Jumping fish survival?

[saltyhog]

I forgot to replace one of my screens last night after feeding and some testing. My wife were sitting and talking when we heard a big splash and a thump like someone threw a cantelope on the floor. I instantly knew what happened and my wife saw where my Pink Margin wrasse went....behind the middle of a 6 foot tank. Fortunately she directed me while I reached over the sump and retrieved him. He was back in the tank in less than a minute.

At first he looked dead as a hammer. No movement at all. I held him up to the return to get some water flowing over his gills and when he started to wiggle let him go. He went under my large monti and laid on the bottom till lights out. Had not seen him all day and feared the worse, but when I fed this evening he came out of the rocks and fed like nothing had happened.....haven't seen him since. Before he was always out front and the most personable fish in the tank.

Is he gonna make it? Why the reclusive behavior? I wonder if he suffered a CNS injury with the apparant loss of consciousness and strange behaviour.

 

[zwulfke]

I had a scooter jump acted the same he was out for 4 min and still later a year longer after that. I would not worried if he came out and had dinner he is just causiouse

 

[4FordFamily]

Unless the impact was hard he should make it fine.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Agreed with both above posts. If he began swimming at any point after being returned to the tank on his own he should be fine.

He will be scared the next few days but that is understandable, as he just had a pretty traumatic experience.

 

[3dees]

I had a zebra barred dart jump while I was doing a wc. didn't notice it for a few minutes. I was cover with my yellow labs hair. thought for sure it was a goner. put it back and it swam away like nothing happened.

 

[pegasus_sb]

i think he will be fine. thats crazy and luckily you were home to hear it. once my girlfriend and i were sleeping and i forgot to put the screen top on my tank after i fed. she woke up to a splat.... she looked at the tank didnt seen anything and then she noticed something on the floor. she thought it was a snake but it was my gold dwarf moray eel. she woke me up saying theres a snake in the room and i got up and saw my precious on the floor! haha took me a while to get a hold of his slippery body and tossed him back in. he went into hiding a week and didnt eat but after that he recovered and is all good. he was out of the water probably 2 or so minutes....

 

[RavenSF]

My linespot wrasse jumped while I had my hands in the tank moving a frag plug. He wasn't out for long and did survive, but his personality hasn't been the same. He's healthy but not as active and has almost entirely stopped flashing. I wouldn't freak out if you see personality changes in your fish.

 

[saltyhog]

Thanks guys. Yesterday he ate well and was out occasionally. Today he was back to his old self, dominating the other wrasses during feeding time and cruising the tank non stop!

I was starting to think he was blaming me as he almost acted afraid of me until today. He normal takes food from my hand and bumps my hand if it's in the tank. He was doing that tonight. Glad he's "back".

 

[Cleo642]

Thanks guys. Yesterday he ate well and was out occasionally. Today he was back to his old self, dominating the other wrasses during feeding time and cruising the tank non stop!

I was starting to think he was blaming me as he almost acted afraid of me until today. He normal takes food from my hand and bumps my hand if it's in the tank. He was doing that tonight. Glad he's "back".

He just went through a traumatic event. The fish jumps thinking he is gonna land in the ocean, but instead he smacks the hardwood floor.

 

[scardall]

Just remember to move him slowly front to back to get water across his gills until he is breathing on his own.

 

[renato120]

That happened to me. My female clown jumped, luckly I was next to the tank. It took a couple of days for Her to be swiming normal... She was acting like she was gonna die after She jumped.
Good luck!

 

[CaribbeanCollector]

I had a orchid dottyback that jumped in the middle of the night. My dog started barking, so I got out of bed and found him. I immediately put him back it. He is also the fish I had the longest after that in the saltwater hobby anyway.

 

[Cameron Martinez]

Old thread but had a question about jumpers. My flame hawk jumped out of the tank this morning we got her back in the tank quickly and she is acting fine now.
Question is after a fish jumps once are they more prone to jump again or after one close call will they learn that jumping isn't the best idea?
we keep the tank covered at night but is is open during the day. Lights where still ramping up for the day not very bright when she did decide to jump and didn't notice any other fish in the area after we heard the splash so don't think she was chased out.
The only other fish we have in the tank that is more dominate is the Yellow Tang and she was on the other side of the tank unless she swam over that quick afterwards.
So don't think she was scared just decided to see what was on the other side.

 

[scardall]

It will be a risk to keep your tank front open, just part of the game. I had a very large Clown Grouper that is alone, that jumped out in middle of night. They are a laid back fish and don't jump. Had him for years with an open tank. good luck

 

[saltyhog]

At least with wrasses, they don't seem to learn their lesson. I have three wrasses that have jumped more than once since this thread and my screens are only off when I'm standing there doing something in the tank. Several times a month one will bounce off the screen. It's usually when they are arguing over food or pecking order.

That said I've only lost one....a yellow fin flasher that jumped in the arm of my t-shirt. While trying to get him out and I stepped on him without realizing he had fallen out the bottom of my shirt.