# HELP! Betta jumped out of the water!!



## Larsa (May 6, 2011)

Hi there I really need some help fast!! I have 2 male plakats in a divided 5 gal. I think Kyoshi jumped out through the back where the filter is ( please, trust me I dont know how he did this especially since my tank has a lid!! because when I woke up this morning to feed my babies I found him on my carpet-barley breathing and covered in carpet lint/hair. What I did was immediety grabbed a cup, scooped some of his water up, and put him in there. He barly moved and floated up-side down and sideways for a while barely shaking his fins. I estimate he was out of the water at least half an hour. Now, an hour later, I am here typing this. He is currently upright and getting to the top for air however he is resting at the bottom. One of his pectoral fins is clamped, he is shedding his slime coat, and he is a little pale. 


I just moved him to a clean small plastic pet carrier and most of the lint that was stuck to him came off. Im thinking that maybe he saw a bug and tried to case it or something. I dont think he could have jumped through the super-thick secure mesh above my divider and jumped onto Shiro's side. Shiro is a wimp, so much that he used to live with my betta girls in my sorority so he wouldnt have chased Kyoshi out, I would have found Shiro on the floor not Kyoshi. Some of my bettas do that for an ant or nat and they will jump so as a safey measure I put thick layers of mesh over any escape places and between the lid and dividers for my males. I really have no idea how he could have gotten out through the filter, but its the only way he could have gotten out as above the filter there is a small opening. Kyoshi isnt even on that side the filter is on though thats what is weird. I found him on the far left side of the carpet. Shiro's side of the tank is on the left side. Kyoshi was maybe 3 feet left of the tank.Both of my boys sharing his tank are very small dragonscale plakats. When I saw small i mean 1.6 inches for about both of them.

** Also, none of those two boys have any bitemarks, missing scales or fins, or damage.


What can I do to help Kyoshi get better!? Can any meds help him or is it just one of those things he has to do on his own? He does seem to be getting better bit by bit, but I will keep all options and outcomes in my mind. I will do anything to help him, he's my pretty pink betta boy and I love him... T-T

* My tank is 82F, declorinated, and the water was cleaned 2 days ago. I clean the tanks every week. 


here is kinda what my tank looks like, except it might be bigger and its slightly different looking than this. Its also not pink, lol. I unfortunately left my $200 camera somewhere on vacation so sadly I cant take a picture-trust me Im bummed. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Avl4Qdy-L._SL500_AA300_.jpg


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Bettas can jump out the smallest of openings, they have extremely good aim. 
The steps you've taken are good. That's exactly what I did for a jumper and she survived. 
Of course, it depends on how long he was out of the water but if he's already moving, it's a very good sign. 
I used aquarium salt in my female when she jumped, kept the water low so she could reach the surface and changed the water daily. Make sure you don't use a net on him or your hand as he needs every little bit of slime coat he's got left. 

It might be a good idea to cover the hole in your tank with a craft mesh now that you know you got a jumper. 

Best of luck.


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## ChardFish (May 17, 2012)

I hope he recovers! This reminds me of my sister goldfish! Sher took him and put him into a red bowl to change the tank, and when she came back, the orange fish was not in the red bowl, but she didnt notice at first. When she did, she came crying to me to find her fish because she couldnt stand to see it dead. I found it under the bed, wound up with lint, hair, sequins, and other debris. I thought I would be funny (I was about 12) and put it in the red bowl and told her it had been there all along. My mom was furious, and was shouting at me, making me stare at the dead fish while my sister cried and she laid out my punishment. Right about then, though, the fish made a little jerk. I pulled the debris off, and it lived for years after that. If I had not been such a smart-ass, we would have buried it before realizing it was alive. Point is- don't give up. Sometimes they will live through the most remarkable escape attempts!


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## lelei (Apr 30, 2012)

If you have Stresscoat..that works well..and vgives back the slime coat..if you dont have any just get some..and add with your water conditioner..


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## Larsa (May 6, 2011)

Oh thank you! I thought he was a gonner. Sadly my husband went to the petstore and picked me up an adorable baby male dragon, thinking kyoshi died! Well now i have 2 quarantine bettas... I have no idea where to put him, lol. I think kyoshi is getting better but he keeps gasping with his mouth open but he is getting to the top. He also wont eat. Im getting slime coat now, thanks all!


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## noellezim (Jul 2, 2012)

My cat knocked over my glass tank while I was at work for 8 hours. when I came home my cat ollie who always greets me at the door was pawing at something under my large dog bed. my fish had managed to have water under that dog bed and keep the cat away.... he had crippled fins and recovered fully after a week and a half... he'll live. he might not look so hot for a bit, just keep him as still as possible.


