open top

[MO3N]

i did some searching and didnt find much on this topic. but i was wondering if anyone keeps an open top tank with discus. i have seen the net people put over but i think that would be a little less pleasing then on open top tank. just wondering if discus are known for much jumping.

im growing them out now in a BB with a cover but once i plant it i would like an open top tank. thanks for all the help.

[Crstfr]

i run an open top, you'll lose shrimp, tetras.. SAE's. shoot, my freshwater flounder has even tasted dog hair.... but i haven't lost any discus..

open top is much more pleasing. it gives you the feeling of looking into a stream~.. i dig it... 2 totally different views!

good luck!

[Don Trinko]

They do jump occasionaly. I had one injur itself on the hood. Don T.

[MostlyDiscus]

They will jump. Some more than others and it always seems to be your nicest discsu. Please let me repeat.... they will jump

[MO3N]

the only time i have seen mine jump is during feeding and its more of they are all rushing the food that the discus just push one of the other ones out of the water. but i have never actualy seen them JUMP but i dont sit and watch the tank 24/7 i guess ill try and rig up somthing that looks good but still keeps the open top feel.

thanks for the help.

[Dawn Haze]

I have a discus that was given to me, it is missing most of its entire top fin because it jumped out of the tank and dried out before it was found. It was still pliable so they put it back in the water and it recovered minus the top fin.

[Graham]

I have lost them from ''jumping'' and it isn't so much jumping as being jumpy. Give them a startle and they may go nuts for a few seconds...then they're out

[brewmaster15]

I've had them Jump...and as Ed says.. seems its always the best one.:( If they can fit thru it..sooner or latter... it will happen....

I guess with an open tank you would have at least a chance of them Jumping out and landing back in... my last jumper was a huge male that fit thru a space half as wide as his body...found him shriveled up...not on the floor, but on top of the tank.:(:(:(:(:(

-al

[MO3N]

ok guess ill get a glass top and keep it super clean. any advice or products that work to keep the glass clean without harming the fish?

[Discus-n00b]

I've had them jump, but never completely out of the tank, and the jumps were never unwarranted. They only jump if i accidently bump the stand or something and freak them out. I run most of my tanks open top. Ease of getting in them.

If you are worried, cover the top. As others have said they can and will jump on occasion. A simple solution would to go get some of that bird netting and just rig it up as a cover for the tank. Keeps the fish in but still gives you an open top.

EDIT: Found the links. To elaborate on the bird netting idea, go to the hardware store and get some bird netting and some window screen frames. And then just attach the netting to the frames like you would a screen. Silicone or glue works fine, as long as it holds. You might even be able to get the frame to fit around the top rim of the tank perfectly so its easy to lift off and on. Here are some pictures from someone on a Reef Forum that uses this design.

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n85/Nuuze/Elos%20System%20160XL/DSC_5474.jpg
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk179/EllieSuz/TankCover.jpg

Some more with a small walk through
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/printthread.php?threadid=817485&perpage=178

[scolley]

I've had open top tanks for maybe 2-3 years, and I've had two jumpers. One found dead in the morning, and one jumped while I was in the room - one of my best fish too. He went behind the tank and stand and was h*ll to get out. His survival and recovery is just one more bit of evidence in my mind to how tough discus really are. But I digress...

I've not had a single jumper in the year and a half that I've had my current open top tank, and have more fish in it too. Though there has been plenty of jumping.

This new tank is not a pure "open top", but has a 3" Eurobrace lip around the inside rim. My lack of jumpers has caused me to suspect that the rim has prevented jumpers from exiting the tank. I'll wager that most jumping happens as fish race to the tank side, run out of room, so they head up. And with a 3" rim around the inside edges, that just causes my fish a nasty bump on the head.

That's my speculation anyway, and it may be a type of "open top" to consider that reduces the incidence of dead fish from jumping.

[dan3949]

Another issue I would think should be considered is the evaporation/humidity that would result from running an open top tank at "discus temperatures." Unless in a fish room that is designed for high humidity environment, I would think this would be a concern also.

[scolley]

Unless in a fish room that is designed for high humidity environment, I would think this would be a concern also.
Seems logical, but I can tell you with my open top 180, in a fairly moderate humidity climate (New England), you'd never know you were in a room with a big, warm, open tank of water.

There could be a lot of factors affecting that of course, but in my family room we never notice. And if it were noticeable, my wife would have definitely told me.

[MO3N]

my tank is not rimless so i think i could get by with a bird net design like the link shows and because it is not rimless the water is not filled to the very top so maybe that will help. ill try the bird net for a while and if i want to test my luck ill try and go for a full open top.

[GrillMaster]

I ran an open top on my 125G as well. Glad I was home when he jumped! I was watchin TV and heard this low thumping noise all of a sudden. Started tracing the noise to find one of my WG's floppin around behind the tank. I chose the egg crate route after that. :)

[ncyracer]

I have a open top and they have been fine. Its a acrylic tank though and it has a smaller opening. Now my pleco on the hand... let me tell you when you walk into your house and see a 10 inch plec sucking the hardwood floor its a bit unpleasing. HITH and good luck;)

[Apistomaster]

I would not like to lose any discus from jumping out or any other preventable situation. Humidity/evaporation is an issue for me because I have many tanks. Everyone of my tanks has a glass cover. I still have some small fish that have found a hole to jump through.
Evaporation will have cumulative effects like mineral build up unless you use RO water to top off your tank.
One discus may cost as much as the cover but the second lost discus will really begin to drive home the benefits of a cover.

I wipe dirty tops off with Glass cleaner sprayed on paper towels or just clean water. Depends on how dirty they are.