Why do my fish keep jumping out.

3S1K

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I have had a bunch of fish die in the last few months. 3 of them from jumping out. I havent tested but the corals look great so I assume everything is in line.

The temperature has been getting warmer lately. Tank is at 82degrees now that summer is rolling in is all I can think of.
 
I have had a bunch of fish die in the last few months. 3 of them from jumping out. I havent tested but the corals look great so I assume everything is in line.



The temperature has been getting warmer lately. Tank is at 82degrees now that summer is rolling in is all I can think of.



What fish do u have. Wrasses are jumper. Put a cover on top. Also 82 is little high. Try keep it 78-79
 
False percula and chromis jumped out. All is left is 6 line wrasse and a small Scopas tang. My lawnmower blenny is mia also.
 
Some are just jumpers. I've had fish for 3+ years that decided to leap. You aren't piping Justin Bieber music into the water are you? That would cause even your rocks to jump.

If your tank has straight edges, I'd rig up a screen cover. BRS has the parts to do one pretty inexpensively. Just a glorified window screen, really. Bowfronts are tougher. I still have a little cube with a bowfront. Used eggcrate - holes are too big and the light output got cut down by at 25% at least. Now its just uncovered. If anything jumps, too bad. I've had more wrasses jump than anything else. Pricy dog snacks.
 
Gary -- Is that a pretty good rule of thumb for light reduction using an egg crate cover? It obviously fits perfectly in a frame ledge, but if that's true about the light, I might have to go in a different direction.
 
Don't know, but it was for me. You'll be surprised how much light it cuts. I have 150w MH on the tank, so the light is broadcast out to fill the little tank. The egg crate cut light output dramatically except directly under the bulb. Black eggcrate is really bad although more aesthically appealing to the outside of the tank (black trim, light fixture, etc) to me.
 
+1 on the egg crate. My tank went nuts with the light reduction. Mushrooms, zoos even fish were having and issue. I couldn't get anything to open up. Some fish stayed behind the rocks,Tank had a weird dark overcast to it. You can get clear netting at Homedepot/Lowes . It only cuts down about 5%of lighting. I'm making a top right now.
 
screen is the way to go, you can use black or clear, you might want to test for stray voltage as well, here is mine w black 1/4 pond netting




 
what are the water parameters.
is the temp shifting to 82 degrees from 79, more than a 3 degree variance in a day can be on the high side for temp fluctuation
what volume tank

screen tops are almost a must just to be sure.
 
Do your lights turn on/off gradually or all of a sudden. Lights that suddenly turn on/off can spook the fish and cause them to jump.
 
Putting a screen on a tank is really a no-brainer. Inexpensive (especially if you buy frame parts from HD) and pretty easy to do. You'll pay back the investment based off just a couple of fish saved. I guess I can understand not using a screen on a rimless tank, but really no excuse on any other.

Fish jump for lots of reasons, and without a screen you WILL lose them. I hear fish hitting my screen all the time. Sometimes it's because they are being chased, other times they are chasing food, other times because they just feel like jumping ......

Eggcrate can suffice in certain situations (I use it on my QT tank; with bigger fish) but is it a poor choice for the display.
 
Putting a screen on a tank is really a no-brainer. Inexpensive (especially if you buy frame parts from HD) and pretty easy to do. You'll pay back the investment based off just a couple of fish saved. I guess I can understand not using a screen on a rimless tank, but really no excuse on any other.

Fish jump for lots of reasons, and without a screen you WILL lose them. I hear fish hitting my screen all the time. Sometimes it's because they are being chased, other times they are chasing food, other times because they just feel like jumping ......

Eggcrate can suffice in certain situations (I use it on my QT tank; with bigger fish) but is it a poor choice for the display.

+1, and fish will jump through egg crate but not the 1/4" clear mesh.
 
you said a six line wrasse?

i would be willing to bet he is bullying the other fish. i had a percula jump a little over a year ago (rest in peace Gacy), and i'm strongly suspicious that the six line bullied him in to it. he would lurk near the bottom, the clowns were always near the top, then come zooming up at them and hit them from below.

nasty jerk. he's gone now, and i made a screen top just like bmullikin1 posted.
 
All fish can jump. It's a natural instinct. Lights come on or going off, walking to the tank too quickly, or moving a cleaner magnet can all cause them to jump. That doesn't include everything in a tank, livestock wise.

I work at a LFS and had a full size Atlantic Blue Tang jump in the middle of the tank and he was the only one in the tank.

Check for bullies and outside sources. Get a top on. Not eggcrate.
 
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