Do fish sleep?

[Clairepriest]

Do fish sleep? Silly question but I ask because in the monring when I get up and turn my tank light on, my black ghost knife is upside down hiding in an urn and when he realises I'm there he turns the right way up and pokes his head out.

Also, do fish get bored? Can we buy/do things to 'spice up' their lives without stressing them?

 

[comedykicks]

Yes they do sleep, some "lay" at the bottom when it's dark and go to sleep while others hide in various places.

I don't know if they get bored but it's always good to have plants, driftwood, centerpieces, etc. for them to hide and "play" in.

 

[gadazobe]

Thismight answer some of your questions.

 

[afireinside]

My fish sleep. Alot. at least 13 hours a day, those lazy bumbs. LOL.

 

[sylvia]

Fish deffinately sleep

Whether they get bored or not I suppose no-one could say for deffinite but I believe they do. If you watch them regularly you'll see what I mean. Have you ever kept a pearl gourami in a completely bare tank with no tankmates...? I had an aggressive male for a while in a 10 gallon with absolutely nothing but a heater and I found he began acting quite frustrated after a few days. He'd start swimming up and down and back and forth and was constantly on the move as if looking for something to do. As soon as I came close or something moved outside his tank he'd move forward to investigate and when he was fed he'd go crazy . It was like he was in need of mental stimulation and when I moved him out to his permanent home he changed completely. He immediately brightened up, blew a bubblenest, became calmer but still active and spent most of his time exploring his surroundings with his feelers. Also, people with cories will surely tell you that cories love to explore when you change something in the tank and, mine at least, seem to enjoy a small change once in a while and I'm sure there has to be something that drives them to swim away from where they were resting and nudge another cory tankmate for absolutely no apparent reason .

 

[Mo_loves_fish]

my fish keep thm selfes entertained my chainsy there refletion up and down and up and down and up and down it never gets old

 

[Vivid-Dawn]

They sleep... they just don't have eyelids to close (or at least that's what I've heard... though my catfish seemed to make his eye go a solid color when I was pokin' around his head, because he got a pectoral fin caught in the net (which I was stupidly using) one time).
And since they have no eyelids, I've heard you're supposed to turn the lights on in the "human room" before turning on the brighter tank lights, since it shocks them. My fish will zip right over to the plants to hide, if I turn their lights on in a totally dark room, as if to escape the sudden brightness.

Bored? Oh, probably. But I have yet to find any "toys" for them. My betta at work has a rather bare tank... just the filter flow, and a couple of plastic plants. So ever so often, I put my fingers up to the glass and wiggle them, just so he'll flare up and have something to "challenge" once in a while.
If I could find some sort of toys, like dogs and cats have, that'd be kewl! Maybe I could make some, somehow...

 

[morgan]

I always put the human lights on first as well. If you don't it really startles them doesn't it? I do the reverse at night time.

 

[femmeartist51]

Hi there,
I do think my girl blood parrot gets bored. For fun she will swim under the smaller blood parrot and knock it over. This poor parrot, has to then turn himself right side up, and them sometimes she will do this again to him. One day she was the one to get turned over. I did put in a plant once, it was one of those lucky bamboo. I did take it out as I found it wouldn't grow in full water. Our fish went crazy with this new item. The angel and blood parrot, stared at it. Would swim to it and bump it on purpose, then back off. Then they obviously decided that it was not anything harmful and they started swimming around and through it. So I think they do get bored. Lynda

 

[kat and james]

they definetly sleep.. clown loach are the funniest, the sleep on thier sides, or even on thier backs sometimes.. they are more like dogs than fish they make me laugh , but before we found this out it was a little worrying!
they also seem to love swimming through the tunnels we make with slate and rocks and stuff, there is a frenzy of activity everytime the tank is re-arranged! i think they enjoy the change of scenery!

 

[Clairel]

I have 2 clown loaches, and they hide in a little (artificial) tree trunk, they love it, i was a bit worried and checked on them, and they were sleeping on there side too, i have read up about this, and its very common Lol, they are very shy in the day though, and stay in this trunk most of the daytime, only coming out in the evening....which is a shame as they are very beautiful to watch, i love there little whiskers

Claire x

 

[Firebelle_uk]

I'm convinced fish make fun for themselves if you put a few things in the tank. I have some plastic and real plants, one or two large ornaments with holes right though and some slate, the danios certainly seem to enjy chasing around it all, and I;ve noticed if I move a piece of floating weed to a different place on the surface they treat it as if it's something new. I don't think it stresses them as within minutes they are swimming merrily around it again. They also go crazy when I approach the tank and come to the surface in a frenzy looking for food and titbits, whcih to me proves fish must have memories etc. I have to admit when I first joined this forum I thought the way some peoiple talked about character etc was a bit strange and fish, while attractive were just fish. Now I'm beginning to really appreciate them!

 

[RandomWiktor]

Fish have many of the same brain and nervous system aspects as mammals, and have even been sucessfully trained by ambitious individuals, so it is very likely that they have the capacity to be bored. However, there are not particularly toys pre-made for fish, so the best thing you could do to spice up thier life would be to provide behavioral enrichment, as many zoos and aquariums do. Enrichment comes in many forms, but generally involves exposing the animal to social and behavioral stimulation similar to what they would experience in the wild, as well as providing living conditions that mimic thier habitat. Further entertainment can be provided by changing the surroundings moderately (ie. moving plants and decorations about, adding and removing decor, etc.), providing live prey, or purchasing a suitable companion fish.
I firmly believe that fish in dull, barren, and exposed settings can indeed become nuerotic, and exhibit depressed and repetitive behavior; just watch a lone fish from a social species in a bland tank and you'll see what I mean.

 

[kat and james]

on of my lecturers at uni published work on goldfish memories.. he found that despite the rumours that fish have a 3 second memory, they actually have a 3 month memory. my dad also trained our goldfish to come to the surface for food when he tapped the lid of the tank gently!!
not just pretty faces..

 

[Clairel]

Im glad someone has said this, as my female Gourami died last night, and i was saying to my b/f that the male Gourami we had is missing her already, he told me not to be stupid as they only have a 3 second memory, who is right?

Claire x