Is my guppy sick?

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JCW_1

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I am new to fishkeeping and started with guppy and tetra. My tank is 2 months old and the fish are generally happy and social. Water parameters are fine and the water has also been tested independently.

One of my guppy fish is displaying strange behaviour and I can't figure it out. Each evening he swims to the top corner of the tank and stays still for about 2 hours. There are no signs of illness and no aggression in tank. What is confusing me is that this behaviour is like clockwork - approx. 11pm each evening he distances himself and goes to the same spot where he just remains still. I understand guppy don't sleep at the top of tank.

The thing is that all day he swims normally and happy socialising with the tetra, but approx. 11pm for a few hours he just stops and remains still in the top corner before springing back to action. At first you think something is wrong, but after an hour or two he goes back to normal and the next day he is playful and swimming normal again.

Does anyone know why he does this and what I should do? As I say, there are no signs of sickness, water is fine, and he only does this for an hour each day - and the rest of the time he is social and swims around perfectly normal.

My mobile video won't upload because the file is too large, but he looks perfectly healthy.

Thanks
 
With videos you need to upload them to YouTube or similar video hosting site then post the url on here.
Hopefully your video will help diagnose any possible problem.
 
Hi Essjay,

Here is a link to youtube video.

Thanks in advance if you can assist.
 
Hi and welcome to the forum :)

The fish might have jet lag. It happens when they come in from a different time zone and need a few weeks to adjust their body clock to the tank light times.

The fish in the video is sleeping. He's been swimming around all day and goes to bed at 11pm. That's a few hours before I go night night.
 
Hi Colin,

I thought he might be sleeping and I understand they do sleep with eyes open, but all the info online says they don't sleep at the top and that if they remain still at top they are sick. I think you are right, but i'll keep a close eye on him.
 
If the fish is eating well, does normal poop and swim around during the day, then it's just resting. They can sleep anywhere in the tank. Some sleep on the gravel, some sleep in plants, others under rocks and some by the surface. Yours just happens to like sleeping near the surface.

Some floating plants like Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thallictroides/ cornuta) will give him somewhere to sleep instead of next to the glass. It's a great plant for livebearers and if it grows too fast, you can plant some in the gravel.
 
If the fish is eating well, does normal poop and swim around during the day, then it's just resting. They can sleep anywhere in the tank. Some sleep on the gravel, some sleep in plants, others under rocks and some by the surface. Yours just happens to like sleeping near the surface.

Some floating plants like Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thallictroides/ cornuta) will give him somewhere to sleep instead of next to the glass. It's a great plant for livebearers and if it grows too fast, you can plant some in the gravel.

Hi Colin,

I wanted to follow up on this post rather than start new thread.

As discussed, my guppy had a bedtime regularly like clockwork and also likes sleeping at top of tank. I have noticed he is sleeping much more recently - and probably oversleeping. He now sleeps day and night, which is a change in behaviour and habit. Could this be a sign of something wrong?

He still eats and swims around, no signs of illness, nothing shows in water test. He just sleeps way too often.
 
Lots of my guppies slept at the top of the tank. Never concerned me at all! Was normal to see a bunch of them at the top to sleep, but plenty sleep at the bottom or somewhere in the middle too.
 
Just a couple of thoughts...
1) How many hours per day is the tank light on?
2) Are there lower areas in the tank where the fish could 'escape' light?

It is slightly possible that the fish is sleeping at the top trying to avoid direct light. Some floating plants MAY help with this as they would give shade.
 
There's no common diseases that cause fish to sleep more. There might be a parasite or infection in him that is making him tired. Or he might have heart or breathing problems. Alternatively, he could be up all night partying with the girls and needs to sleep all day to keep up his energy. An old fish might sleep more too.

If it's an infection, he would probably not eat as much and his health would start to decline.

Is he still eating and pooping normally?
If yes, I would do a few night checks with a torch after lights out and see if he's nocturnal and does stuff after lights out.

If he isn't eating well and isn't pooping normally, then there is a problem.
 
Just a couple of thoughts...
1) How many hours per day is the tank light on?
2) Are there lower areas in the tank where the fish could 'escape' light?

It is slightly possible that the fish is sleeping at the top trying to avoid direct light. Some floating plants MAY help with this as they would give shade.
Not had light on for a few days!
 
There's no common diseases that cause fish to sleep more. There might be a parasite or infection in him that is making him tired. Or he might have heart or breathing problems. Alternatively, he could be up all night partying with the girls and needs to sleep all day to keep up his energy. An old fish might sleep more too.

If it's an infection, he would probably not eat as much and his health would start to decline.

Is he still eating and pooping normally?
If yes, I would do a few night checks with a torch after lights out and see if he's nocturnal and does stuff after lights out.

If he isn't eating well and isn't pooping normally, then there is a problem.

Definitely eating - and I will have to do checks with torch at night, but he sleeps! He has gone from active to lazy, but still no signs of illness. Could he just be lazy?

I noticed a bubble on the tip of a plant leaf with lots of little bubbles blowing up to surface. Is this a bad sign that could be an issue?
 
Plants produce oxygen bubbles from their leaves when they get good light and are growing well. Sometimes there will be a stream of tiny bubbles coming out of some plant leaves and this plant is producing lots of oxygen.
 
Maybe makes me a master fishkeeper and eco tank specialist 🐋

Perhaps my fish are spoilt and feel safe, which is why they don't hide - and sleep where they want when they want :)
 

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