Do Fish Sleep?

[puppyduck]

Do fish sleep? Do just some species sleep? Have you seen your fishes sleeping?

We saw our betta, Steve, sleeping on a leaf last night at about 2am. We also see our tetras and corys sleeping.

Does anyone elses fish sleep?


Basically a topic on sleeping fish. Its bugging me and I must know!

 

[Matt Gleadow]

When I've come in from a night out, so early hours of the morning, I've turned my room light on and some fish will be lying on rocks and some on the bottom on the sand. Presume this is them sleeping.

 

[methodmza_uk]

My Gourami and Rams seem to sleep. They sit on the bottom of the tank and dont move at all. I think that is them sleeping.

 

[chishnfips]

I dont think they sleep, more like rest themselves, my guppies when I had some used to rest at the bottom of the tank at night time.

 

[mr williams]

Do fish sleep? Do just some species sleep? Have you seen your fishes sleeping?

We saw our betta, Steve, sleeping on a leaf last night at about 2am. We also see our tetras and corys sleeping.

Does anyone elses fish sleep?


Basically a topic on sleeping fish. Its bugging me and I must know!

My clown loaches all cram in behind the filter intake pipe a soon as the lights go out. This could be more related to the fact that they would prefer not to be eaten by the polys however.

 

[highfire]

All mine settle down a little while after lights out in the evening. Usually they all gather at the back of the tank underneath the largest filter, just basically floating in situ.

 

[annka5]

Yep, they definitely sleep, I'm sure of it. If you look at them after the lights been off for a while you can easily tell.

 

[HODDY]

i think they rest because they never shut there eyes.Nearly all my fish rest on something at night.The only thing that dont rest is my silver shark and my baby guppy fry(only 1 lol)

 

[ox5477]

i think they rest because they never shut there eyes.Nearly all my fish rest on something at night.The only thing that dont rest is my silver shark and my baby guppy fry(only 1 lol)

Besides a mud skipper (who needs to to keep their eyes lubricated out of the water, no fish blink because they don't have eye lids. So looking at their eyes is not a valid method of determining sleep. I usually go by looking at the fins and the body movements. If any movement at all, probably not asleep. I can tell my JD sleeps cause if i come in the room, turn the light on and walk up and make a little noise, he noticably gets startled. And gthen he starts moving his fins and acting like normal so yes! They do sleep