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Yesterday Richard went fishing with his grandfather. He was super excited and caught several types of fish. So far he has enjoyed fishing a lot. Dring fishing he noticed some of the fish jumps. He also saw the aquarium fish also try to jump out of the water sometimes.
He was surprised and asked his grandfather why do fish jump out of the water? He explained the reasons.
Do you ever think about this fact? Why do fish in rivers or aquariums try to jump out of the water? What are the actual reasons? Well, there are several reasons behind the fish jumping out of the water.
Let’s reveal the significant 9 Reasons Why Fish Jump Out of the Water. Have a look-
9 Reasons Why do Fish Jump Out of the Water
All fishes won’t even jump, usually, mullet, marlin, largemouth bass, Asian carp, Guppies, koi, etc jump frequently. Different fish jump for different reasons. There are some common reasons as well.
The most common 9 reasons are-
- To get food
- Decrease in oxygen levels
- To dodge the predators
- Force of Life
- Procreation
- Romance
- Illness
- Fighting
Reason 1 - To get food
The most common reason for jumping out of the water is to get food. Sometimes they eagerly jump out, sometimes when you give food. They are hanging on the water surface. They want to get them and jump out of the water.
Even go get birds, insects, tree leaves, fishes jump out of the water.
Reason 2 - Decrease in oxygen levels
Fishes need a certain amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. The dissolved oxygen levels are between 5 pp to 20ppm. This range is considered safe for fish.
If anyhow the dissolved oxygen level decreases, fish tend to jump out. Now you may ask why the oxygen level decreases? There are various reasons to reduce dissolved oxygen levels of water. It may happen for using certain chemicals, elevated water temperature, overcrowding, excess water accumulation, lack of water movement, etc. When oxygen levels decrease, they jump out of the water to breathe.
Reason 3 -To dodge the predators
From bigger to smaller fish, predators are always ready to hunt. Some did this for fun, some for living. Fishing is a business and many people depend on it. When predators try to catch fish, they jump out of the water in response to a sudden attack. They try to save their life by hiding from the place. It's a natural defence type of fish for survival purposes.
Reason 4 - Debugging of external parasites
Some fish jump out for no specific reason. Some of them jump out of the water to get rid of their external parasites. Biologists have observed via several experiments that some types of fish jump out of the water to release pesky parasites by their fins or mouth.
Reason 5 - Force of Life
Each fish has specific characteristics and behaviour. Jumping out of the water after a while of one of them. They jump out of the water as a result of their behaviour or characteristics. These fish are jumping for fun purposes or the force of life. It's very common for both pond and aquarium fish.
Reason 6 - Procreation
For Procreation purposes, some fish habitually move and jump out of the water. Usually, Pacific salmon jump out of the water during their procreation time. Some other fish also jump dramatically. Especially during the spring season, the lakeside or nursery side height should be increased by around 2 metres. As a result, if they jump, there is no chance to come ashore and life is at risk.
Reason 7 - Romance
You may wonder, but fish also do romance among themselves. Biologists have observed the nature of fish. Before the time of procreation, the chance of romance increases most. And they jump out of the water as a revelation of their romance. Both male and female fish participate in jumping for fun and romance.
Aquarium fish did this mostly,
Reason 8 - Illness
Illness is another vital reason for fish jumping out of the water. When fish are suffering from several diseases, they face breathing problems. Fish start gasping in search of oxygen jumping out of the water.
Reason 9 - Fighting
Fish get angry or get aggressive sometimes and start fights. In this situation, specific fish fling their fins and jump out of the water. Again, some fish become aggressive if they are suffering from diseases like Neon Tetra Disease, Hole-in-the-head, White Spots.
Again, if you bring fighter fish like indigo, betta fish to the same aquarium they start fighting and have a chance to jump out of the water.
How to prevent jumping fish from the water?
To prevent jumping of the sea, pond, or lake fish is quite difficult to manage. Habitually fish jump out of the water, it's a kind of natural process. You don't need to stop it permanently. Just you need to make sure they don’t come to the shore, which can be a life risk for fish.
So you can take some steps to provide a better place where they can jump out of the water without life risk.
Here we go-
- Put a lid on it
- Choose compatible tank mates
- Maintain sufficient oxygen level
- Take care of the fish
Put a lid on it
The common and simple way is to use a lid or net in your pond, lake, or aquarium. Here we skip the ocean and river as it's quite impossible for us.
You can use a portable and detachable lid on your fish tank. For ponds and lakes, you can use a net upon them. As a result, fish can play and jump but there is no chance to come ashore. But make sure, the distance is quite high, otherwise, fish may be caught by the net, and it's a great threat for fish living.
Choose compatible tank mates
Try to choose a compatible tank mate or pond mate. Otherwise, they start fighting and jumping out of the water.
Also, the ratio should be right for fish and pond/fish tank water.
Maintain sufficient oxygen level
Oxygen levels may be reduced for many reasons like using chemicals. In this situation, fish jump out of the water to breathe. So make sure the dissolved oxygen level is suitable for the fish. That will reduce the chance of jumping.
Take care of the fish
Provide a decent amount of food, not much or less. Also, check whether they are berthing and swimming normally or not.
If the fish get regular food they will not jump frequently. Again, make sure they are not suffering from any diseases. If you notice any symptoms, take proper steps for medication.
Wrapping it up
Hopefully, you found this content interesting as well as informative about why fish jump out of the water. So now if your aquarium fish or pond/lake fish jump out of the water, you will definitely find out for the specific reason. Also, you should follow the precautions to prevent jumps.
That will provide a better living place for the fish and reduce the life risk.
