Biologists told why the fish jump out of the aquarium

University of Maryland professors figured out what’s wrong with guppies and other small fish.

Many beginner aquarists have experienced the situation of returning home and discovering that a fish has jumped out of the aquarium. Guppies, swordtails and many other small fish can run away in this way. But why? Are they really that bad in the aquarium? These questions were asked by University of Maryland professor Daphne Soares and her senior lecturer in neurology and biology, Hilary S. Bierman.

Daphne said that the idea of studying the behavior of guppies came to her at the moment when the fish soared into the air and landed neatly in her cup of iced tea. Scientists decided to follow the jumpers and installed a video camera that recorded the fish in the jump. It turned out that the fish before the jump swims back to gain speed. It turns out that she jumps out purposefully. This behavior of jumping fish in nature is understandable. The fish jumps out of the reservoir in search of food or if it is attacked by a predator. But responsible aquarists, along with small fish, do not settle predators who will hunt for them. There is only one reason for guppies jumping – the quality of the water. In a home aquarium, it is water that can provoke this behavior. In nature, fish can jump to another body of water or a calmer place. But aquarium residents do not understand that there is no water behind the glass wall. That is, jumping guppies should tell the aquarist that something is wrong with the water:

high pollution;
low oxygen levels;
wrong pH balance.

To understand the real reason, follow the behavior of the fish. Perhaps they lack quiet hiding places. And do not forget to cover the aquarium with a lid.

And if you want to learn more life hacks about caring for fish, an article about guppies from aquarist and candidate of science Alexander Kuznetsov is especially for you: