Jumping fish

[clownster]

How many people cover there tanks? Mine is open and I keep reading about fire fish and Goby's being jumpers.

The kellil lighting I have looks very weird if I put any thing over the tank. The speak is interrupted as well as the tank is lightly darker.

Any ideas? Some where I read add a plexiglass or something on the rim upward. Jsut wonder what others do. I want to get a fire fish and already have a Goby.

Thanks for reading.

Robb

 

[BL1]

Here you go, a lot of people use this one https://www.livingreefs.com/new-canopy-t30736.html I use it and it never affected the light in the tank.

 

[Smitty]

I built a mesh top for my tank.

 

[Reefer916]

I have personally never had fire fish jump, I have a small school of five ( i highley recomend schooling these fish) they mainley hangout at the bottom of the tank and pretty much spend there day going in and out of hiding. However, depending on your lights and temp, it should not hurt to cover the openings just to be on the safe side. Again though you need to keep a eye on the temp.

 

[chichimom79]

I use a screen top too. Bought the screen from Bulk Reef Supply. It doesn't affect my lighting at all.
Thought I'd also mention that I have heard several accounts of firefish jumping to their deaths. If you value the fish, why chance it? :)

 

[cvcdrk]

I used egg crate from Lowes to build a cover for my tank. It was a pain in the ass to cut it because there are cords and equipment and stuff and I'm OCD about things being perfect....but it works well.

 

[2XAl]

i use plexi with any openings notched a little larger than they needed to be and 1-3/4" holes for the finger openings. gas exchange doesnt appear to be a problem and temp control has been fine. My house is a consistent temp otherwise though. When they're clean it looks awesome and coral growth makes it seem like light transmission isn't blocked enough to be a problem. I ran it open before the goby went in and the only difference is one more aspect of the tank to clean and I go through a heck of a lot less top off water.

 

[clownster]

How bought 5 of these bad boys.

Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Firefish, Helfrichi

I have personally never had fire fish jump, I have a small school of five ( i highley recomend schooling these fish) they mainley hangout at the bottom of the tank and pretty much spend there day going in and out of hiding. However, depending on your lights and temp, it should not hurt to cover the openings just to be on the safe side. Again though you need to keep a eye on the temp.

 

[clownster]

Thanks for the info guys. I have some of the egg crate on hand and I'll give that a shot and maybe get the screen from BRS later.

 

[Scots_art]

my tank is rimless and braceless , so i would need an alternative way of sitting a netting top onto my tank.

 

[cvcdrk]

my tank is rimless and braceless , so i would need an alternative way of sitting a netting top onto my tank.

Eggcrate would be the way to go imo. It's not going to look very nice on a rimless tank, but it would be easy to cut it so that it sat flush and wasn't too noticeable.

 

[Scots_art]

i think it was you in a previous post that said you were a bit OCD when it comes to your tank etc ,

i am a lot more OCD and eggcrate is an absolute eye sore to me lol.

I am going to have a play about on sketchup and work on a design , and then get in touch with a company who custom makes stuff out of acrylic , or i will price a sheet and DIY.

 

[BL1]

Eggcrate unfortunately isn't small enough to keep smaller fish like firefish from jumping, they can still fit through the squares.

 

[BL1]

I actually just thought of a good idea for rimless tanks using acrylic and the clear netting, I'm not sure if I'd be able to explain it well enough though.

 

[Scots_art]

I live in the UK so i am not sure you can get the clear netting.
i just seen some clear netting but its like $55 as its pre cut to fit over garden ponds , which is a waste as there would be so much wasted.

 

[justanotherfishhead]

I don't have anything to add about the top, but wanted to say that I've never seen my firefish jump. Both that I've had are staying in the lower part of the tank and sleep and feed only in the lower part. In a bucket during acclimation, then you have to worry with them.

 

[2XAl]

My firefish definitely jumped.

 

[AmberSunrise]

I did the whole homemade top thing also but found it to ruin the look of the tank. Once I got moonlights at night though I never had another fish jump

 

[Scots_art]

its all down to the individual fish if they are going carpet surfing or not.
i had never heard of clown fish jumping , but on one of the UK forums one member had nothing in his tank apart from a pair of clowns and 1 kept on jumping , he found her several times on the carpet , behind the stand .
and the male clown never jumped once lol.

Firefish is not on my list , but all of the fish that are on my list are candidates for carpet surfing . so if i can come up with something nice and wont spoil the tank then i will be making it lol.

 

[cvcdrk]

I would love to be able to run my tank without the eggcrate. I neither like the way it looks nor like the light dispersal from it.....but alas, after two jumpers there's really no alternative...and I did take the time and effort to make it. so oh well.