A Community and Forum For Aquaponic Gardeners

Jumpin Jiminy!

So I recently moved my fish out from the basement to their summer home, 300 gallon horse trough lined with billboard vinyl, properly cycled and extra filtered til I get the plant beds going. Everything seemed fine overnight even with a thunder storm, H2O temps did go down to low 60's, rainy and overcast kept temps there. I felt fine heading off to work, when I came home though, totally tilapia lemmings, 13 were over the wall! I lost another couple the next day, but was able to revive a few by holding them over the pump outlet for several minutes. I fashioned a cover from plasticised wire fencing, and felt a little better about my husbandry for the moment. This morning I went to check, no casualties over night. Then as I walk away, jumpers again, and so enthusiastically some were getting through the wire mesh, so another day of running back every hour or so to check for escapees.

So, just me?

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Christopher Meunier on June 25, 2011 at 8:34pm

no, it is not just you. we have had to put plastic netting over our tanks too. we started with fine mesh netting, but they were jumping up and tearing that so we ended up with plastic/vinyl style netting.

Permalink Reply by Daniel Driscoll on June 26, 2011 at 6:24am

I just moved nine outdoors from a 125gal aquarium to a 1100gal Intex pool covered with birdnet. They were leaping real bad in the transfer tub, so bad one busted his face up pretty good, but now I think they are lovin it out there. You make me wanna go count them though.

Permalink Reply by LogicalHydro on June 26, 2011 at 10:00am

They usually jump because of lack of oxygen or stress. Atleast I have found that to be true for me.

Permalink Reply by David Nabong on June 26, 2011 at 11:02am

It could be either, or both, so that isn't surprising. Also the rapid temperature change likely had an effect also. They were "gulping" at the surface at first so I adjusted the outlet on the pump and filter to disturb the water surface more, which seemed to stop the gulping. I think every thing has settled down now, and I am looking forward to purchasing a large air pump to bring DO up.

Permalink Reply by Sylvia Bernstein on June 26, 2011 at 3:47pm

Love the thread title, David! If you can you might also try keeping the water level below "full". In my 300 gallon tank I try to never go higher than about 6" from the top rim...if I do that's when those suicides start happening.

Permalink Reply by TCLynx on June 26, 2011 at 8:26pm

All fish can jump and tank covers can be a real challenge. My second catfish death was from jumping and I lost tilapia out of tanks with even hard covers that they managed to bang open enough to get over the edge. And I've lost one small blue gill that jumped out of the tank a while back.

Netting that is tight and secure around the edge can make a good fish trampoline to bounce them back down but having some extra free board of tank above the water level as Sylvia says really does a lot to keep the fish in the tank.

Permalink Reply by Earl ward on June 26, 2011 at 9:40pm

the males will also chase each other ,if you have both males and females.I agree with Sylvia I keep my water in the pool tank about 10 in rom the top and use a styrofoam cover.

Permalink Reply by Sylvia Bernstein on June 27, 2011 at 9:42pm

And maybe we can develop a fish psychological treatment protocol and a fish suicide prevention hotline to cure them of their desire to kill themselves and convince them that life is still worth living..right until we eat them.