Fish Inactive/bottom Of Tank In Dark?

[Fc1700]

I've noticed over the past month or so that when I come back at night and my tank light isn't on ( I dont leave it on if I'm gone from say 4-11PM) when I turn the light back on or turn the light on in my room, most of my fish are sitting at the bottom on the gravel barely moving. (dwarf swordtail, serpae) or sometimes my fancy guppy is motionless at the top. However, when there is light, after awhile, they eventually start moving again and everything is back to normal.
 
Is that normal or strange? Bad for the fish? Should I keep the light on when I'm out at night?
 
Thanks in advance.
 

 

[Chaydell]

Sounds normal to me.  My fish do the same thing.  They will hide among the plants and decorations in the darkness.

 

[Seal36]

Yes that's perfectly normal and it's not usually for them to lose there colour when the light is turned off and then it comes back after the light has been on. I had a group of 10 five banded barbs that would sleep on the top of the leaves of my plants and then I would turn the light on and you could see them all start to move and get up from Tom