Sleeping Habits of fish

[Scubajoe1]

A few of my fish have odd habits when it comes sleeping time. My two clownfish just hang out in the water column all night kinda swimming in one place. Surely this can't be very restful. My long nose hawk fish just kinda hands vertical against the back wall....not sure how he does that. Kinda like spider man. Anyone else have fish with odd sleeping habits?

 

[Corona007]

I was thinking the same. My clowns sometimes just hang vertically in a corner. Or just do the funny up and down stroke in place.
They eat like pigs and are active all day.
I just figure it's normal. :/

 

[150Ron]

As odd as it is that is totally normal for them.

 

[Genera]

My mollies either all stay on the bottom and just chillax like a normal sleeping fish or all hang near the top and just hover in the intense current of the return. XD

 

[Azedenkae]

My clownfish used to just lie on the sand. My Blue Tang rests on a rock. My anthias huddle together in a corner. XD

 

[snorvich]

Many wrasses go into the sand, some wrasses create a mucous cocoon, many fish adopt different coloration, some fish simply hover.

 

[Deinonych]

My clowns do the same thing, so yeah...normal. The rest of my fish sleep in the rocks. Sometimes my foxface will sleep vertically in one of the back corners of the tank, but usually he's in a little cave he's claimed as his own.

 

[Martini5788]

My valentini sticks herself on the glass in a corner like a suction.

 

[snorvich]

Just noticed that the OP is a diver. If you use a red dive light, fish will not be able to see you although you can see them. Allows for better viewing and/or photography.

 

[nuxx]

I have no idea when our Pajama Cardinals sleep. If I ever turn the light on in the room with the tank, they are just hanging out on the opposite side of the tank they are in during the day...

... then they take off back to the other side.

 

[snorvich]

I think most cardinals are nocturnal?

 

[MellowReefer]

Blennies are odd for sure. Mine used to sleep vertically in the upper corner of the tank. Now he likes to sleep right against the overflow, I think because the flow of water holds him up so he doesn't have to exert any effort to stay there.

 

[MellowReefer]

I've never seen my bengaii cardinal "go to sleep" either. Just constant hovering. He reminds me of a robot so I'm not surprised he doesn't need sleep.

 

[Scubajoe1]

Very cool to hear all the different fish tales....

 

[manchestercity]

My clowns do the same. Most of my fish wedge themselves in the rock. I read somewhere that fish never actually sleep. They just shut down part of the brain and go on autopilot for the night. Hence the swimming and hovering.

 

[ThRoewer]

Normal behavior for clowns is to sleep in their anemone (or surrogate host) - anything else is abnormal. Any of my clowns sleeping in an upper corner gives me sleepless nights...

 

[borg]

Agreed ThRoewer

My clowns host in my elegance , and when i first wake up they are always sad that the elegance is closed for business as my wife puts it

 

[Fish Stix]

My clown fish prefers to sleep in currents right next to power heads...

 

[nuxx]

I think most cardinals are nocturnal?

Yeah they are, but I never see them sleeping during the day either

 

[Alexraptor]

All my Clownfish have always preferred to remain stationary for the night, either a surrogate host like my hammer coral, or on a powerhead or if nothing catches their fancy, in a calm corner in the sand.

And speaking of sleeping habits, my Mandarin seems to like sitting out in the open on the sand bed, looking kind of like a zombie fish lol.