Elephantnose Fish Warning.

[Pinnergy75]

I recently acquired a Peters' elephantnose fish. It was very elusive and and shy for about a week. Last night I did about a 25% WC and cleaned my filter. The water has been pristine but was gaining a percentage of Nitrates. After I was done the fish came alive in the tank.. he was like a different little guy. I was elated and we watched it a while and went to bed. This morning I turned on the lights and couldn't find him. He wasn't anywhere to be found. I posted the pics of what transpired. He obviously found a small opening in the hood and leapt to his death.

These fish are jumpers, which I knew this, but it took me like 5 minutes to figure out how he jumped out of the tank Pics posted.

 

[e_watson09]

So sorry for your loss! I had this happen with a betta when I was younger. It was in a 10 gallon tank in my bedroom. Well the fish ended up flopping out of my room across the hall and ended up under my brothers dresser. I never found him until we were moving furniture a year or so later.....

 

[Pinnergy75]

It is just crazy how he somehow found a small opening in the hood. Heck it took me 5 minutes to find the little opening. Even worse these fish are practically blind...they navigate by electrical impulses.

 

[PascalKrypt]

I've had a group (yes a group T.T) of 2-2.5" wildcaught labyrinths jump from a tank that was sealed all round. There was a small hole, about the size of my finger. I closed the hole because I knew about the jumping.
They had been in the tank for a month, I'm thinking they were startled by one of our dogs. I made the rounds that morning and found them all dried on the floor on the side of the tank, on top of the wad of foil I'd used to plug the hole. Apparently one of them had jumped against it until it fell out, and they all jumped through the hole in sequence...

Advice: when dealing with wildcaught fish notorious for jumping, if you don't have a solid lid that closes all round, make sure that what you use to close holes or gaps can take some force without giving way.
I now do it differently and it saved one of my killifish, that decided one night he didn't like my tank anymore. He jumped into the foil spanned over the top with so much force I could hear it thwang. Fortunately by this time I'd learnt to weigh down makeshift 'lids' with sticks that fall over the sides. I still have that killi.

 

[Pinnergy75]

very smart creatures