The acclimation of sensitive invertebrates plays a crucial role in the introduction of new organisms to our systems. In many cases, these organisms have been severely stressed during shipping and/or during period spent in dealer's tanks under insufficient lighting and other not so ideal situations. Getting them back into a stable environment is of the utmost importance, and doing that with as little stress as possible is the key to ensuring that they are probably adjusted to their new homes.
The first step, and one that is probably overlooked by many is the inspection of the new organism. Examine the specimen for damage, decline, discoloration, parasites and other defects. Pay special attention to any exposed skeletal areas on new corals as well as foul water in which the organism is bagged.
Many hobbyists still float new organisms in their shipping containers and do little else. While this will help adjust temperature, other important aspects get overlooked. pH and salinity are also very important aspects we must consider.
A good method, and the only one I use to acclimate ANY organism is the drip method. After inspection of the new organism, place it in a small, clean container with the water it was received in. Using airline tubing, very slowly begin to drip water from the system the coral will soon reside in. As the level rises, remove the excess water with a small plastic cup or turkey baster. Continue this drip until 100% of the water has been changed (an hour or longer in most cases). This is the absolute safest method that I am aware of to acclimate new organisms.
When placing new corals, ensure that they are placed at a level in the system where the lighting is equal to or less than the light intensity from which it recently resided. This will allow the coral time to acclimate to the new intensity. Another method sometimes used is shading. Place the coral where it will permanently reside and shade something from outside the tank. Slowly over a few days, remove this shade until the coral has adjusted. Be careful not to catch anything on fire if using metal halides or other high-intensity lamps!
If at all possible, a quarantine system should be set up. This is a smaller tank in which new organisms can be placed temporarily to observe for any diseases or other ailments. Ideally, the water parameters of this system and the main system should be as close to one another as possible to lessen the stress of relocating the organisms when the probationary period has elapsed.
The acclimation of new organisms is a very basic concept, therefore I will refrain from beating it into the ground. The key to acclimating any new specimen is doing it slowly.
An important note: Dealers oftentimes use various medications and other supplements that we do not want in our systems (especially dealer's fish stocks). DO NOT add any water the specimen is shipped in to enter your system. (throw it away!)
Another important note: Organisms received through the mail or specimens that have undergone extending shipping periods (more than a few hours) may need immediate attention due to their decline during shipment. Under these circumstances, it is advisable to move them as quickly as possible, out of their current poor situation and into the new system with far less acclimating then we should like. Do you best to quicky acclimate these declining organisms over a period of 5-10 minutes.
Sometimes, marine fish are received near death due to poor shipping habits. Don't assume that they have expired! Quickly remove these animals from their foul environments and place them directly into a small container with clean seawater from your system. You might be surprised that many of these cases can be resolved in this manner. The rapid change in water condition in this case may be a beneficial one, as it "kick-starts" the fish and sometimes brings it out of shock or near death.
