Fishy Suicide

[androo303]

Ho hum... The last of my two swordtails platties have jumped to their death, damn open top aquariums.    

We came home from the fireworks last night and the dog found a nice treat on the floor. I would have never noticed but she brought the gift out to the living room. I guess I will have to make a run to a LPS for some more stock once the plants grow up.

[daworldisblack]

Sorry to hear! Yeah i've lost a few meself... it sucks but I notice when I have plant cover (floating plants or overgrown long stem plants) they jump less. Some other have theories on night lights.

[exv152]

I've found certain types of fish are more prone to jumping than others, ie; tetras, hatchets, rasboras, danios etc. Having some form of light in a room also helps prevent jumpers, like a baby light etc. Fish tend to jump when startled and mostly during the night/in darkness.

[charlie]

Also jumping is indictative of poor water conditions.
On another note i`m moving away from the Harlequins( 6-8) i have, if that interest you PM me.
Errol

[androo303]

Having some form of light in a room also helps prevent jumpers, like a baby light etc. Fish tend to jump when startled and mostly during the night/in darkness.

Interesting. Never thought theyd get startled... I may have to investigate installing a top on it but I'd like to avoid it if possible because my light is mounted using legs on a rimless glass.

Also jumping is indictative of poor water conditions.

It happened right after I did my reshape (in which I will post photos shortly). I did a water test this morning once all the water was cycled and settled and everything looked normal.

On another note i`m moving away from the Harlequins( 6-8) i have, if that interest you PM me.

I will advise, I just need to figure out if my tank can take them in with the amount of stock already in place. Thanks for the offer.

[exv152]

Yeah, minimizing the jumping incidents gives you the best rate of success. I tend to avoid using known jumpers in open tanks and pay particular attention to aggression from other fish. For example, I wouldn't house fin nippers with other more passive fish, or odd numbers of males vs females because it increases the aggresivity, leading to more jumpers. Something worth thinking about. Because if you're like me, the main reason for having a rimless tank is to be able to enjoy the look of the tank which would be ruined by putting a lid on it.

[blizzack1]

I had some lemon tetras that would start flying out of the tank once I turned their light off, to the point where I had to do this staggered darkness thing adjusting different lights in the room until they were all out.

I'd have to stand around after all the lights were off and listen for splats, then I'd have to scoop them up and put them back in.

Interesting. Never thought theyd get startled... I may have to investigate installing a top on it but I'd like to avoid it if possible because my light is mounted using legs on a rimless glass.

It happened right after I did my reshape (in which I will post photos shortly). I did a water test this morning once all the water was cycled and settled and everything looked normal.

I will advise, I just need to figure out if my tank can take them in with the amount of stock already in place. Thanks for the offer.