Modifying the Water's Salinity

How to Acclimate Salt Water Fish

Four Methods:Modifying the Water's SalinityAltering the pH of Your WaterUsing the Drip MethodUtilizing the Floating MethodCommunity Q&A

Marine fish can make lovely pets, but they can also require a lot of maintenance. If you're transferring your marine fish from a pet store bag into your home aquarium, you'll need to allow your fish to acclimate to its new environment. There are a number of factors to consider when acclimating a fish to a new aquarium, including the salinity, pH, and temperature of the water. If your new fish will be joining a tank of existing fish, it's best to transfer the new fish to a second quarantine aquarium, allowing the fish to adjust to a larger body of water without having to alter the pH or salinity of the main aquarium.^[1] By making the necessary adjustments in a quarantine tank prior to introducing your fish in the main tank, you can help your fish have a smooth transition to your home aquarium.

Steps

Method 1

Modifying the Water's Salinity

1. 1
   Measure the specific gravity of your tank. The specific gravity of a body of water is its relative salinity in relation to pure water. A higher specific gravity means that there is a higher percentage of salt dissolved in that water.^[2] You can measure the specific gravity using a refractometer. These devices can be purchased through an online retailer or from some pet stores.
   

   • Place one or two drops of salt water into the refractometer.
   • Hold the device towards a light source and look through the lens.
   • Record the specific gravity reading in the lens.
   • The ideal specific gravity of a reef aquarium is between 1.023 and 1.025. The ideal specific gravity of a fish only with live rock (FOWLR) aquarium is 1.020 to 1.025.
2. 2
   Adjust the tank's salinity if needed. If your tank has a higher or lower specific gravity than your fish's transportation bag, you'll need to adjust your tank's salinity accordingly. Note that it's easier for a fish to adjust to a lower salinity than a higher salinity. An increase in water salinity is more likely to shock a fish than a decrease.^[3]
   

   • You can lower the salinity of your aquarium water by diluting it with clean, fresh water.
   • You can raise your aquarium's salinity by adding more aquarium salt to your tank.
   • Remember that making these changes to a tank that's already populated with fish could stress or kill those fish. For this reason, you'll want to use a quarantine tank to acclimate your new fish before adding it to your primary aquarium.
3. 3
   Transfer your fish to the tank. Once you've adjusted your aquarium's specific gravity to meet your fish's transportation bag, your fish can be transferred into the aquarium. Make sure the tank's temperature and pH are acceptable for your fish, then use a fine mesh fish net to carefully transfer your fish into the tank.^[4]
   

   • Try to avoid pouring any water from the transportation bag into the aquarium.

Method 2

Altering the pH of Your Water

1. 1
   Test the pH of your bag's water. Since your fish is acclimated to the pH of its transportation bag's water, you will need to adjust the aquarium's pH accordingly. You can purchase home aquarium pH testing kits from your local pet store or through an online retailer.^[5]
2. 2
   Adjust your tank's pH to match the bag's pH. Once you have a reading of the bag's pH, you'll need to take a reading of your aquarium's pH and raise or lower it as needed. Remember to wear protective gloves and eyewear, as pH chemicals are typically able to burn or corrode any surfaces they come into contact with (including your body).^[6]
   

   • Use sodium bisulfate to lower your aquarium water's pH.
   • Some experts recommend adding 2.5 grams of sodium bisulfate per 10 gallons of water to reduce the alkalinity by 1.0 pH. You can adjust accordingly to correct your tank's pH.
   • Dissolve the sodium bisulfate in a cup of fresh, clean water, then transfer it to the tank.
   • Again, remember to use a quarantine tank if you're introducing a new fish to a tank that already contains fish. Adjusting the pH of a tank full of fish could shock them.
3. 3
   Transfer your fish to the tank. Once the temperatures are equal, you can transfer your fish from the transportation bag to the aquarium. You should still be floating the transportation bag in the aquarium to adjust the water temperature inside the bag. Use a net to transfer your fish to the aquarium and discard the bag and its water.^[7]
   

   • Over the next few days, bring the tank's pH back to normal by performing 10 to 15 percent water exchanges using fresh salt water every other day.

Method 3

Using the Drip Method

1. 1
   Assess whether the drip method will work. The drip method works best if your fish has been in its bag for a maximum of four to five hours or less. If your fish has been in its bag for longer than four to five hours, you'll want to use the floating method.^[8]
2. 2
   Turn off all aquarium lights. Remember that bright lights can affect the temperature of a fish tank. If your fish was transported in a dark environment, being in a bright tank could also cause severe stress or trauma.^[9]
3. 3
   Dim the lights in the room. Though most fish won't need to be in a totally dimmed room, your fish may need a dim room if it's been in a dark environment for a prolonged period of time. This is particularly common when fish are shipped through the mail inside a box or package.^[10]
4. 4
   Float the sealed bag in your tank. The easiest way to acclimate your fish to the tank's temperature is to let the transportation bag float in your aquarium. Do not open the bag yet; simply let the tank's temperature warm or cool your fish's transportation bag until they have equalized.^[11]
   

   • 15 minutes is typically a sufficient span of time for your fish's bag water to adjust to the aquarium's temperature.
5. 5
   Transfer the bag water and fish to a clean bucket. Open the bag and gently pour out the water and your fish into the bucket. There should not be any other water in the bucket at this time. If possible, try to use one designated bucket for nothing other than cleaning your tank and acclimating your fish.^[12]
   

   • If the bag water does not sufficiently fill the bucket, you may have to tip the bucket at an angle to ensure that your fish remains completely submerged. Otherwise, your fish may be exposed to too much air, which could be fatal.
   • You can keep the bucket tipped by putting a sturdy block of wood, brick, or old book under one side of the bucket. Just be sure that the bucket will remain upright and not tip over.
6. 6
   Siphon water from your aquarium to the bucket. Use aquarium air line tubing to transfer water from your tank into the bucket. You'll need to regulate the flow of water to ensure that it doesn't siphon off too quickly. The ideal rate of flow of your aquarium's water into the bucket is three or four drops per second.^[13]
   

   • You can control the flow of water by tying a loose knot into the tubing.
   • If you have an air control valve, this can help you regulate the flow of water more accurately. If not, simply tighten or loosen your tube knot as needed.
7. 7
   Allow your tube to drip for one hour. One hour of steady dripping should be a sufficient span of time for your fish to acclimate to the aquarium's water. If you're using a small bucket and it fills up before one hour, pour off and discard some of the water in the bucket and continue the dripping process until one hour has passed.^[14]
8. 8
   Transfer your fish to the aquarium. After an hour of dripping has passed, your fish will be ready to enter its new home. Carefully scoop up your fish using a fine-mesh net, then transfer it to the aquarium. Pour the bucket water back into your aquarium until it reaches your desired fill line. Discard any unused water from the bucket.^[15]

Method 4

Utilizing the Floating Method

1. 1
   Establish a dim environment. Before using the floating method, you'll want to turn down the aquarium lights and possibly the lights in the room. Turning off the aquarium lights can help you fine tune the water temperature, while dimming the room's lights can help reduce the risk of shock if your fish was transported in a dark environment.^[16]
2. 2
   Float the sealed bag in the tank for 15 minutes. Much like the drip method, the floating method requires that you let your fish's sealed transportation bag float on the surface of the aquarium for 15 minutes. This helps equalize the temperatures to reduce the risk of shock when you transfer your fish into the tank.^[17]
3. 3
   Create an air pocket in the bag's lip. You'll want to keep the bag floating on the water's surface, but you need to be able to adjust how much water is in the bag. The easiest way to do this is by creating an air pocket in the lip of the bag as you open the top.^[18]
   

   • Cut the bag open just below the clip or knot, keeping it sealed.
   • Roll the top edge of the bag's opening down. You don't have to roll it down too far; about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) should suffice.
4. 4
   Pour out half of the bag's water. Pour off half the bag's water directly down the drain, but be careful that you don't accidentally pour out your fish as well. Do not add any of the transportation bag's water to your aquarium, as it is likely filled with waste products like ammonia and nitrites.^[19]
   

   • It's important that you immediately return the bag to the tank, allowing it to float on the surface of your aquarium's water. However, make sure no bag water escapes into the tank.
5. 5
   Add aquarium water to the bag in increments. Now that you've reduced the quantity of water in the transportation bag, you can begin adding aquarium water to raise or lower the bag water's temperature as needed.^[20] This process will take a while, so be patient and don't rush it or your fish could get shocked by the sudden change in temperature.
   

   • Start by adding a half cup of aquarium water to the bag your fish is in.
   • Wait four minutes, then add another half cup.
   • Repeat this process until the bag is filled with aquarium water.
6. 6
   Transfer your fish to the aquarium. Once the bag has been filled with aquarium water, your fish will have finished adjusting to the temperature of its new environment. Use a net to scoop your fish out of the bag. Then immediately transfer it to the aquarium, since it should be acclimated to the water by this point.^[21]
   

   • Discard the bag and its water when you're finished. Do not allow the transportation bag's water to mix with your aquarium water, as this may alter the pH and salinity of your water.