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## noellezim (Jul 2, 2012)

ChardFish said:


> I hope he recovers! This reminds me of my sister goldfish! Sher took him and put him into a red bowl to change the tank, and when she came back, the orange fish was not in the red bowl, but she didnt notice at first. When she did, she came crying to me to find her fish because she couldnt stand to see it dead. I found it under the bed, wound up with lint, hair, sequins, and other debris. I thought I would be funny (I was about 12) and put it in the red bowl and told her it had been there all along. My mom was furious, and was shouting at me, making me stare at the dead fish while my sister cried and she laid out my punishment. Right about then, though, the fish made a little jerk. I pulled the debris off, and it lived for years after that. If I had not been such a smart-ass, we would have buried it before realizing it was alive. Point is- don't give up. Sometimes they will live through the most remarkable escape attempts!


totally awesome story


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## Sapphoira (Jul 16, 2012)

I hope your Kiyoshi makes it through!! I'm now looking at the small open area near my filter with trepidation.. perhaps a trip to the craft store is in order!!!


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

These guys are pretty tough and as posted they can jump though the smallest hole....I had one jump though a hole smaller than a dime and just last month I had an incident with a cat knocking over a tank with one of my juvies out of the water for over 6 hours and is now spawning today as a matter of fact....He was covered in cat hair and carpet lint but within 24h you would have never known he was out of water for 6 hours-I didn't do anything other than place him in a QT and floated it in another tank-he shed the cat hair within a few hours and eating mosquito larva....newly named "Lucky Hairy".....

Give him time and don't over treat....dim lit quiet location so he can recover-if you have mosquito larva offer a few rinsed....

Good luck...


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## tanseattle (Jun 28, 2012)

I hope he recovers. I usually do not fill the tank fully because I am so afraid of them jump out. I usually feel 3-4 inches below the top.


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## Tiger Oak (Apr 29, 2012)

vilmarisv said:


> Bettas can jump out the smallest of openings, they have extremely good aim. It might be a good idea to cover the hole in your tank with a craft mesh now that you know you got a jumper.


Please take this advice and cover the openings with craft mesh! I sadly know from experience how these fish can jump through the smallest of openings! I had a beautiful red dragon scale plakat that did the same exact thing. Sadly though, he jumped out in the middle of the night, and by the time I discovered him the next morning, he was very much dead. :-( 

After that, I bought some craft mesh and cut it to fit around the filters in my remaining betta's tanks. I used aquarium silicone to stick the trimmed pieces of mesh to the lids of each tank (being careful not to put the mesh under the portion of the lid where the light is). 

Good luck with Kyoshi--I hope he makes a full recovery!!


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## ChardFish (May 17, 2012)

I saw one that had jumped out of the teeny hole on top of the pet-store cups.... sneaky little blighters!


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## Larsa (May 6, 2011)

thanks everyone!!! I gave him a few drops of the stress/slime coat stuff with aloe vera. He is moving both of his pectoral fins now, but hes back fins are still clampy. I already meshed everything possible in all my tanks, no one can possibly jump out!!! I would be very impressed if anyone else got out its super-thick craft mesh and its sealed very well. My husband even helped me so everyone should be safe. I was very very scared he was gonna die!!! I kinda see how he could have gotten out, he is a small plakat after all im sure he was like a torpedo. Right now he is chillin in his shallow critter thingy in the shade ( where all my other fish are) its close to a window but there is very little sunlight but also not too dark. I hope he is very happy I saved him. I was so sure I had lost him. He was in perfect health too  then he had to jump out of the water. I will probably keep him in his old 1 gal critter keeper until I can get a bigger home for him after he recovers. The new boy my husband got me will take his old spot or maybe I can put him with my girls so Kyoshi can still have his half of the tank. My new boy is very tiny and kinda shy he might get along with my girls like Shiro can. Hes so tiny It would be safer to put him in my 10 gal im scared he will be an escape artist cuz he is so teensy :O My husband feels kinda bad for buying him, lol he was positive kyoshi was gone now he feels like crap. wow. I now have 11 bettas.. @[email protected]


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## Larsa (May 6, 2011)

Oh I forgot to mention, but the new boy we are keeping we are naming Yukinari ( similar to the boy from the anime Girls Bravo) because if he is compatable with my girls he will be a lucky boy and sorta like a pimp  Im hoping he will get along with the girls ( my girls are sweet and welcoming to other fish) that way Kyoshi can have his home, Im sure he misses his little leaf he sleeps on :3


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## noellezim (Jul 2, 2012)

he is a lucky pimp...lol


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

chardfish said:


> i hope he recovers! This reminds me of my sister goldfish! Sher took him and put him into a red bowl to change the tank, and when she came back, the orange fish was not in the red bowl, but she didnt notice at first. When she did, she came crying to me to find her fish because she couldnt stand to see it dead. I found it under the bed, wound up with lint, hair, sequins, and other debris. I thought i would be funny (i was about 12) and put it in the red bowl and told her it had been there all along. My mom was furious, and was shouting at me, making me stare at the dead fish while my sister cried and she laid out my punishment. Right about then, though, the fish made a little jerk. I pulled the debris off, and it lived for years after that. If i had not been such a smart-ass, we would have buried it before realizing it was alive. Point is- don't give up. Sometimes they will live through the most remarkable escape attempts!


how horrible!!!!


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## ChardFish (May 17, 2012)

I felt really bad about making her cry after the fact, but at least the fish was with us for a long time after that.


