Were they sleeping?

[Mcass]

When I woke this morning, I went to look at my tank. All of my fish were sitting on the bottom not moving....at all. Also there colors were very dark. For instance my Venustus who is normally shades of green, was black. They stayed this way for about 10-15 minutes and then gradually one by one started moving around. They are acting normal now 45 minutes later and there colors are good too. I have never seen this before. Any explanations?

 

[cejones94]

Mine do it too...its pretty normal. I guess that they sorta sleep

 

[Aquali]

Yup, it's a sleeping mechanism when the lights go out they stay to the bottom or in caves and stop moving, if you watch them long enough you will notice your fish have preferred sleeping spots. They will always brighten up once the lights are back on, unless sick of course.

 

[bcurlacher54]

yep they were sleeping, i freaked out the first time i came home at 2am and all of my fish where just sitting there in holes or on the bottom not moving a bit. as long as the room is completely dark they will sleep but even a little light will bring them back to life.

 

[Mcass]

Wow! I've had my tank for two years and never seen that until today. Thanks for the replies!

 

[IvanMike]

Yep - fish sleep. Some sleep closer to the top, some sleep on the bottom. Many a time I've turned on a light in the fish room in the middle of the night and see all these washed out fish sink to the bottom - some lying on their sides. (they don't do that normally, they're just freaked out and like a groggy sleeper it's easier for them to play flounder than try to run away).

 

[pistolero]

My daughter had a big fat dark blue female betta in a 2.5 gallon in her room for about 3 years. She knew that when the bettas go pale they are very sick cause that's what happened with her first male betta. Anyway she wakes me up one night all upset "Daddy, Charmer is sick come look." So I went to look and she was very pale and still. She had woken up and flipped the light on to check on the fish. I admit I thought something was wrong with her too, but I told her not to worry go to sleep. Next morning she was her old self. We figured out they don't really care for turning a bright light on over them to check on them in the middle of the night, and some of them look deathly pale when they sleep.

 

[bigbanker]

Gah! I remember right after I brought my first batch of cichlids home.... I went to check on them in the middle of the night. None were swimming and I FREAKED! I started knocking on the glass and everything. lo-and-behold, they were simply resting!

 

[Owl307]

I freaked out the first time too, nothings wrong, just taking a nap even fish gotta rest ya know