Just lost my new firefish

octoman2707 · 04/18/2011, 09:52 PM

I just found my two day old firefish on my stand , dead ,the tank was covered by egg crate and I thought they only jump if they are stressed , and how could I have told it was stressed.

and the other new addition is the yellow goby he is not perching on the rock and sits on the glass kinda pale should i be worried

Lynnmw1208 · 04/18/2011, 10:00 PM

firefish are very jumpy fish. anything could cause them to freak out and jump out. that is just how they are. eggcrate is still big enough for them to get through. you could try using some 1/4" clear bird netting from bulk reef supply and building your own screen tops. I did this and there is no way a fish could get through those tiny holes. Sorry for your loss

it was such a nice looking fish!

thegrun · 04/18/2011, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lynnmw1208

firefish are very jumpy fish. anything could cause them to freak out and jump out. that is just how they are. eggcrate is still big enough for them to get through. you could try using some 1/4" clear bird netting from bulk reef supply and building your own screen tops. I did this and there is no way a fish could get through those tiny holes. Sorry for your loss

it was such a nice looking fish!

+1, firefish are very prone to jumping, they will jump at the sight of their own reflection on the glass, movement in your house, other fish... . 1/4" mesh is a must for firefish, the holes in egg crate are to big.

Flippers4pups · 04/18/2011, 11:12 PM

Sorry for your loss. +1 on screen top. Is the goby eating?

octoman2707 · 04/18/2011, 11:31 PM

Ya I've seen him eat

gweston · 04/19/2011, 10:21 AM

If the goby is eating then that is a very good sign. Just soak some food in vitamins... such as vitachem or selcon. That'll help boost his health and color up. You could try adding garlic to stimulate appetite. Either the garlic extract stuff from the fish store.. but just as well you could chop/crush up a tiny bit of fresh garlic and let it sit in the food container.

ian09 · 04/19/2011, 12:19 PM

Hi, I agree with the clear 1/4'' netting to keep your fish from jumping out. I made mine and not only will it prevent future jumpers from succeeding but it looks great and flushed with my tank. Just curious, what were your water parameters?

Sk8r · 04/19/2011, 12:45 PM

You have a pretty shallow tank, and they jump like crazy when new and unused to everything and all the sounds in the house. This is how they escape predators. You might try sunshade netting since you don't have corals: my advice is to avoid firefish and dartfish in general OR have that netting. They're going to jump if someone slams a door in the house or a shadow passes the tank.

octoman2707 · 04/19/2011, 06:35 PM

what should I get instead ? what would you advise , I'm thinking about getting a clownfish pair to breed

gouramiguy · 04/19/2011, 06:41 PM

I had a pair of high fin gobies jump out once, so I feel your pain. it's always a bummer when we have to learn about covering our tanks because of the loss of a fish. Just take it as a learning experience and keep trying. I like the clownfish idea.

octoman2707 · 04/19/2011, 10:22 PM

ya, I walk up to the tank and don't see the fish ,and I immediately realize what happened

DoubleM 10 · 04/19/2011, 10:40 PM

i have all my tanks covered with glass tops. cant get through that and they are heavy

Sk8r · 04/19/2011, 10:51 PM

There's a heating problem with glass tops and potent lights.

There are a lot of fish of that size range: gobies, blennies, even dottybacks (which are pretty aggressive) etc. However, if you get an adequate top screen you can have your firefish. Any small fish will jump pretty high given a run at it. There are precautions you can take, and have to take with a long-shallow tank. Get ordinary windowscreen and a frame, or tape it to your rim. You can also build a fake rim that sits over the real rim, about 9" high and no tanksized fish spawned is going to clear that.

octoman2707 · 04/20/2011, 11:54 AM

I'll probably get some netting onto the eggcrate

Steff120 · 04/20/2011, 12:07 PM

i had no idea that firefish were prone to jumping is that just in shallow tanks or what?

octoman2707 · 04/20/2011, 07:16 PM

I knew that, they are part of the dartfish family , but I just thought my eggcrate would be a good determent

04/18/2011, 09:52 PM	#1
octoman2707 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Near Ft worth Texas Posts: 141	Just lost my new firefish I just found my two day old firefish on my stand , dead ,the tank was covered by egg crate and I thought they only jump if they are stressed , and how could I have told it was stressed. and the other new addition is the yellow goby he is not perching on the rock and sits on the glass kinda pale should i be worried __________________ Was going for Octopus before I fell in love with a community tank Current Tank Info: 55 g +25g fuge

