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I think you should add penguin tetras to the Characins. We had some and almost every time we cleaned the tank we'd be picking them up off the floor and other things around the tank Had to count before and after to make sure we didn't miss any.

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Interesting article! I am not familiar with most of the fish in the article, but I have had danios, bettas, and at one point in very early fish keeping, harlequin rasboras, that I had a terrible time keeping in the tank when I cleaned. The rasboras looked like tiny butterflys fluttering to the floor, sticking to the curtain, the furniture and to me! I, currently, no longer have rasboras - all killed by a bad water change, but neat little fish.

Last edited by Two Tanks at 03-Oct-2005 18:08

One Family that contains a fair number of athletic jumpers is the Killies

i DO wish i'd known this 2 weeks ago. I now have a very crispy female killie and a male that has taken to mimicking the bettas in the tank next door.

I have put tape over the worlds smallest hole.

They have better aim than Bettas!

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

Very interesting article well worth keeping. Yes my new Betta jumped out. I also have several large Silver Sharks and one continually jumpes out. As he can only do this when the top is off I am always there and put him back again and again.

[link=My Betta Desktop tank photos]http://photobucket.com/albums/b209/keithgh/" style="COLOR: #00FF00[/link]
Keith

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true bout arowanas...i lost my 20 inch yellow arowana 6 years ago because he jumped out.......well..their scales are very thick and big..easily the largest i've seen

Mine took out an aluminium hood a few weeks back, hes off to my mini tropical house soon, even then im gonna put netting a couple of feet over the water cos i dont want him to end up beached. Good article BTW.

of course, yesterday i read this, and today my baby front jumps out.

Fish That Jump

Before I launch into this topic in full, bear in mind that all fish are potentially capable of jumping out of an aquarium if the mood takes them, even obligate bottom dwellers such as Corydoras and Plecs, which is why a cover over the aquarium is usually a good idea. However, this topic is devoted to those fishes that have a well-deserved reputation for jumping, plus one or two that may prove tobe a surprise to those that haven't encountered them before. However, if the fish species residing in your aquarium are torpedo shaped, or obligate surface dwellers, chances are they are more likely to jump than the aforementioned bottom dwellers - I've had Rummy-Nose Tetras perform aerial excursions before today, partly due to the fact that they can become somewhat skittish. Fish species that are easily spooked are also candidates for jumping among those that don't have a reputation for the habit.

And, with this preamble over, it's time to look at those species whose aerial excursions have acquired a degree of legend, as it were!

One Family that contains a fair number of athletic jumpers is the Killies - Family Cyprinodontidae. Among these, the so-called 'Fundulopanchax' Killies are known aeronauts, though the degree to which they will leap varies between species. However, there are certain species whose tendency to carpet surf is VERY marked, and which require special consideration. First among these are the members of the Genus Rivulus, which mainly hail from the New World (Rivulus cylindraceus, for example, is a native of Cuba). The Rivulus (of which there are several species) have a number of interesting habits, including trying to climb out of the water and bask on the leaves of floating plants, or sticking to the glass just above the water line as if 'velcro jumping' - habits which are not related at all to poor water quality, but, it would appear, a quirk of the Genus that the aquarist soon learns to accommodate. Do not let the apparently slow movements of these fishes fool you, however, as they are accomplished jumpers, usually choosing a moment of carelessness on the aquarist's part to do precisely this!

The Killie with the most ounced jumping tendency, though, is Aphyosemion sjoestedti, the Blue Gularis. This fish is genuinely rocket propelled when it wants to be, and is routinely categorised among the exceptionally powerful jumpers. With good reason - even though its usual disposition appears somewhat sluggish, when it decides to launch itself skywards, it can do so with alarming ease, and fly a fair distance before making landfall!

The Characins and their allies include several notable jumpers, of which the African Families Distichodontidae and Citharinidae are particularly notable. Fishes such as Distichodus sexfasciatus and Prochilodus insignis are not only large, but powerfully muscled, and a 12 inch fish suddenly taking an aerial excursion is likely to result in some mayhem! South America provides more rocket-propelled large characoids in the form of the Genus Leporinus, whose antics were worthy of a note in the venerable Innes book illustrating both their toughness and their athleticism - do NOT keep any Leporinus species in an uncovered aquarium unless you want them to begin emulating Polaris submarine launched ballistic missiles, which they can with astonishing agility ...

