Acclimating Shrimp .:. Instructions on acclimating shrimp to a new aquarium environment thus preventing shock or death.

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Acclimating New Shrimp

Disclaimer: These are the instructions that I print and place in the package for anyone that receives a shipment of my shrimp. This is the method that I recommend and has been extremely successful for me. This is not the "only way" to acclimate shrimp as there are several other methods. I believe this method is safe and I firmly stand by it. This method is dependent on receiving a double bagged Kordon Breather Bag as well as moss inside of the bag, which is how I ship my shrimp to others.

Important:
Do not put the bag of shrimp in the tank in an attempt to let the water temperatures equalize in the bag. This is what you would do if you went to the local fish store and bought a fish. The bag that the shrimp are shipped in are specialized "breather bags" which do not require air inside of the bag. The bag actually "breathes" allowing oxygen in and CO2 out. Submerging the breather bag with the shrimp in it will cause a lack of oxygen, suffocating the shrimp.

Acclimating Shrimp before putting it in your tank:
It is important to acclimate your shrimp when putting them into their new home. Shrimp are sensitive to water conditions. You cannot immediately pour the shrimp into their new tank straight from the shipping bag. Following a few steps can ensure that your shrimp will adjust well to their new home by slowly acclimating them to the new water conditions.

Tools needed

(all tools must be clean and completely sterile. no residue at all!)
(1) Small Tupperware bowl (or similar transparent type bowl)
(2) Plastic Cup (to gather new tank water)
(3) Plastic Spoon (or similar)

Removing the shrimp from the bag:
It can be difficult to remove the shrimp from the breather bag. The breather bag is not wide enough to attempt to put a net in and scoop out. Also, if you try to just pour the water out of the bag into a container you run the risk of getting shrimp stuck in the bag, and it is difficult to remove them when this happens. I have tried numerous methods at removing the shrimp from a breather bag, and this is by far the best method. I do this every single time I receive new shrimp and consider it the only way to do it.

(1) Carefully open the box and do not rip it open. Use a knife or scissors to cut the tape at the top and open the box. Remove the top insulation and the paper. You will then see the bag of shrimp.
(2) After removing the bag you should see the shrimp inside swimming around franticly (they haven’t seen light in a few days). There is also a piece of moss in there. Put the unopened bag inside of the tupperware bowl.
(3)Take a pair of scissors and starting at the top of the bag, cut down the side of the bag (below the knot), allowing the water to pour into the bowl and keeping the bag in the water at the same time as it pours out. This allows the shrimp to be submerged in the water the entire time without having to remove them from the bag and into air.
(4) Still keeping the bag submerged inside of the bowl, cut the top off of the bag (below the knot). This will allow the bag to fully open and collapse directly into the water. The shrimp will also swim right into the bowl at the same time. Now, using a plastic spoon (or similar), "clean" out the inside of the collapsed bag ensuring that there are no remaining shrimp in the bag. Note: keep the moss as well. The shrimp will cling to the moss so just move it into the bowl.
(5)Remove the bag when you are sure that there are no longer any shrimp inside. All of the shrimp should have swum out of the bag into the bowl either on their own, or with your help.
Now you should have a plastic bowl with the package water, moss, and shrimp. The hard part is over: Getting them out of the bag and into the bowl!

Acclimating with tank water:
(1) Take a cup to scoop your tank water into. Look at the amount of water in the bowl and estimate how much water volume you think 10% is. Take the cup with the new tank water and pour the equivalent 10% into the bowl that you estimated. Basically you are increasing the water by 10% inside of the bowl with new tank water, slowly acclimating the shrimp.
(2) Pour the same amount you poured the first time (original 10% estimate) into the bowl every 2 minutes until you have tripled the water that was originally in the bowl (total of 40-45 minutes).
(3) Afterwards your bowl water is 1/3 old and 2/3 new tank water.
Your shrimp are good to go at this point as they have adjusted to the temperate and water conditions of your new tank having followed these steps carefully.

Placing the Shrimp into their new home:
I recommend taking a small net and scooping the shrimp out of the bowl and placing them in the tank. I do not recommend dumping the bowl water into the tank. Remember to keep an eye of the moss if you decide to throw it away, there may be shrimp attached to it.

Wait to feed the shrimp; do not feed them immediately. Let them get used to the tank first. Sometimes I don’t feed mine for the first 24 hours; I let them scavenge throughout the tank during that time.
Enjoy the shrimp in their new home =)

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Shrimp Species List Page