Jap Wrasse Sleeping Habits

[Lee Barnes]

I purchased a Japanese Wrasse over the weekend, and was very surprised when I snuck up on the tank very early in the morning to see how he made it through the night.
He had wrapped himself in sort of a stringy mucus and was hanging upside down, attached to the back wall of my tank. As the morning came and the room got lighter he wriggled out of the cocoon and was a happy fish. I made a point of getting up early again this morning, and there he was, wrapped up in this mucus-y stuff, upside down. I left for work befor he freed himself.

So, is this normal or unusual? I've got two b&w clowns that like to sleep on top of my powerhead, and sometimes straight up and down balancing with their tails in the sand, but I've never seen this before!

 

[ox5477]

I have heard of many species of wrasse doing this. They will usually eat the cacoon after emerging to retake the enrgy expelled to make it. I have two yellow wrasse that bury themselves in the sand at night so I think all wrasses just have a means of guarding themselves when they are sleeping

 

[SkiFletch]

Yup, very common behavior amongst wrasses

 

[L200]

Its just a form of protection,nothing to worry about at all!!