Are jumping blenny’s a common thing?

[SaltyB24]

Picture this:

You start a predator tank and while at your LFS one day you see a Midas blenny gliding through the water like an angel. Your heart skips a beat and you instantly fall in love. So you go home and start planning a second tank.

Fast forward a couple months later. You have your beautiful new Waterbox, your lid, your new KP live rock aquascaped and stable readings, you patiently wait and then wait some more. Then you introduce a CUC, clownfish, and wait another month and a half. Everything is going fantastic. You finally pull the trigger and order your beloved Midas blenny from Dr. Reef already quarantined and ready to go. You wait another agonizingly long week for delivery day. You FINALLY get THE fish that makes your heart swell every time you look at him. Then two weeks into having him you go to your tank to feed for dinner and find him on the floor next to the tank with the lid COMPLETELY UNMOVED! My heart is broken. My husband and I were outside and did not know he had jumped out. We had witnessed him jumping up trying to get out a few times but did not think much of it due to the lid being on the tank.

Is this common? How do I prevent this from happening again? I’m so sick to my stomach I could puke this was literally my dream fish!

 

[JoJosReef]

I'm so sorry. I posted today on the same topic--saw my tailspot blenny (entire 10g aquascape centered around him or her) jump through the lid and flop around on the lid. I was lucky to be there, right when it happened though.

I started looking for smaller mesh lids today. Apparently it is common for blennies and gobies to jump, even through small holes.

 

[Feet Pixel]

that's heartbreaking, i'm so sorry

 

[SaltyB24]

I'm so sorry. I posted today on the same topic--saw my tailspot blenny (entire 10g aquascape centered around him or her) jump through the lid and flop around on the lid. I was lucky to be there, right when it happened though.

I started looking for smaller mesh lids today. Apparently it is common for blennies and gobies to jump, even through small holes.

He was already near 4 inches long and the mesh is tiny so I don't think he jumped through the netting but possibly since the lid is relatively light weight I am guessing he was able to push it up enough to get out? I had witnessed him jumping up often and he was never able to push through the mesh part of the lid.

I am sorry to hear yours tried to commit suicide as well but am happy you caught him in time!

 

[SaltyB24]

that's heartbreaking, i'm so sorry

Thank you I am pretty sick to my stomach about it

 

[Karen00]

I am so sorry to hear this happened!! Gobies and blennies are jumpers and can somehow find and squeeze through the smallest of spaces. I recently lost my hi fin goby (my first fish) to jumping. I'm still sick about it. In my case he found the 1/4" gap along one edge but more than finding the gap the force of his jump actually displaced the lid making the gap wider. I have to find a way to better secure the lid. It's such a bummer. We can all commiserate with you.