Open top tank fish do's and don'ts

Harlequin Rasboras - I now have 3 in my 5g - I haven't had to scoop any back in yet, but they make a lot more splashes than my Pristellas ever did when they were in there...
 
Violet gobies will also jump, I've had one make it out of the tank and had to race the cat for it!
 
I had kept an open top tank for a while w/o problems but after a couple years I had 3 fish jump finally and built a canopy. African Butterfly, my wifes favorite fish(wife-> :mad2: ) a Dojo Loach, and one that hasnt been meantioned yet, an Anablep. The anablep was my favorite fish, and I can only blame it on myself :duh:
 
NEON TETRAS!!!!

I have a 55g with several neon tetras. I do not have an open top, but one day I found a neon on top of my hood. That means it had to swim upstream to fight the current, jump out, and jump over the light and land on the lid. It was quite bizarre.
 
Thanks for the replies.

The reason I want an open top tank is because the lighting is supsended above the tank and I plan to let the plants emerge and flower.

Edit, and it just looks cool.
 
What are you guys doing to your neons and harlequins to get them to jump? Well lets be honest here with some fish this is a case of user experience may vary. I've had neons and harlequins in an aquarium with a wood canopy, but no glass tops for near 4 years and haven't lost any due to them jumping out. This includes the time when I caught my cat charging into the aquarium glass. Well, the same cat once ran full force into a patio door when we first moved into a house because he saw a bird on the porch. I mean I grabbed my head when I heard that sound so that cat might not be right in the head anymore. I think the point here is that pretty much any fish can jump, but some are just much more known for it such as swordtails and especially arrowana. Has anyone seen video on an arrowana hunting? It's fairly impressive how much air they can get.
 
Aquaken said:
Please elaborate about the labrinth fish.

Also so far I have kept the fish in my sig in an open tank.
Click to expand...

The Labyrintfamily have a different system breathingsystem. They go to the surface of the tank every 2 or 3 minutes to inhale air. The air above your tank should have the same temperature as your water, otherwise they will get sick. The air above an open tank is most likely to be very different (temperature) then your watertemp. So Labyrintfish like goerami's are better of in a hooded tank :)
 
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