Are clownfish tank jumpers

[dborowsk]

I seem to have bad luck with clownfish jumping out of the tank. Some of my tanks are partly covered and most very well glass canopy covered. I think I have lost five clownfish due to them jumping out over two years. Nobody I talk with at the LFSs considers clownfish as jumpers, but when your forty dollar black clown is on the carpet and the its buddy is now single still swimming around it hurts quite a bit. Any thoughts would be appreciated as I am not ready to lose another clown :(

[Toddrtrex]

I have only lost one clown to jumping (( this is over 15 years and about 13 clowns )), it was a male black and white O --- the female pretty much chased him out of the tank, the first time I was able to get him back in, and before I could pick up some egg create (( to cover the tank )) she chased him out for good.

So, IME, clowns are only jumpers when something forces them to do that -- do you have aggressive tanks?

[ILLiDaN]

even then i still would not leave an open top

[Ron Popeil]

I just lost my male tricinctus to jumping, so I know how frustrating it can be. He had been in with a particularly aggressive female and any time I've added a carpet anemone she has flown off the handle. So I attribute this jump to the blue carpet I added. Clowns in later stages of brooklynella always seem to jump out of their tanks as well. I've seen some non intrusive screen lid projects here on RC that would be worth looking into. Good luck! If you end up making something, share it here!

[noboddi]

If something startles them they can jump. I always keep egg crate over tanks.

[TheOtherReefer]

all fish can be jumpers.

clowns don't usually jump but they do.

egg crate blocks a lot of light going into the aquarium.

check out my thread, a few pages in(click on my red house)I have a cover that allows 100% light to penetrate and keeps my fishies in the tank.

[Toddrtrex]

It depends on what type of egg create. The true lighting diffuser (( if place the proper side up )) won't block any light.

[TheOtherReefer]

I have only seen/heard of one type of egg crate. What/where can I find info on it Toddrtrex?

thanks

[Toddrtrex]

I got mine from a local Home Depot -- not sure if it really has a different name or not. But, the "squares" are tapered, so they are thinner on one side compared to the other.

Kind of like this, / \ and if flipped over \ / if that makes sense -- if it was possible to look head on to it.

[TheOtherReefer]

I understand Todd. But still, there cannot be 100% penetration with that. It is more efficient than the regular egg crate but not the same as having an open top. Right?

[Toddrtrex]

I can't remember where I saw it, but there was an actual study on it, and I want to say the loss of light (( if any )) was insignificant

[TheOtherReefer]

When there are T5's or VHO's I can maybe understand becasue of the spread coverage. But with a Metal Halide there has to be a significant loss of coverage when there is a single light source point. Right? lol

[Toddrtrex]

Think it would depend on how high the light is off the tank. I know that when I had it over my cube with a single 250 SunPod (( using the legs, so I would guess 3 inches off the tank )), my eyes (( and pictures with the same camera settings )) couldn't see any difference at all.

[TheOtherReefer]

guess a PAR reading will be nice to see. but thanks for the info, good to know.

this is what I made.

http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l464/ReeferMadMan/done.jpg

http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l464/ReeferMadMan/on.jpg

http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l464/ReeferMadMan/sideview.jpg

[Mook Man]

Ironic and unfortunate is this thread's timing - my true perc went carpet surfing just this evening :(

[stumpovrtyme]

Just wanna get my 101post!:bum:

[kerusso316]

To get to the bottom of this problem,one must think like a fish...Is you are a fish in the ocean....and the lights go out immediately... what has happened?Answer: There is a large fish above you...and You are about to get eaten.You, as a fish, must move quickly....When you hit glass there are only two ways to go......down will give you sores on your mouth and head.Up.... you go carpet surfing.I keep all my clowns under egg crate.And I use dim able light for the fish's health.Just my thoughts....Mitch aka Booyah

[Mook Man]

After I lost a Randall's shrimp goby with a top on with 5/8" triangular finger holes on the front two corners I built another tighter fitting top with maybe 1/4" between the glass and the top - it never ceases to amaze me how small a hole a fish can fit through. I'm going to have a chat with the engineering department tonight; I'm feeling that a bit of plexiglass may be involved in the discussion.

[JustinReef]

Whenever my clowns gets startled, they immediately dive into their carpet. Even if they are close to the top of the tank, they go straight back down to it.

[HumbleLobster]

In the few years I've kept my clowns, not one has gone surfing. I've kept ocellaris in that time, and even with aggressive tank makes (six line wrasse) I've not had any problems. I'm running my tanks open top.

[vaporize]

Ironically, I found my clownfish are scare of lighting, whenever there's thunderstorm, there are always a few surfers

[rkelman]

Clowns are absolutely jumpers. If it don't seal up every crack on my growouts I'll have 2 or 3 a night jump out.

[TheOtherReefer]

that sucks

[MarineFlake]

I never lost a clown until recently when I moved my two Percs into a new 135g, I also added two misbars. 3 of them ganged up on the smallest, he ended up jumping. Then the two remaining percs ganged up on the last one. During that time, I had added two black false clowns, not realizing the issue. The smallest black clown jumped and that was it, I removed the last misbar. The last black clown is still in the tank, but holds his own against the male perc. All in all, from my experience, aggression lends to the jumping, if you see other fish cornering the clown high up in the tank, odds are your gonna find it on the floor. In my case, I couldn't revive them, had to trash them both. Up until this event, I would have never thought a clown to be a 'jumper' but it does happen.

[davocean]

Well, mixing more than one pair may have resulted in clown deaths on that one even w/ a covered lid IMO.
I personally have never had a clown carpet surf, but my maroon did jump out trying to bite me once.
My friend just got 2 picassos, and one jumped the night before he came to get a new lid from me.
THEOTHERREEFER, nice job on lid.
Some plastic supliers also carry black eggcrate.