Acclimation

 

So, you went through cycling and setting up your aquarium and now you’ve got your new friend home? Congratulations! There’s still one more, vital step to make sure your friend is safe. 

 

Wait, what could possibly be left!? Well, that would be acclimation! What’s that? It’s the process of slowly adjusting an axolotl to new water conditions and chemistry. As we learned during cycling, there are many different factors that determine if water is safe for aquatic life such as pH, kH, temperature, etc, each new home is likely to have different levels of all these things so it’s vital that we don’t just toss them in. 

 

There are two methods commonly used to acclimate an axolotl, note this can be performed on any aquatic life and isn’t specific to axolotls. We’ll talk about the longest, but safest one to start, but first…

 

The most essential step to any successful acclimation is opening the bag(s) and folding the bag down so you catch air in the process, this is to help it float in the tank. Let the axolotl float in the bag for 30-60 minutes so the temperatures equalize between the bag and tank.

 

Now onto the next step!

 

Drip acclimation

 

All you need is airline tubing and a bucket (and an aquatic animal of course), optionally you can use an air control valve to make things easier.

 

The axolotl will go into the bucket with their old water. 

 

To do this method, put one end of the airline tubing into the tank or tub, and tie several loose knots in the tubing (or just put the air control valve between the bucket and tank). Then you will need to suck the water from the tank far enough so that when you put the other end in the bucket, it begins dripping at a rate of 2-4 drops per second. It can be a bit yucky if you get it in your mouth (yummy prime water!), but your new friend will repay you greatly for being well-adjusted!

 

Leave them there until the water volume doubles, then you’ll remove half and wait until it doubles again. At this point, your axolotl is ready to be moved!

 

Boom, that simple!

 

Old Method

 

This method is still effective, but more intensive and causes the axolotl to adjust faster than the drip method.

All you need for this are two cups small enough to fit inside the bag, one you will scoop out old water, one you’ll scoop in new, clean water from your aquarium or tub. With aquariums or dirty water, we don’t want it to cross-contaminate your aquarium or result in higher ammonia in a tub.

 

Start by removing half of the old water from their bag, then scoop in half the new water. Leave for 15 minutes. Come back, scoop out ¼ the water, and add ¼ new water. Repeat this process again 3 more times. At this point, you will then scoop out your axolotl wearing rubber, disposable gloves, or well-scrubbed, lotionless, and soapless hands. At this point, you’re done!

 

Now that we know proper acclimation methods, we can rest easy knowing our new friend is safely added to their new home!