Be honest!

[44santababy]

To all those aquarists who own tanks with open tops. How often are you losing fish from jumping and darting. I'm guessing it's constantly and that's sad. I have two tanks with one cover and one screen tops. I always hear some fish get spooked and fly right into the screen netting and splashing back down.

So is my guess wrong?

Many beautiful tanks out there that are wide open. It would stress me out unless coral only.


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[hbetanzo]

I have 3 tanks!! All with out cover and nothing to worry about it... and I'm pretty sure is not just casualty!!


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[nybb1001]

It is totally depending on what fish you have in your tank.

 

[44santababy]

Definitely can't keep wrasses, I've witnessed those go flying, easily spooked. My large rabbit fishes get spooked and go flying.


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[Dre]

Wrasses, dart fish, tile fish, triggers or well know jumpers. And clowns will jump occasionally

 

[Kworker]

I think most of the tanks you see with open tops in pictures remove the screen top for photos.

 

[marrone]

In my large fish tank I don't have screens and I never had a fish jump out. Now the fish I have in those tanks are larger fish, like Triggers, Tangs, Angels, Groupers, and Eels, which usually don't jump, plus the tanks are pretty large so there is room for them to go when startled. In one of my reef tanks I never had a screen until I started keeping smaller wrasses, which even with the screens will still find away to jump out of the tank.

I think if you plan on keeping any of the fish that jump, which covers a lot of fish, you should have a good screen on top, and even that will not stop fish from jumping through it. I have tripled over my netting, at angles, and still have had wrasse go right through them to the point I wouldn't buy anymore Peppermint Hogfish.

 

[theMeat]

In my large fish tank I don't have screens and I never had a fish jump out. Now the fish I have in those tanks are larger fish, like Triggers, Tangs, Angels, Groupers, and Eels, which usually don't jump, plus the tanks are pretty large so there is room for them to go when startled. In one of my reef tanks I never had a screen until I started keeping smaller wrasses, which even with the screens will still find away to jump out of the tank.

I think if you plan on keeping any of the fish that jump, which covers a lot of fish, you should have a good screen on top, and even that will not stop fish from jumping through it. I have tripled over my netting, at angles, and still have had wrasse go right through them to the point I wouldn't buy anymore Peppermint Hogfish.

Eels will/can escape. Have had 2 that did. One without a top, one with a top that had small opening that were big enough to come home and find dead half eaten by my cat eel.

 

[theMeat]

Like others have said, some fish are jumpers, and some are not.

 

[MikeC]

I think most of the tanks you see with open tops in pictures remove the screen top for photos.

+1000:thrash:

 

[marrone]

Eels will/can escape. Have had 2 that did. One without a top, one with a top that had small opening that were big enough to come home and find dead half eaten by my cat eel.

Yes, Eels will try to escape for a tank, especially Ribbon Eels, which need a very secured and seal top of the tank to keep them in. In my case my tanks are very high, 3', and the rock work and setting, plus I also make sure that they're well fed and feed with a stick, keeps the Eels in the rock work for the most part and less like they will try and escape. My tanks are acrylic so they're also capped around the ends, which is the area that an Eel will most likely look to escape from, as opposed to the openings in the middle of the tank, where fish will jump out through.

 

[44santababy]

I own five morays. None have ever tried to escape with my knowledge. My skeletor did once get in my overflow and I had to literally grab him with my bare hand and pull him out while the whole time he is biting me. Luckily this eel doesn't have teeth. Imagine my dragon in overflow!?


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[jd371]

I have had 3 fish jump in the 2 years my tank has been running. First one was my Firefish when I didn't have a cover on the tank. I was there at the time and able to put him back in with no harm. I covered the tank and since I have a HOB overflow I had 2 inch gaps in the back that I couldn't cover and left it that way. Sure enough a Clown jumped out through the 2 inch gap, I found him in the morning on top of the screen top over the tank. I covered the gaps with loose pieces of eggcrate so the tank was totally covered now. Came home from work one day and noticed one of the eggcrates missing. I looked behind the tank and found the missing eggcrate along with my Pink Margin Wrasse. I thought the eggcrate had some weight to it and would be hard to move if a fish tried to jump out let alone get enough speed to jump out where the gaps were... WRONG!
I've since permanently attached some acrylic strips to the screen tops to cover those gaps in the back, now it's definitely secure.

 

[Jazeel55]

Maybe there escaping poor water quality


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[jd371]

Maybe there escaping poor water quality


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Fish jump from being harassed or fright.

 

[IBernE]

In my experience, a lot of fish jump when newly introduced to the tank. I added a snowflake clown and a couple of days later he jumped out but luckily I was there and heard the jump and was able to save him. I also bought a diamond goby, same thing, he jumped out the next day... I couldnt save him I found him dried up on the floor. After that I put a top on my tank and bought another diamond goby, I left the lid on my tank for around a month then removed it. They both have not jumped and are doing very well. I don't like the look of lids on the tank so I put it on when I have a new addition and remove it some time later. I haven't added a fishy in a while though but that's my plan.

 

[Rookie2reef]

I had co uple jumpers but fish that are in tank been in there for about year and a half and havent jumped, and thats a midas blenny and mystery wrasse in back

 

[Hely'sreef1]

I've had my reef tank for a year now, lost a clown in the first month due to no cover. Had an acrylic cover custom made and never had a problem since....I know folk out there advise against covering their tanks, just curious to know why?


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[marrone]

I think you'll find most people advise to have a screen cover on their tanks, especially if you have wrasses or worm type fish that are known jumpers. The only reason that someone may advise against about covering their tank is that it may block out some of the light or create some shadows in the tank, but when netting type screens that's usually not the case and in the end it's more important to keep the fish inside the tank than out.

 

[44santababy]

Fully covered tanks don't release heat well so if your tank is heat sensitive this is an issue. Also heard covered tanks trap in unwanted gases.


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