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## Larsa (May 6, 2011)

that is so sad, but hopefully your sister forgives you! I would have gotten her a bunch of fishies!!! ^-^ Until I find a home for Yuki, I have a breeder net with a secure lid I can put him in my girl tank, HAHAH if he could get along well with my girls I could try someday to release him with my girls but im scared they would mate of fight. My breeder thingy is awesome but that would be cool to have a pimp fish!!! :'P I would prolly have to get a teeeeeeennnnnyyyyy male betta smaller than okami and release him in there so he would be scared of my big girls to fight. haha but the net thing is safest so I will do that  

Kyoshi looks a lot better! He is sleeping right now but he seems more active and moving his fins around. He still looks slimey however guess he is still shedding the slime coat.

Thank you for the support everyone, all the prayers and hope really helped! I really thought I lost a baby, ya'll saved me inside which helped saved Kyoshi. T.T


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## ChardFish (May 17, 2012)

I am glad he is feeling better. Something I am trying, you might see if it works for you? I have a large one-gallon tank inside a ten gallon. I have the female sorority in the water around the center tank, and I have the option of decorating the gallon tank with whatever/whomever I want, even another type of fish. Its cool. and since the tank is heated, the inner tank water is also heated. and a valve allows me to aerate both. I love it!


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## Larsa (May 6, 2011)

^ that sounds like an awesome idea, I will keep that in find for the winter!!! Kyoshi isnt eatting still, just kinda resting at the bottom. I offered beefheart, bloodworms, and his favorite pellets, he just doesnt seem interested. Also, his fins look like they are deteriorating almost like finrot, they are black at the ends too. He usually has pink fan-like fins but they are starting to look terrible. I got 1/4 tsp of aq salt in there to possibly help his fins :/ How long can he go without food!? It scares me because he cant recover without his nutrients. He really doesnt like to move at all, he stays in the middle at the very bottom  No poopies yet either, its been 3 days since his escape.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

I would go ahead and start a treatment..If he is bloated or having any buoyancy problems use Epsom salt 2tsp/gal-If its just the fins and lethargic use aquarium salt. Both will help with the fins....but aquarium salt is better for the external problems.

Best to QT in a small bare container that can be floated in the heated tank to maintain temp in the 76-77F range for treatment..._Attach it to the side so it doesn't sink and cover with a lid so he doesn't jump out...Turn off the light for the first 24h._

Premix some treatment water in a 1gal jug of dechlorinated water. Add aquarium salt or Epsom salt 2tsp/gal and a tannin source if you have one-either IAL (_1lrg crushed/gal_) or dried Oak leaf (_20crushed/gal_) Let this steep for 30min so the tannins can start to release and salt to dissolve....Shake well before use.

Using this premixed treatment water-make 25% water changes every 15min for 1 hour today...._You can dump half the water out of the Qt he is in and just add the Tx water until full-then repeat until he is in 100% of the treatment water over that period of time._

He needs to stay in this treatment water in the Qt for the duration of the treatment period of 10 days.

Tomorrow start 50% daily water changes with the premixed treatment water.

_If you added a tannin source-the water should look darker every day_

If you have access to mosquito larva offer several rinsed several times a day to boost protein intake to promote healing and strong immune response.
You can lace/roll the pellets in fresh crushed garlic juice to stimulate appetite if you don't have mosquito larva...sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesn't.....He can go for some time without food, however, as you already know.....nutrition is really important to support the immune response and promote healing....

Good luck and keep us posted.......sometimes they just need some time in a dim lit quiet location....


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## ChardFish (May 17, 2012)

They make products that increase appetite, but my dropper bottle has been worn to the point I can't read the label. It has vitamins and appetite stimulants, though, and I got it at Petco. Also, the very best I have found is BettaRevive by Hikari for restoring general betta vitality. The ingredients are neomycin sulphate and methylene blue, so if you have those things you can just use them. but look for something like that to help perk him up. Also, you must think that his slime coat was severely damaged during this experience, and the drying-out that occurred may have damaged his fins. If this has happened, the dead or dying tissue may turn black and rot, like with fin rot. I would keep a close eye on him, and perhaps consider looking into medicating if he doesn't pick up with the stimulants. Also, sometimes they just need a little instinctual kick- find him some mosquito larva, rinse them, and try that. If nothing else, the movement of the larva should make him instinctively snap at them. Good luck with your buddy!


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## ChardFish (May 17, 2012)

Definitely try what OldFishLady reccommends before using chemicals, but I think an appetite stimulant might still be good, since the one I use is just vitamins and aloe, I think, but only if she agrees. I am going to save what she wrote for future use, as well!


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## bettafishkeeper (Jan 19, 2014)

*I'm here because the same thing happened*

I was actually getting ready to breed him and I left for 5-10 min and well to my surprise I found him on the floor his fins are like stuck together and I'm scared because he's a beautiful crown tail and his wife witnessed the whole jump but I had him in a betta bowl the ones they come in and now he's in a 30 gallon although he's very slow I hope he lives


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