Everyone wants to be able to enjoy their fish for a long time. Cichlids can be nice to own since they’re hardy fish.
These fish aren’t necessarily beginner-friendly due to how aggressive they are. If you do a good job of caring for them, they can survive for quite some time, though.
If you have a cichlid that recently jumped out of the tank, you’re likely wondering why it would do that. Were you doing something wrong that made the fish feel as if it needed to escape?
Continue reading to learn about cichlids jumping out of tanks. After you’ve read everything, you’ll know what to do for the fish when this happens as well as how to prevent such issues.
Why Would a Fish Jump Out of the Fish Tank?
Generally, a fish is only going to try to jump out of a tank if something is wrong. There could be many different things wrong in the tank that are causing the cichlids stress.
One of the cichlids might have had enough and decided to try to escape the tank. The fish has no idea that by jumping out of the tank it is likely jumping to its death.
You see, the fish thinks that it’s trying to escape to better waters. This is why you need to consider whether you’ve been making mistakes.
Below, you’ll learn about several reasons why a fish would jump out of a fish tank. This might help you to better understand what happened so you can prevent such a tragedy in the future.
1 – Poor Water Conditions
Commonly, fish will want to jump out of the tank when the water conditions in the tank aren’t right. Have you been doing a good job of monitoring the water parameters?
If you haven’t, the water might be way off. It could be that the temperature of the water or the pH balance is wrong.
Fish need to have the right water conditions to stay healthy. They become stressed when forced to live in improper conditions.
Dirty water can be a huge problem as well. When the water gets dirty, it’s going to stress the fish and it’ll have a negative impact on their health.
You’re supposed to clean the fish tank regularly to prevent such issues. It’s also important to change the water in the tank weekly to keep things from getting overly dirty.
2 – Bullying
You could have put your cichlids in a community tank without putting much thought into things. If you’re new to caring for fish, you might not realize how important it is to research the compatibility of fish in a community tank setting.
Cichlids are okay options for community tanks, but they’re not going to be compatible with certain types of fish. It’s possible that you could have put them in a tank with fish that are bullying them.
When fish are getting pestered or outright attacked by other fish in the aquarium, it’ll cause them stress. Sometimes it’ll make the cichlids hide more than usual.
Cichlids might get so fed up with the situation that they will want to escape. This could have been what drove the cichlid to jump out of the tank.
Take the time to ensure that all of the fish in the tank are compatible. If they’re not, you’ll need to set up some separate tanks so you can start caring for the fish properly.
3 – Overcrowding
Fish hate living in cramped aquariums. Trying to cram far too many fish into a small fish tank is going to be a bad idea.
This will make it harder for the fish to live and be happy. It’s also going to make it a lot harder for you to keep the fish tank clean.
An overcrowded tank is going to get dirty far faster than usual. It’ll have too much fish poop and you likely won’t be able to keep up with it all.
It makes sense that the cichlids might want to escape an environment like this. The fish may have jumped due to the stress brought on by living in an overcrowded fish tank.
Always ensure that your fish have more than enough room in the aquarium. If you don’t, it’s going to be hard to keep them healthy.
It’d be better to buy a larger aquarium if you want to have a big community fish tank. Don’t make the mistake of trying to fit too many fish in a smaller tank.
Can You Save a Fish That Jumped Out of the Tank?
When a fish jumps out of a fish tank, is it going to be possible to save it? Yes, but this doesn’t mean that you’re guaranteed to save it.
It all comes down to how fast you get to the fish. If you notice that the fish has jumped out of the tank right away, you might be able to pick it up and put it right back into the tank.
The fish could also get severely injured even if it doesn’t die. The impact of the fish jumping out of the tank and hitting the floor could cause it to succumb to its injuries.
Of course, if you do nothing, the fish will eventually die due to being out of the water. Whether the fish will survive in this situation is rather circumstantial.
Some owners have been able to save cichlids that have jumped out of the tank. They have noted that the fish have lost a bit of color due to the incident, though.
How to Keep This From Happening
You can prevent issues like this by taking care of the cichlids better. Keep the tank clean and avoid stressing the fish.
Don’t put them in overcrowded fish tanks. Only put cichlids in community tanks with fish that they’re known to be compatible with.
You should also keep a lid on the fish tank. Having a simple glass lid on the tank will make it impossible for the fish to jump out even if they try.
Knowing this, you should always have a lid on the fish tank. Monitor the conditions in the tank and care for the fish well so that they won’t even want to jump.
Jeff has always enjoyed having pets, but as a child, he was drawn to his family’s fish tank. Being able to maintain a small ecosystem and observe the behaviors and interactions in the underwater world peaked his interest early on and has kept him hooked until this day. On Avid Aquarist, Jeff shares everything he’s learned about helping aquatic life survive and thrive in a home aquarium.