by Ben Walker

Created on: December 14, 2009   Last Updated: December 15, 2009

There has been one too many times when I walk into my bedroom, drop on my knees, raise my hands in the air and just shout, “Noooooo!”  My prized fish has jumped from the aquarium and I have to pick up the dry, crusty carcass and have a memorial service out in the backyard… again. Of course, I have taken precautions so this kind of accident never occurs again, and now I can sleep at night.

Depending on what kind of fish you have and how big, the odds of a death due to a jump differ. If you’re keeping Arowanas, Bettas, Hatchetfish, or other fish prone to jumping it is a necessity that you take steps to minimize the possibility of a fish getting out. Schooling fish, when frightened are very likely to jump out of an aquarium with no lid, it’s like sheep going off of a cliff, the first one goes and the rest follow. Even incompatibility can cause fish to jump out of the aquarium; fish can drive other fish right out of the tank in a quarrel.

Many aquariums now come with fancy hoods with built in bio-wheels and lights, but if you don’t, you can easily purchase a canopy to fit your aquarium, even if you have an odd shape like an octagon, or hexagon, even bow fronts have special lids to fit. Most often, these canopies have hinges for easy access for feeding, aqua-scaping, or maintenance, like water changes and cleaning. These lids usually come with a plastic backing that you can cut to fit around filters and airline tubes, you should drill holes in this (small enough that your fish can’t get out), so the oxygen transfer can still occur.

There are other, more aesthetically pleasing ways to prevent fish from escaping their watery home. You can use floating plants like Frogbit, Azola, or Duckweed to make a thin layer of plants on the surface of the water, not only do these prevent fish from escaping, they provide a filter of light to reduce algae. Be careful, because if you have substrate plants also, these may not get enough light so thinning could be necessary. You can also use large plants that bend at the surface like Corkscrew Vals., and other similar background plants.

Here are some other reasons seldom mentioned, water changes, parameters and stress. During water changes, when the water to be put in the aquarium and the water in the aquarium are not the same, they cause cold spots and hot spots. If a fish is overcome by one of these, it may be forced to jump out of the tank. To prevent these thermal differences, do water changes slowly, equalize the temperature and pour onto something not directly into the aquarium. Water parameters like nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, and pH can easily cause a fish to jump for freedom, make sure you do bi-weekly water changes, or more, to keep these toxins out of your tank. Finally, stress, this can cause your fish to go fin over fin and out of the aquarium. Don’t tap the glass, especially with schooling fish, or skittish fish that are likely to jump.

There you have it! Easy ways to keep fish happy, healthy and not dry and crusty on your bedroom floor! Follow these steps and you’re sure to not have another burial service due to a fish jumping out.

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