How likely is it for a Betta to jump over two inches out of a vase of water?

My fish "Legs" was a Betta and had been living in the same vase with a Pothos plant, (one stem, not large), for over two months at work. The water was usually kept high, but I had let the levels drop about two inches for no real reason at all. His color was rich, he responded to his environment actively and seemed healthy. Then, one fateful Monday, I walked in and found his little dried up body under the montior shelf on my desk. No water marks on the desk or anything under his vase, he would have had to jump at least two inches to get up over the top and then sailed at least six inches towards the outer edge of the desk. That's some crazy jumpin'! I have co-worker that doesn't like me very much...I do his job better than he does it and am always showing him up. I don't do it on purpose, he's just a loser. Now I am asking the question to all betta owners out there....was it suicide? or MURDER?

How likely is it for a Betta to jump over two inches out of a vase of water?
He very well could have jumped. Bettas are excellent jumpers and certainly could have cleared two inches and then some. I definitely suggest an aquarium with a hood or screen should you decide to adopt another.



I had a betta jump out of a hole in my aquarium hood where the heater sticks through. The hole was about the size of a quarter. He ended up on the ground wedged between a piece of furniture and his water change bucket. Since then, I have duct taped all holes in my aquarium hoods.



It's amazing the trouble they can get themselves into.
Reply:Betta fish are very good jumpers.

With all that fin you wouldn't think that would be the case.



When I was working at a petstore we had a display that housed about 40 bettas and the rest were kept in cups until there was free space in the display.

After changing the water in some of the cups, I came back about 15 minutes later. There was three cups lined up. The first one was empty. The second one was empty. The third had three bettas in it, looking very grumpy.



Bettas can jump quite high, quite far, even with limited space to gain speed for a jump.



Sorry about your loss darlin'
Reply:Betas are jumpers. Their natural environment is mud puddles, so they jump from puddle to puddle to find a mate, so its totally possible he jumped out.
Reply:When i was cleaning my betta bowl mine,jumped about 4-6 inches out of the net into the sink,,yessss they can jump!!
Reply:I used to have an albino paradise fish which is a precurser to the fancy betta and had him in a large bowel (He was getting nipped up in the tank) If you looked into the top of the bowl he would jump right out of the water at your face! Every bit of 12 inches and would often land on the floor. Put him back in and he'd do it again. It was fun with little kids. I'd tell them, "Go look in that bowl..."
Reply:i had a fish just like that. it was a she and she was constantly jumping out of the bowl. a couple of inches away. one day, my sister found her dead a couple of feet away from the bowl. the betas are known to be aggresive and jump far. next time, i recommend getting a lid or something because my other 12 betas never could jump away....i hope u feel better from it and good luck if u choose another fish
Reply:Bettas are jumpers. It is very likely that he could have jumped that far.
Reply:2 inches is quite a jump, I keep 2 betta's at my job too, (in different bowls), and keep the water pretty high, about an half inch from the top, so far so good, I do think that Loud noises or something might have spooked him, don't dwell on the fact that someone purposely took him out, that is doubtful, and fish have a way of doing things like that mysteriously. just get another betta and cover him with somethng at night when you aren't there, good luck, ellie
Reply:Its not likely that your fish jumped that high. Talk to your coworker about it.

augmon