Among the smaller Characins that need to be covered, the Splash Tetra, Copella arnoldi, is an obvious candidate, as it is the only fish that leaps out of water to lay its eggs! With unique breeding habits of this kind, it should come as no suprise to learn that even when not breeding, it can be an accomplished aeronaut - keep it covered! Likewise, the Hatchet Fishes (Genera Gasteropelecus and Carnegiella) need special attention in this regard because these fishes are, in effect, freshwater flying fishes with the ability to travel six feet or more across the water in their native home. While not a characin, the African Butterfly Fish, Pantodon buchholzi, was included (erroneously) among the characoids generically by Innes in his venerable tome, and this too is a freshwater flying fish with a rocket-propelled ability to cross a living room if left unattended and uncovered for any length of time.

Cyprinids are not usually thought of as bad jumpers in the same category as the preceding species, but there are two species that should be watched with special care. However, their common names should alert you to their capabilities! Esomus danricus, the Indian Flying Barb, and Esomus mayalensis, the Malayan Flying Barb, are two species which live up to their names very well indeed, and have wing-like pectorals that should alert even the casual observer to their propensities. Rarely kept these days (at least here in the UK) upon account of there being a plethora of far more striking Barbs and Rasboras to choose from of assorted sizes, the two Flying Barbs are, nonetheless, species of interest to the 'oddball' Cyprinid keeper, and worth a lookout if one is looking specifically for unusual Cyprinids.

Finally, we have two specialised fish Families, generally labelled under the catch-all heading of 'Jurassics' by certain dealers and wholesalers, both being in the main Families for the knowledgeable and specialised 'oddball' aquarist upon account of size apart from anything else! The Family Polypteridae contains the Bichirs, whose maintenance and breeding details are the subject of a published work by another board member (namely Toirtis, who studies them professionally), which are worthy of a topic all to themselves (or, as Toirtis has demonstrated, a whole book!). These are athletic jumpers whose size and heavy armour of ganoid scales poses additional complications. A 24 inch fish making a skyward leap is going to cause some damage on landing, possibly both to itself and the house furnishings, so if you are intent upon making these fishes a part of your aquatic repertoire, make sure that their quarters are covered, and preferably with a cover that will not shatter should a specimen decide to try and break through the cover glass, as quite a few of them will! The final fishes in this section are the members of the Family Osteoglossidae, the Arowanas. Usually to be avoided except by the dedicated because they can reach 3 feet in length, these fishes are not only tank-busters par excellence for the unwary, but are remarkable athletes. Reputed to be capable of leaping out of the water to catch birds in mid-air in their native waters, a large Arowana again possesses a fairly heavy armour of ganoid scales, and a 3 foot long fish taking a leap out of the aquarium is going to have an impact akin to a small artillery shell when it lands - especially if 'ground zero' is a glass topped coffee table! It is entirely possible (though not recorded from any aquarium I know of) that the Arapaima, another member of the Family, may fall into a similar category: however, given the truly colossal aquarium that would be required for an adult fish (remember, Arapaimas are among the world's largest freshwater fishes, reputed to reach seventeen feet in length - this is a fish that is as long as a Mercedes S-Class!) it should come as no surprise to learn that litte is known of its aquarium habits once it becomes too much for all except the largest public aquaria. However, it would not surprise me if this giant possessed the same family trait, so if you are intent on turning over an indoor swimming pool to one of these behemoths, be prepared for some aerial excursions, potentially on an epic scale ...

And, with another of my aquatic Baedecker tours completed, it simply remains for me to say, enjoy!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

i discovered last night at feeding time that my female betta will jump out of the water about an inch, and will go about 5 inches. tonight i'm goign to setup the digital camera and use the video camera function and try to record her in action.

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

I have had Aphyosemion jump, but never Nothos...not sure why....especially since I have far more Nothos....of course, I also have a lot of glass tops.

My hatchets really are great jumpers. They get so excited when I feed them that they have jumped right out onto me!

---

They shade the glow of it with their mossy-misty costumes,
They wear masks of silk, porcelain, brass, and silver,
So as not to mislead with their own, ordinary faces.

Ah ... gardneri is one of the known athletes in this regard Callatya ...in fact all of the Fundulopanchax should be treated as potential piscine surface to air missiles and covered accordingly, because while they have a habit of looking sluggish and slow-moving when they're being watched, they can develop an alarming turn of speed at precisely the moment you turn your back! Dear old gardneri is a particular offender in this regard though, although not quite as bad as the Blue Gularis!

