My harlequin Rasboras keep jumping out of tank?

[Deisler]

Hi All,
Recently set up a new 60P, with Eheim 2215 and CO2 set. A fully planted (mainly HC + Hairgrass) Iwagumi (with quite a few big Seiryu Stones). Plants seem to be doing fine.

The tank completed cycling a few days ago, so I decided to add some fish. I got 10 Harlequin rasboras, and properly acclimate them (I suppose...).

Day one: They are extremely shy (I never had Harlequin Rasboras before). When I walk by or even a tiny vibration to the stand will frighten them and they will just swimming like bullets in the tank (some of them can jump out of the water, and some try to dig into the substrate). When I am further away from the tank (>2m), they are schooling just fine.

Day 2: nothing changed, so I started worrying about them. Then don't eat any flakes, or small particle food.

Day 3: I found one rasbora jumped out when I do water change, then I checked the back of the stand and found one dead there (already dry). Since then, I've found fish jumping out of tank at least three times.

I am 100% sure that they are doing ok when they cannot see me. But when they can, they just want to escape, and some unfortunately jumped out of the tank.

Anyone has any idea of why they did that? If this continues, I think I have to return them back to fish store. I don't want them died this way.....

Thanks a lot in advance!

Regards
D

 

[Ryan Thang To]

when I had harlequin they was never shy but they do jump a lot. I had to give them away as my tank had no lid

 

[GlassWalker]

I have the closely related Trigonostigma hengeli (may be called copper harlequins, but I've also seen that common name used with others too). I lost a few to jumping too, and that was with a lid! There were some gaps in the lid, and I guess they found them. I had to block them off manually, before I later moved them to a bigger closed lid tank. I think the only solution is to have a barrier. Look up the Simply Aquaria DIY mesh lid. It can be cut to size and has a low impact on light and visuals.

 

[Deisler]

Thanks guys for your replies.

So if they are so jumpy, or so afraid of people, why are they so popular in planted tank?

I can't even get close to the tank to see them!

 

[Martin in Holland]

After a while they will get use to people, but that doesn't help much at the moment...maybe for the time being you could put up some kind of barrier (make the sides higher or as mentioned above with a net/mesh).

 

[ltsai]

Agreed with Martin. They will get tamer and not so jumpy after a while.

 

[candymancan]

How about you get a lid for your tank ? I don't understand why people don't use lids... Id have a ton of dead fish if my tanks didn't have lids..

 

[Martin in Holland]

How about you get a lid for your tank ? I don't understand why people don't use lids... Id have a ton of dead fish if my tanks didn't have lids..

No lid on a tank gives it another dimension, I love to have a look at my tanks from above, but indeed you will suffer some dead fish or shrimp now and then.

 

[Nick potts]

How about you get a lid for your tank ? I don't understand why people don't use lids... Id have a ton of dead fish if my tanks didn't have lids..

There are reasons for not having a lid, my next tank won't have one as i want my scape to come out of the water.

As for the jumping fish, i suffered a few lost fish when i started my current tank, 3 lemon tetra's, there is a lid but it has small feeding gaps in the corners, every time the lights go out the fish go crazy, hit the side of the tank and rocket up the corner and out i have fixed it by plugging the gap with floss but it looks ugly

 

[Lindy]

you have no cover for your fish to hide in or feel that they have a safe place to go too so they are panicking when you approach the tank.

 

[G H Nelson]

Try some floating plants.....this may help!
Cheers