Curious....

[Tokis-Phoenix]

All fish have the ability to jump out your tank from a small platy or betta to a large bala shark or oscar, my question is, why do so many betta owners not cover their tanks when it is well known that bettas have a reputation for jumping out of their tanks?
Quite often when i am looking at peoples pics of their betta tanks, i see so many that do not have covers, i feel that they are accidents waiting to happen.
A year or so ago i had a platy jump out of a bucket while i was doing a major tank make over- that was enough for me to even now cover buckets when i am in such situations. My point is though, why not do somthing about covering your tank with somthing before you have any fish jumping out?
I am even more suprised to see how many tanks with barracks and male bettas in them, their tank is left uncovered and/or the barracks not fully secured when you should know full well of the consequences of male bettas jumping barracks, and that it isn't that uncommon either...

 

[tacofrano]

i whould love to cover my bowls but i dont have anythig in the near future i hope to make tops out of wood

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I think betta people should make the risks of jumping bettas more well known to others, it would save alot of betta lives and accidents i think- even if you don't have somthing nice to put on your betta tank, a sheet of plastic or plate would more than suffice in keeping your betta safe .

 

[OrkyBetta]

I think it is the old 'well, I've never seen a betta jump'

I am on the other end of the spectrum. I cover them and re cover them and tape everything down, just because I am a paranoid fish mommy.

 

[OrkyBetta]

Hey, by the way, if you ever need to cover a tank or bowl quick, craft canvas, siliconed together, and laid over the top of your tank, tape it down, and there you go! I put these under the light hood of my divided tanks so everyone stays where they should be. Also, plastic wrap, with some holes poked in it, stretched over the top works well, too.

 

[Seahorse]

Bettas especially. I think they have an instinct to jump bodies of water (makes sense to me anyway if the bodies are more shallow. They would dry up sometimes maybe).

 

[Karah's_Mommy]

I think it is the old 'well, I've never seen a betta jump'

I think that has a lot to do with it, or some just lower the water level and think that their betta couldn't possibly jump that high. I'm sure there are some out there also that just don't know better. Might also just be that a tank or bowl with a lid just isn't as aesthetically appealing and the person would rather take a chance. I cover them even when I'm doing water changes, just to be safe.

If nothing else, I would use saran wrap (with holes) like previously suggested, or cut pieces of plastic canvas to fit. You could probably even make a custom lid with the plastic canvas by cutting a piece to fit and making a 'lip' by cutting another piece and attaching it around the lid. I just thought of this ...... you could even 'sew' the betta's name in the lip around the lid, that would be really cool!! I might have to try that myself!!

A margarine tub lid or similar might even work, with holes cut in it of course. Weigh it down with a pretty rock(making sure it couldn't fall off or into the tank), or tape it, or affix it another way. I could probably come up with a ton of ideas if I sit here long enough and think about it!

 

[Synirr]

I'll admit it, some of my bowls are uncovered.... about half, actually. I've had a female jump before, but in the couple of years I've been *serously* keeping bettas (meaning owning 5+ at a time) I've never lost a long-finned male to jumping. Their fins make it harder for them to swim, much less jump.... I know it happens, and call me stubborn, but I guess that's a lesson I'll have to learn the hard way. Although, come to think of it, I might buy some covers for them after all. Anything I made myself would be hideous, but I recently visited a pet shop 30 minutes from here that sells nifty mesh bowl covers with elastic edges that would look nice

 

[basia]

Seeing the way my females jump every day when I feed them I am absolutely paranoid with my Bettas.
One of my males had to go into a large jug while I sorted his tank out and I covered it well!
Feeding the girls is a skill, have to lift up the flap on the tank cover put my hand there to discourage the jumpers and quickly put some food in to keep them happy.

 

[red-devil0602]

i learnt this the hard way, even though i have a lid on my tank it has a raised up bit in the middle and this is what my betta used to jump into the next compartment, i now have a (new) pair of tights stretched over the top and then the lid sat on the top.
I think alot of people think that they won't jump because when you buy them alot of them aren't covered (none are in my lfs) and then we are told we can keep them in vases and bowls which don't have lids on. ignorance is bliss

 

[SPLiSH]

I taught my male betta to jump for food, and he sometimes gets up to 2 inches of air. It's good for when I have friends over and want to show off my fish, but unfortunately Jerry now jumps frequently, sometimes for no reason at all: just for the 'thrill', I guess... So I am overly paranoid about covering his tank. Luckily he's in a Kritter Keeper with the plastic ventilated lid, so he can't jump out or I wouldn't get any rest at night.

I have my tank on my somewhat messy desk and I don't really care about what it looks like. As long as it is fish-friendly and keeps the betta healthy and happy, that's enough for me. But here's a tip for those of you who don't want a flourescent green Kritter Keeper as part of your decor: to cover tanks and bowls and keep them looking nice, use a lace or wool doiley as a cover. Drape it over the opening of the vase or bowl or whatever and it'll do the job nicely. And look pretty too.

 

[50000_tears]

only ones not covered are mister peaches and Buddy ,Buddy is blind i doubt he would jump.mister peaches is getting a aquaview soon so no worries there (hes too scared to jump hes kinda parinoid..lol i should of named him Zack)

 

[SRC]

Maybe some are like me..they take the lid off to take pictures. Mine creates shadows (yes, even though it's clear..it still does lol) inside their stalls when I try to take pictures...so I raise it (it's a hinged lid) and it blends in (cas it's clear) with the wall when I raise it up.

It could also be that some people know theri fish..and that the fish won't jump (none of mine jump...they just lounge about).

Or maybe it's like you said, they don't think it will happen or haven't ever thought about it "really" happening to them. Me, I keep mine covered so dust and other things floating in the air (and something that don't coem from the air..liek the occassional flying paperclip ) don't get in my tank water.


Good post though...maybe people will think about it more now.

 

[50000_tears]

mine sit there and stare at the biogold they wouldent care about jumping anyway

 

[red-devil0602]

i would keep mine coverd anyway to stop the kids trying to feed them allsorts they got choclate bourbons last week they liked them though