Doing water changes on a tank with a tiny notorious jumper

Fishbird · Mar 1, 2020

So this feels like an embarrassingly silly question to have to ask but, how do you protect tiny jumping fish (green banded gobies/any goby under 2” long when you’re changing water? Do you just move your lid around so the tank is as covered as possible and hope for the best? The other thing I thought of was trying to make some sort of fine net and elastic situation so I could have my hand and siphon in the tank but everything else would stay covered. I realize that I would be right there and able to put the fish back if it jumped but it still seems not great for fish health to repeatedly jump. I have a sand bed and lots of rocks/caves so I’m hoping that when my hand appears the goby will try and hide rather than bail out but I want to be prepared specially for quarantine when I just have pvc tubes for it to hide in and a sandbox.

Tahoe61 · Mar 1, 2020

Do you have sump that you can access for water changes?
I suppose it happens but I have never had a fish jump during a WC in 34 years.

Fishbird · Mar 2, 2020

I don’t have a sump but I’m glad it’s never happened to you! For now I guess I’ll keep the top covered as much as possible and cross my fingers!

Wen · Mar 2, 2020

Fishbird said:
I don’t have a sump but I’m glad it’s never happened to you! For now I guess I’ll keep the top covered as much as possible and cross my fingers!

I keep my tops covered as much as possible during water changes. I place mine on a diagonal while working. Never had a fish jump out during maintenance but don’t want to risk it.

ReefGrammie · Mar 2, 2020

Wen said:
I keep my tops covered as much as possible during water changes. I place mine on a diagonal while working. Never had a fish jump out during maintenance but don’t want to risk it.

I agree with Wen, keep the top diagonal and the tank covered as much as possible. That's not a silly question at all! I have a canopy, but I'm always watching for my tiny green clown goby. He has not once, but twice, jumped into the overflow box, gone down the plumbing, over the baffles, and into the middle chamber of my sump with the return pump! He's so tiny, I didn't even find him for a few weeks the first time. I never dreamed he would be in there!