My Fish find the stupidest ways to kill themselves

[MarsReefer]

Lost one of my favorite wrasses this morning to jumping. I have a tight fitting lid, but the netting had snagged and torn a 1/2" circle. 1/2 square inch hole in a 1200 square inch net and this fish somehow managed to launch itself through the gap and get stuck on top of the net overnight. Ordered a whole new net to replace it since apparently having one tiny square tear is enough for my fish to decide they've had enough of life.

No real point to this thread other than my ranting and a reminder to check your lids...

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Lost one of my favorite wrasses this morning to jumping. I have a tight fitting lid, but the netting had snagged and torn a 1/2" circle. 1/2 square inch hole in a 1200 square inch net and this fish somehow managed to launch itself through the gap and get stuck on top of the net overnight. Ordered a whole new net to replace it since apparently having one tiny square tear is enough for my fish to decide they've had enough of life.

No real point to this thread other than my ranting and a reminder to check your lids...

Sorry to hear - fish do manage to jump out under the strangest of circumstances. here is something I had written on this topic:


Self-inflicted injuries

Fish occasionally do injure themselves. A frightened fish may jump out of the tank onto the floor, or an aggressive feeder may damage its mouth going after a food item. There is a saying that goes, “Any fish will jump out of an aquarium under some circumstances, and some fish will jump out of an aquarium under any circumstances.” The corollary to this is, “The chance of this happening is always proportional to the value of the animal.”

Most fish are “blind leapers” and just jump from their aquarium in a random direction. A simple top will keep these fish in their place. Other fish jump with more objectivity—aiming for any gap in the aquarium lid (e.g., tilefish, firefish, royal grammas, and jawfish). These species require especially close-fitting tops. Still other creatures are “slitherers” and will actually squeeze through an opening or push a lid aside (such as octopus and eels). These creatures need a close-fitting, weighted lid to keep them at home. There is also surprisingly wide variation among some families of fish; most clownfish do not jump out, but the wide-banded clownfish, Amphiprion latezonatus, is a well-known leaper.

Jay

 

[Malcontent]

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[G Santana]

I have wanted a flame hawk for close to two years, I bought and received a very small fish and was happy that he put on size. Lately he had been hanging out on top of my power heads, I recently found him dried up like a red potato chip on the floor.
I was so bummed out, why oh why didn't he reach out to me before taking drastic measures.