Drip acclimation. Heat and air stone question

[EBNewbie]

Hi everyone, thank you so much for being such a useful resource! I had a mishap with 2 clowns in quarantine over a month ago and since then, have been re-cycling my quarantine tank from scratch in case there was a silent killer chemical in there. I used drip acclimation with the 2 clowns that died and have a few questions on this as I want to make sure everything is perfect for next week when I'll go get another pair.
Data:
- QT tank salinity is at 1.025
- LFS salinity is at 1.025
- QT tank temperature is around 78F (Using cheap digital thermometer but cross-calibrated to 0.3F with an NST thermometer)
- House is at 70F and the trip from the LFS to home will take the bag water close to 72F. Driving time 30-45 minutes.
- Drip bucket is a brand new food-safe vinegar washed, 3x RO rinsed and 2x RO/DO rinsed 3Gal bucket.

Questions:
- How should I handle heat/temperature during that process? Water dripping at 4 drops/sec is not enough to raise the temperature to 78F since the house is at 70F. I have a 25W Eheim heater that might fit in the 3G bucket. Should I float the bag first to slowly bring it to 78F and then pour the bag in the bucket with the Eheim to keep it at 78F? Or is pouring the fish and letting a 25W heater bring the water up gentle enough to not shock them?
- Air stone. I did not use one last time, thinking that the dripped water was full of oxygen and the surface movement from the drip was sufficient. My thinking was that the pump is a bit on the strong side and the noise/bubble flow might stress the fish due to the small environment.

I found many articles on drip acclimation and some were dismissive of the temperature change but my gut tells me that moving the fish from 70F -> 78F when the drip is done is a really bad idea.

 

[Saveafish]

If fish don't drip it. Float bag and release. Dripping will only add to stress.

 

[EBNewbie]

Float bag and release.

Would the LiveAquaria float method be good? I would think since their fish get so stressed during shipping and they guarantee them, there's an incentive for them to publish a bullet-proof acclimation method.

 

[Saveafish]

Float and release. That's way old. A lot been learned since that was wrote 15yrs plus ago.

 

[EBNewbie]

You mean float for 30 minutes and release directly? No adding water?

 

[Thales]

For animals obtained from a place I trust, and not shipped over night, I put the bag in a bucket so it will stay upright, take a cup of water from the tank and add it to the bag, wait 5-10 minutes and ad another cup, wait 5-10 minutes, then drain most of the water from the bag and take the fish in the bag to the tank and let it swim out.

 

[LovesDogs_CatsRokay]

You mean float for 30 minutes and release directly? No adding water?

As long as salinity matches you can float and release directly without adding water. That way you don’t have to worry about ammonia build up during the drip.

 

[MTBake]

I match my qt salinity with that of the water the fish is in. Float the bag for 10 minutes or so and in the fish goes. I don't add water to the bag or anything else.

 

[Wheeljack]

For the drive time home, they do make adapters you can use in the car that allow you to plug in regular power cords. Get the adapters and bring your bucket + heater and just float the bags in the bucket on the way home. That way there's no temp drop at all. This is, of course, dependent on when you're getting the fish. Best Buy might sell the adapters or you may have to order one online. If it can't help this time, it'll at least help further down the line if you have to make that trip again for future fish.

 

[Gatling]

I put the fish and some water in a Tupperware container that floats on the water (I disconnected my ATO just in case it freaks out thinking water levels change as floating something changes the water level). This temperature acclimates the fish. I put a small spoon of tank water into the tupperware every 3 min or so then take a spoonful out of the tupperware into a bucket (to dispose, I never mix LFS water with mine). After 30 min, I let the fish in my tank.

If you're worried about the temperature dropping on the car ride home, ask the LFS to put extra water in the container/ask for a bigger bag. The larger the water bag is, the longer it will stay warm!

 

[Waters]

When receiving fish online, I always drip acclimate. Immediately after opening the bag, I use some Prime which neutralizes any ammonia. I throw it in a bucket with a heater and drip for about 30 minutes.....more or less dependent on how different the salinity is.