Acclimating Tropical Fish
Acclimation is the process of introducing fish into a new environment with minimal disturbance or sudden change from their existing environment.
The most common situation where correct acclimation is required is when purchasing and transporting fish from an aquarium retailer and introducing those fish to your aquarium.
Water has many properties such as hardness, pH, salinity, and temperature which fish will become used to in their environment. A sudden change in any of these or other water conditions can result in severe physiological stress to the fish often resulting in a weakening of the immune system causing disease and even death.
Correct acclimation minimizes these shocks by creating a gradual change in conditions to which the fish can easily adjust over the short and long term.
