# Jumping lampeye killies



## rome plows (May 27, 2010)

This is my first post. I've kept aquariums for 20 years, mostly marine tanks. I was given a 60"x7"x7" acrylic tank and wanted to try my hand at a plant tank. I peiced it together from the equipment boneyard and set it up. After checking out a few local shops, I noticed a lot of "newer" small fish I wasn't familiar with. I decided on the lampeye killies(normani) as they seemed to be attractive, good schoolers, relatively hardy, weren't priced to break the bank, and stay small. I picked up 15 on Tuesday, and within the first hour, 5 jumped out! I scooped them off the floor and turned out the lights, hoping they'd settle in better in the dark. They are EXTREMELY skittish, mostly hiding behind bogwood. When anyone gets within 5 feet of the aquarium, I'm picking up at least 2 off the floor! So far I've found 5 dried up and dead on the floor. My water qualities and temperature seems stable thus far. I am not running any CO2. Has anyone had similar experiences with this fish? If so, any reccomendations to help them settle in better? Unfortunately, I do not have another spot in the house I could move the tank to, and it is an area that gets a fair amount of traffic. There are plants emersed above the top of the tank, so I don't have a way to cover the aquarium. Thanks in advance for any help offered!


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## rich815 (Jun 27, 2007)

These are not the fish to have in an open top tank. Nor are espei rasboras, most danios, etc. I learned from experience and picking up dried up suicide carcasses from the floor too....

Get a top or get different fish.


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## Gordon C. Snelling (Jun 20, 2007)

The only thing that is better than a killie at jumping is a wild betta. I have all my wild tanks completely covered with nylon window screen


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## rome plows (May 27, 2010)

Thanks for the insight, guys. Any suggestions in this size range? I think Rick's suggesting not to put any of the other fish I was considering, also.


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## rome plows (May 27, 2010)

Sorry, fish suggestions meaning staying small enough not to eat small shrimp and not prone to jumping out of the tank!


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## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

Ototcinclus aren't typically jumpers, nor are they typically inclined to chase down shrimp (or anything else) to eat. Mostly they just stick to things, lol. But not everyone wants them as the only fish species in a tank...

Personally, I would cover the tank, even if it meant moving the emersed plants to another setup or something - I tend to not like growing emersed plants in such shallow tanks for that reason (it's a whole 'nother thing when you have a tall tank that you can fill only partway to keep the fish from jumping). Most small shoaling fish that do well in small tanks like that - and don't eat shrimp - are also avid jumpers.


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## Dev (May 17, 2010)

I have threadfin rainbowfish and dwarf pencilfish in open top tanks. Both groups are around a year old and there's been no jumpers yet.

As for not eating small shrimp- how small do you mean? Most non-herbivorous fish will eat a shrimp small enough to fit in its mouth, and newly hatched caridina/neocaridina are small enough even for scarlet badis.


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## rome plows (May 27, 2010)

Thanks for the replies. Threadfins are a great suggestion!


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