Whether you are worried that your betta might jump out of the tank or you just want to teach it a few tricks like jumping through a hoot or jumping for food, it is good to know – how high can betta fish jump?
So, let’s begin!
Bettas are known to be excellent jumpers, so let’s get straight to the point – the height bettas can achieve when jumping are pretty good and goes up to 3 inches, which is excellent for a fish of that size.
In this article:
What makes the betta jump out of the tank?
If your betta isn’t jumping because you are teaching it tricks, there are several different reasons why bettas jump out of their tank. Generally, the reasons are poor water quality, too small tank or overcrowded tank, your betta is trying to catch something out of the tank like a fly or a wasp, or you just have a betta that likes jumping.
Whatever the reason is, it is better to prevent the betta from jumping because, sadly, they often jump to death when they jump out of the tank or their fish bowl.
Luckily, there is definitely something we can do to prevent this behavior.
How to keep your betta from jumping?
Lower the water level in the tank
Keeping the water level below 3 inches from the upper edge of the tank would be great to stop your betta from jumping out. For rimless tanks we would even recommend lowering it to 5 inches if it looks good for you.
Add some floating plants into the tank
Adding some floating plants will prevent your betta from jumping out and at the same time they will improve the water conditions in the tank. These plants do a pretty good job in removing nitrates and other harmful elements from the water. However you need to make sure these floating plants not to cover the entire surface of the tank because bettas need to get some air in order to breathe properly.
Install an aquarium lid if you don’t have one
Almost all fish tanks today come with an aquarium lid. However, if you have a rimless aquarium maybe you should think about installing a lid. This is a pretty good way to stop your betta from jumping out and it will help you prevent water loss since it reduces evaporation. Knowing how high can betta fish jump and that your betta can jump out of the tank is a pretty good reason to get an aquarium lid as soon as possible.
All these tips are a good prevention from your betta jumping out, but on the other hand if we want to take advantage of our betta’s jumping skills there is a trick or two we can teach it.
What to do when your betta jumps out of the tank?
Finding your beloved betta on the floor can be a pretty traumatic experience. That’s why it’s important to know what to do when your betta jumps out of the tank.
First of all – act fast. The time your betta spends out of the tank will dictate whether you can save it or not.
Ideally, we should act within the first ten minutes after the betta has jumped out. This is the time frame where the chances of survival are pretty high. Every minute after that reduces these chances drastically.
Since there is no time to overthink it, all it takes is to pick up your betta carefully and put it back in the tank.
Usually, your betta will just lay on the bottom for a little while when this happens, but if it didn’t spend too much time out of the tank, you can expect it to make a full recovery soon.
Since your betta was out of water for some time it is possible that it had lost some of its natural slime coat. In order to fix this, we should go to the nearest pet store and buy some stress coat and add it to the water. It is great for healing wounds and damaged tissue.
Also adding some aquarium salt into the water will be good for the betta’s gills.
These are generally the steps you need to take when you find your betta out of its tank.
Final Words
Now we know that it is possible for our betta to jump out of its tank and how high can betta fish jump. We also know the reasons for this behavior and what we can do to prevent it. So, if your betta hasn’t jumped out till now, it is good to do what it takes to prevent it from happening. Maybe you won’t be there on time to save it when that happens.