clown fish jumping out

[Reeflover0723]

my small percula male clown fish jumped out of the tank and landed in a bucket with no water in it beside my tank. it is swimming slightly sideways now but eats. what should i do. what are some reasons he might have jumped out. i will get pictures if needed.

[scootshoot]

Something probably spooked him. Get a cover? I know some use those plastic egg crate thingies

[bobbychullo]

check to make sure you do not have any electrical
leaks in the water. a pump or heater may be leaking electricity into the water.

[Reeflover0723]

will he be fine

[bobbychullo]

you should post your tank size and live stock list to help figure out why he may have jumped

[bobbychullo]

not sure but they are hardy fish so he may survive.

[Reeflover0723]

i have 2 percula clowns in a 10 gallon tank with a hang on the back filter, 12 pounds of live rock 10 pounds of live sand. the fish have been there for about a month.

[Reeflover0723]

should i turn off the powerhead

[Shawn O]

If you have one, plug anything electrical on your system into a GFCI outlet. If something is leaking voltage it should pop the outlet.

As suggested, egg crate works great for keeping most fish in. It's also good for allowing air to get to the water's surface but will block some light if you're trying to grow coral. It also does a great job at keeping the cat out of the tank. ;)

[anthonys51]

any fish can jump out of a tank. you really didnt do anything wrong. if the fish is eating it should be fine. my clownfish jumped out, 180 dollar lesson. i now how a mess top to prevent this. yes some people will tell you they had a clownfish for years without a top. this might be true, but without a top you do risk fish jumping out. while some fish are more prone then others, all fish will jump or dart when scared or frighten

[Dkuhlmann]

A small electrical tester will check voltage in your water. You can even use one of the el cheapo's

[Reeflover0723]

i live in the middle of no ware and cant get equipment from a local store the closest fish store is 2 hours away

[gone fishin]

BRS sells a kit that has the 1/4 inch mesh and framing for it or get the frame at the hardware store and the mesh from BRS.

Why the fish jumped is anyone's guess. Something spooked him, he felt like it, clown break up. Without a top it is just a matter of time before a fish goes carpet surfing.

[ericarenee]

If you have one, plug anything electrical on your system into a GFCI outlet. If something is leaking voltage it should pop the outlet.

As suggested, egg crate works great for keeping most fish in. It's also good for allowing air to get to the water's surface but will block some light if you're trying to grow coral. It also does a great job at keeping the cat out of the tank. ;)

This is not always true. most Aquarium stuff does not have 3 prog ground and The wide plug for the hot Lead.
I was getting 4.5 v into my sump and it never tripped anything. I Knew it was there because if my i was barefooted and the Floor was wet it would shock me. I found what it was by unplugging one pump at a time. IT WAS A SUN-SUN Wave pump...
Never buy cheap pumps.. NOW if i CHECK i can still at times get up to 1V Sometimes more if the humidity is high.
get a 30.00 multi meter from lowes or home depot. a Cheap 3 prong one with a dummy light is not accurate at low voltage .
With the above said.
I Do not think this was the issue as it would have been in there all along unless you added something new to the tank. its a small tank and Clown fish can be silly swimmers sometimes.

oops sorry did not mean to Quote you Shawn...

[Dkuhlmann]

i live in the middle of no ware and cant get equipment from a local store the closest fish store is 2 hours away

Sounds like here in NW Iowa

[ericarenee]

Sounds like here in NW Iowa

WOW and i Complain about 20 minutes away... But we prob have 10 or so maybe more within 2 hours.

[tennesseebob]

WOW and i Complain about 20 minutes away... But we prob have 10 or so maybe more within 2 hours.

Wow, i have 1...well 1 and a half lol, and it is 1:45 away, the half is a pet store, it isnt bad for emergency, price is good, but selection is slim. Most of the prices are good i mean, a bucket of Instant Ocean is 80$, but otherwise its pretty good lol.

well...i guess there is a Petsmart 40min away...but they dont count lol

[Reeflover0723]

I got some plastic eggcrate at menards. For some reason it was in the painting section.

[Reeflover0723]

Which is 40 minutes away. Ugg there is nothing in this town.