04/18/2011, 10:00 PM	#2
Lynnmw1208 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Brunswick, Ohio Posts: 3,306	firefish are very jumpy fish. anything could cause them to freak out and jump out. that is just how they are. eggcrate is still big enough for them to get through. you could try using some 1/4" clear bird netting from bulk reef supply and building your own screen tops. I did this and there is no way a fish could get through those tiny holes. Sorry for your loss it was such a nice looking fish! __________________ equipment: Eshopps psk-200 skimmer, Mag 12 pump, 30gal sump, 2x 300w Finnex heaters, glass-holes 1500gph overflow kit with 3/4" return kits, 72" 8x36w t-5 AquaticLife light, 66lbs of LR, 150lbs of tropic eden reeflakes, 2 Koralia Evo 1400, JBJ ATO, BRS dual GFO/carbon reactors, Hydor smartwave Current Tank Info: 125gallon

04/18/2011, 11:12 PM	#4
Flippers4pups Home made abyss Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Lake Saint Louis, MO Posts: 2,047	Sorry for your loss. +1 on screen top. Is the goby eating? __________________ Don Reefing since 1993 Current Tank info: 125 gallon DT , 125 gallon basement sump. Rw 15 & Rw 8. Panworld 150ps return. Reef Octopus 150 skimmer, 3 165w mars aqua led.

04/18/2011, 11:31 PM	#5
octoman2707 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Near Ft worth Texas Posts: 141	Ya I've seen him eat __________________ Was going for Octopus before I fell in love with a community tank Current Tank Info: 55 g +25g fuge

04/19/2011, 12:45 PM	#8
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	You have a pretty shallow tank, and they jump like crazy when new and unused to everything and all the sounds in the house. This is how they escape predators. You might try sunshade netting since you don't have corals: my advice is to avoid firefish and dartfish in general OR have that netting. They're going to jump if someone slams a door in the house or a shadow passes the tank. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

04/19/2011, 10:21 AM	#6
gweston Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Gardner, MA Posts: 961	If the goby is eating then that is a very good sign. Just soak some food in vitamins... such as vitachem or selcon. That'll help boost his health and color up. You could try adding garlic to stimulate appetite. Either the garlic extract stuff from the fish store.. but just as well you could chop/crush up a tiny bit of fresh garlic and let it sit in the food container.

04/19/2011, 12:19 PM	#7
ian09 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Torrance, CA Posts: 382	Hi, I agree with the clear 1/4'' netting to keep your fish from jumping out. I made mine and not only will it prevent future jumpers from succeeding but it looks great and flushed with my tank. Just curious, what were your water parameters?

04/19/2011, 06:35 PM	#9
octoman2707 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Near Ft worth Texas Posts: 141	what should I get instead ? what would you advise , I'm thinking about getting a clownfish pair to breed __________________ Was going for Octopus before I fell in love with a community tank Current Tank Info: 55 g +25g fuge

04/19/2011, 06:41 PM	#10
gouramiguy Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 62	I had a pair of high fin gobies jump out once, so I feel your pain. it's always a bummer when we have to learn about covering our tanks because of the loss of a fish. Just take it as a learning experience and keep trying. I like the clownfish idea.

04/19/2011, 10:22 PM	#11
octoman2707 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Near Ft worth Texas Posts: 141	ya, I walk up to the tank and don't see the fish ,and I immediately realize what happened __________________ Was going for Octopus before I fell in love with a community tank Current Tank Info: 55 g +25g fuge

04/19/2011, 10:40 PM	#12
DoubleM 10 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Steamwood, IL Posts: 1,432	i have all my tanks covered with glass tops. cant get through that and they are heavy __________________ Matt Lions, Groupers and Eels o my! Current Tank Info: Marineland 60Gal ReefReady cube, DIY led, Euroreef Skimmer Ins-80, Mag 9.5 return

04/19/2011, 10:51 PM	#13
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	There's a heating problem with glass tops and potent lights. There are a lot of fish of that size range: gobies, blennies, even dottybacks (which are pretty aggressive) etc. However, if you get an adequate top screen you can have your firefish. Any small fish will jump pretty high given a run at it. There are precautions you can take, and have to take with a long-shallow tank. Get ordinary windowscreen and a frame, or tape it to your rim. You can also build a fake rim that sits over the real rim, about 9" high and no tanksized fish spawned is going to clear that. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

04/20/2011, 11:54 AM	#14
octoman2707 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Near Ft worth Texas Posts: 141	I'll probably get some netting onto the eggcrate __________________ Was going for Octopus before I fell in love with a community tank Current Tank Info: 55 g +25g fuge

04/20/2011, 12:07 PM	#15
Steff120 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 18	i had no idea that firefish were prone to jumping is that just in shallow tanks or what? __________________ 75 gallon tank: Scopas Tang, Black Percula Clownfish, Black Tail Damselfish, Domino Damselfish, YellowTailed Dameslfish, Scooter Blenny, Firefish

04/20/2011, 07:16 PM	#16
octoman2707 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Near Ft worth Texas Posts: 141	I knew that, they are part of the dartfish family , but I just thought my eggcrate would be a good determent __________________ Was going for Octopus before I fell in love with a community tank Current Tank Info: 55 g +25g fuge

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