There are two ways to acclimate fish:

 

Drip-Line Method (preferred method):

 

1. Place the desired fish in a bucket with the water from the bag.

 

2. Secure one end of airline tubing in the aquarium so that about 3 inches of the end is submerged. Any type of clamp or binder clip can be used to secure the tubing. Remember, if the water-line goes below the end of this tubing, the siphon will stop and you will have to restart the siphon.

 

3. Let the other end of the airline tubing rest in the bucket with the fish.

 

4. Gently suck on the end of the tubing assigned to the bucket (a papertowel or thin cloth may be used to cover the tubing while starting the siphon instead of sucking directly on the tube, but remember to remove the papertowel or cloth before the tube fills with water).

 

5. Once the siphon has started, tie a knot in the bucket-end of the tubing to control the amount of water flow. There should be about 5-10 drops per second released from this end of the tubing.

 

6. Continue siphoning until the salinity of the aquarium matches the salinity of the bucket.

 

7. Once the salinities are matched or equal, remove as much water from the bucket as possible.

 

8. Loosen the knot on the bucket end of the tubing to increase flow, allowing almost full flow of the siphon. This will allow the water in the bucket to reach the temperature of the water in the aquarium.

 

 

Manual Acclimation:

 

This method involves a bucket as well. Place the fish and the water from the bag in the bucket and add one quart of the aquarium water once every 5 minutes until proper salinity is achieved. The temperature should also be matched at this point. This method is much less thorough than the drip-line method, but is also much easier.