Can Tiger Barbs jump? This question is usually being asked by thousands of people who are interested in keeping Tiger Barbs in their tanks and they normally ask this to know if it is necessary to get a lid for their tanks to cover them. It is not news that many fish could jump up high in the air and in the process might jump out of the tank and escape. No fish keeper wants that, so if you want to know if Tiger Barbs could jump and many more, read this article to the end.
Do Tiger Barbs jump? Tiger Barbs could jump but they don’t jump very high.
To me, before you buy any fish, one of the most important things to consider is how active the fish is and if they could be able to jump, and the average height it could reach in the air when it jumps.
Although believe it or not, all fish could jump, the difference is that some are very active in jumping and could reach a reasonable height when they jump and some can’t attain such height when they do.
The sad news is, once you find out that your fish is one of those that could leap up very high, then buy a tank lid and cover your tank or you will end up losing them.
When it comes to Tiger Barbs, they are small and aggressive fish that could barely grow up to 3 inches in size. The question is, can’t they jump?
Yes, Tiger Barbs can jump but they don’t often do it and even when they do, they don’t jump very high.
Tiger Barb’s unable to jump very high could be as a result of their small size.
If you ask me, I would advise buying a tank lid if your tank is less than 50 gallons, but if the tank is above, I don’t think you should worry about them jumping out and getting lost because they are small fish and can’t jump that high, unless you filled the tank with water and it is near the top, then they could easily jump out.
Why Tiger Barbs Might Jump Out Of Tank
Like I explained above, these fish don’t easily jump and it is very rare to see them escape their tanks, if they do, then here are the possible reasons for that:
1. Aggression: Although they are schooling fish, but they are still aggressive, even to themselves, and might make the tank unbearable for each other.
The male Tiger Barbs do establish hierarchy and Dominance in their tanks, and they achieve this through aggression and nipping at each other.
Even after proving dominance, the alpha male still bullies others. This might lead to others hiding and trying to leave the tank.
Again another animal in their tank might be displaying aggression and might be chasing them around, which would stress them and might landscape to escape or at least try to.
2. Poor water quality: No fish likes being in a poor water quality that is full of dirt, toxins, etc, not even Goldfish could tolerate dirty water.
Once water is dirty and has toxins such as ammonia nitrate etc, no living thing will feel comfortable in it, and so will try to leave such environment.
So, Tiger Barbs could try to jump out of the tank to escape dirty and unsuitable water conditions.
Also, uncycled tanks, Low oxygen levels, and high temperatures might also cause them to jump to escape.
So, you need to allow your tank to fully cycle, which could take up to 6 weeks, and get testing kits to test your water.
Again get a heater and filter to keep the temperature normal and to filter the water.
In case they lack enough oxygen, you must get an air pump and also change their water once in 2 weeks, depending on the number of fish you have in the tank.
3. Another reason why they may jump is when they are startled.
I experienced this when I kept these types of fish.
A loud sound, turning on a bright light all of a sudden could startle them and make them jump all of a sudden.
Conclusion
Tiger Barbs are not great at leaping, but they could anyway. To stop them from jumping out of their tanks, get a lid and cover their tanks, avoid filling this water to the top of the tank because if you do, they could leap out of the tank with ease.
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