IMO they don't jump for the fun of it. I like to anthropromorphize (sp) just like the next guy, but this can not be a natural response. Considering that they are found in waters 30'-150' they are not swimming to the oceans surface to breach like a whale. They would be predated straight away. This is fright reaction. I observed it in Dotty on many occasions. There were times when she would exit her burrow and start swimming around the tank in a disoriented fashion. This was when I noticed she would jump. She would always find her way back to her burrow though. Many times it was after lights out.
Spotty on the other hand is completely different. He never leaves his burrow except to grab food. He is never 2" away from his burrow and I have not witnessed him jump once. It could be the age of the fish, the younger ones stay closer to their burrows while the older ones tend to stray. By moving around it's possible that this is way to increase their chances of finding a mate.
Moving around the tank IMO is not a good thing becasue it increases the chance that they are going to jump. Open water is out of their element and somehow causes a fright response.
Spotty on the other hand is completely different. He never leaves his burrow except to grab food. He is never 2" away from his burrow and I have not witnessed him jump once. It could be the age of the fish, the younger ones stay closer to their burrows while the older ones tend to stray. By moving around it's possible that this is way to increase their chances of finding a mate.
Moving around the tank IMO is not a good thing becasue it increases the chance that they are going to jump. Open water is out of their element and somehow causes a fright response.
