large cleanup crew as well

20 Astrea Snails
8-10 blue legged hermits
10 turbo snails
3 emerald crabs
2 fire shrimp
1 cleaner shrimp
2 Sand Sea Stars

 

I myself with the more delicate species of some Butterfly and large Angel's and a few tangs put them in the bag water into a bucket then add a equal amount of tank water then cover it to darken it for about 10 mins or so maybe 15 20 If I have time and then using just my bare hand I get it wet in the water then slide it up under the fish then simply lay the new fish into the new tank. I think all the temp change stuff is a little over the top I have dove many places and I have seen fish following me /us up and down and in and out and I have seen the temp change by as much as 5 Degs from one side of the large rock formation to the other and going from 10 to 60 Ft its even more . This seems to not bother the wild fish.. But there is no stress either this is why I never use a net and let them clam down first..

As for lets say a yellow tang or a flame angle and Raccoon butterfly I simply toss them in and damsels LOL They can live in a toilet . You simple have to use some commonsense like if the water they are in has cooled to 70F the to put them in to 85 or 86F while tweaked out is not a good idea..

 

IMO, i am no expert, but had a problem with ich awhile back, and it seemed it was coming from adding the LFS water and the fish right into the tank. Yes, I did the float add water, float add water method. After about a month had a serious ICH issue. Took all of my fish out, placed them in a QT, treated with copper, got a UV for both tanks, DT and QT. Left the DT fishless for 7 weeks. From what i was told a fishless tank will not sustain ich for long, and along with the uv killed my ich problem. Since then, i ALWAYS place my fish using the hang and pour method into my qt for 4 weeks. Yes, it seems like a long time, but it keeps the fish from bringing anything into my DT, along with keeping the LFS water out of my DT. All in all fish have been very healthy and happy since. The only fish i did not do this with was my lawnmower bleeny, he was not eating prepared food, and my qt is sandless and rock less, incase any meds are needed. He only stayed a week in the qt, since I knew he needed the green algea on the rocks in my DT. He has done ok since tho. Moral of the story, always QT to be on the safe side of things. Best of Luck! The people here at 3reef, are great and love to see people's investments stay healthy, they are always here to help.

 

I can agree that dripping/adding water into the bag can be detrimental when dealing with fish that are shipped and have been sitting in the wame 5 cups of water for a couple days. I acclimate mine because I only buy livestock from my LFS. The fact is, it's not just temperature and SG they are exposed to. All the tank params are what they live in. I know my Ca, Mg, dKH, etc levels are not 100% the same as my LFS. Dripping/adding the way I do helps them get adjusted to the different chemistry instead of inundating them with the different water. It's no different with humans, if we were exposed to 100% clean pure oxygen, our lungs will burn. It is the same thing why 100% water changes are not recommended. Just my 2¢ anyway.

 

Well Both the baby blue tang and the Pink dottyback have ich 5 days later.

I just dont get it. I am treating with "No-Ich" a reef safe treatment that I found but, it does not look good and I think I am done adding anything to my tank for a couple of months now.