Oh yes, when you don't want them to, they can manifest the precision guidance of a Maverick missile when seeking exits from the aquarium!

On reflection, I'd be tempted to keep other Killies well covered too, even those that don't necessarily have a bad reputation such as the Rivulus. Annuals such as the Nothobranchius Killies, which are frequently sky-high desirable among Killie keepers because of their spectacular colours, and the South American Cynolebias might also be candidates for additional watchfulness in this regard, even though they don't have the legendary aeronautic reputation of some of their relatives. Likewise, the surface dwelling Epiplatys are prime candidates for a good cover, because sufrace dwelling fishes are risky even when they're not dedicated rocketships like the Hatchet Fishes ...

I have to admit though I'm a bit surprised to hear of Harlequin Rasboras being numbered among the jumpers here ... Scissortails and Rasbora borapetensis I'd have considered more likely because they're torpedo shaped and superbly streamlined, while Harlequins are chunky little fellows. But, one lives and learns!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Fp gardneri she was... with impeccable aim!

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

Double Post.

BettaChris, one thing about Frontosas is that they are easily spooked. And sometimes choose an upward dash as a means of escape. Which, in their native waters, they can get away with, because in the wild Frontosas are deep water dwellers - there's usually over 100 feet of water between them and the sky in Lake Tanganyika! In a shallow aquarium of course, it's a different matter - one launches itself skywards, and hey presto, Frontosa carpet surfing moment. A piece in TFH in the 70s might be interesting here - Rift Lake Cichlids seem to become more nervous if the aquarium is close to floor level. Put them in an aquarium on a high stand, and they seem to lose the nervousness that they manifest in aquaria situated at lower levels. No less a personage than TFH's editor, Marshall Ostrow, wrote the article and conducted some experiments to check the validity of the concept, setting up two near-identical aquaria at different heights, and swapping the inmates after a period of time to see if the effect was valid. On the basis of his results, with Rift Lakes, you keep them high. Might reduce the aerial tendencies of your Frontosas if you can do this!

Meanwhile, Penguins or Hockey Stick Tetras are likely to be aeronauts too, because they're naturally tail-standing fishes that eat at the surface. Maybe not quite as bad as a Blue Gularis, but even so, in need of watching!

As for your Killie, Calltya, what species was it? If it was one of the so-called 'Fundulopanchax' group of African lyretails (used to be all classified as Aphyosemion, but I believe there's been a revision of the group), or a Rivulus, then yes, you had a committed piscine surface to air missile in your aquarium! As for the Blue Gularis, that beast sometimes thinks it's a space shuttle ...


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Oh, yes, forgot about keeping small children's fingers and cats out of the aquarium too

But then as i live alone, I'm fortunate in that the only things that ever go into my aquaria are the things I put in ... not that that's been much of a source of comfort of late (sigh) ... although I'm reaching the point more and more that the water company has messed with the water supply, and that something unpleasant slipped past my treatment r&#233;gime. Returning to topic, however, keeping cats out is sometimes not only a good thing from the fish's point of view, but from that of the cat too ... especially when you've encountered at least one instance of a cat that got too curious and needed a trip to the vet after a chunk of its nose was taken out by a male Jaguar Cichlid guarding fry


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Haven't kept fish as long as many people here, but I luckily haven't had any carpet flounders yet. mayhaps a harley that flipped out of the net as he was being transferred but no one's tried coming out the tank.

Oh, the reason for this post, keeping fish in is important, but also realize that the hood also keeps unwanted items out. such as cats, dogs etc. I have a buddy who was new to the game and didn't keep the hood on cause he didn't want to cut out for the filter, then his little girl tossed a roll of toilet paper in...oh what a mess.

Last edited by divertran at 07-Oct-2005 09:24

I have even had a Severum jump...they can be skiddish and whenever someone would suddenly enter the room or the cat jumped at the aquarium...he would rocket at the hood and it would make a looud splat...worried me to death every time he did that because it must have hurt him

I had a ghost knife fish that jumped onto my tv and then again exept on my bed and then on the floor but now he doesnt do it any more, hes in my 125 gallon ultra tank
3 balas, 1 rainbow shark, peacock eel, comet gold fish, 2 sriped rapheal *new*, A red pacu, 3 upside down cats, ghost knife fish, and a zebra pleco

Few years ago during water changes of my tanks a 4 inch bala shark jumped out of his tank, cleared a 2 foot tank and landed in my salt water.....Zebra eel had a fine snack... :#(