Why do my fish sleep in weird places?

[ImprezaSTi]

My fish like to sleep in weird places.

The first day I bought my juvenile regal tang, it slept inside a rock, went fast asleep when lights went out. Now it sleeps behind my skimmer's pump, it is really loud back there and it doesnt even sleep an hour or two after lights are off. I thought it was much happier sleeping in the rock, but I can't get it to go back there. Could it be hermits, snails, or shrimp scaring it from the rock?

I also have two chromis, they also like the sleep behind the powerheads or the pump.

My two ocellaris.. I don't even know if they sleep at all, whenever I shine my flashlight into the tank they seem to be swimming around.

Where are all these fish suppose to sleep?? I want to give my fish a happy bed of its own. I know clowns can have a host, but all I have is a bunch of frags right now, but what about the other fish?

[Imanz0]

my 2 clowns always sleep at the top of the water in a wavy motion. When i first got them, for the first 2 days they slept on the floor if that helps.

[D to the P]

maybe the vibrations lull them to sleep haha. Could be cause they feel safer because it is more confined, maybe shrimp/crabs/bristleworms/etc. are distrupting them. Don't fret, everyone's fish do something weird that makes us scratch our heads.

[only_mnh]

my clowns usually sleep while bobbing at the waterline. sometimes the female will sleep in a rock cave. its weird. LOL

[rlf_racing]

I have an old clam shell at the bottom of the tank. My female clarkii sleeps there every night and if it falls over she gets upset and makes a sandstorm until I fix it.

[HumbleLobster]

My clown will either sleep up next to a powerhead in the corner of my tank, or will sleep next to the goniopora thats all puckered up. Pretty common from what I know.

[agreeive?fish]

My dogface puffer(RIP Spot) would just stop in his tracks the moment the tank light went off..sink to the bottom and sleep where ever he landed..and stay there until the lights came back on.

My tangs and scatt rotate as to who sleeps that night on the side of my Koralia(sp?) #4

[Savas]

Fish find safe places to sleep and call it a night.

[super stooge]

im also yet to see my clowns sleep, but they must be doing it at sum point since their so energetic during the day. you shouldnt try to get it to move sleeping spots unless it in direct danger. the fish will know where its comfortable before u do

[SSpiro]

Funny, all of my fish have their favorite spots. Holes, caves, under rocks, under powerheads, etc. Very entertaining.

[woogy]

my royal gramma sleeps inverted in a rock...your clowns will eventually find a happy home

[papagimp]

Juvinile regal tangs typically inhabit larger sps colonies, such as pocillopora's for shlter and protection., So a smaller regal hiding in rock is not a wierd spot to sleep but a perfectly normal and natural occurance. Same with behind the skimmer pump, he feels safe hiding there. Nothing that wierd.

Same with the chromis, they feel safe there.

The clowns do sleep, you just havn't seen it yet, lol, it's pretty obvious when their sleeping too. They won't "have" to have a host at all, ocellaris will be fine with a little dip in the dirt. They'll find a spot to call home regardless of what you do or what corals/anemone's you add to the tank.

All sound normal, just remember, they probably watch you too and try to figure out why you sleep on that funny rectangle as well wierd humans.

[agreeive?fish]

My 1/2 black angel sleeps inside a queen conch shell( i think it is a queen conch shell)..she swims all the way up thru the turns of the shell..one day she will have to find a new home as she will not beable to fit into the hole when she is grown.

my coral beauty angel and my GSM clown fish sleep under the same piece of really old ( and i mean grandpas tank old) piece of long ago dead coral...although there are multiple entrance/exit points they use the same one

[Kdocimo90]

my blue hippo tang wedges itself between the live rock and the overflow facing straight up. He's done that in every tank he's been in.

[jallen100]

My Gramma sleeps upside down inside a rock cave and my damsels all hide inside holes in the rock. My clown stays towards the top of the tank.

[ACBlinky]

I find that my fish tend to sleep in tight spots -- between a rock and the tank wall, in a small cave, etc. My occy sleeps in her colt coral, but nearly everyone else (not the wrasses, they bury themselves in the sand) finds a tiny crack and squeezes in for the night.

I didn't understand the behaviour until I watched the Coral Reef episode of Blue Planet. They showed the reef at night -- it's not a peaceful place like our tanks! Evidently sharks raid reefs almost nightly, looking for sleeping snacks. Any fish caught out in the open, or in a hole big enough for the shark to fit its nose, becomes a meal. After seeing that, it makes perfect sense to me that a small fish would feel safe between a pump and tank wall!

[Aquarist007]

I don't think they all sleep either---my sailfin tang never seems to sleep or hide up in the reef rock like the others do

[inachu]

I am thinking of putting a tiered system in my tank as my clowns love to swim in the middle and I am sure they would love a small box to stay in.

Perhaps I can have a platic capture box with some sand in it for them to rest in.

[Woznickiaj]

I also have yet to see my ocellaris sleep ! But my blue hippo sleeps staright up wedged in between LR and the glass, Its kinda neat !

[gweston]

My Ocellaris pair (breeding) look like they don't sleep, but they do. They sort of float vertically against the back glass in the corner. They continue to do their swimming motion even when they sleep. Just less active. They nap during the day too near the bottom.

The Midas loves his coral skeleton. Its like a cluster of big hollow barnacles. He likes to sleep in the highest one, but changes on occasion. He keeps them clean and guards them during the day. Its hilarious. He just nestles in his 'cave' rests his head on the edge and goes good night.

The wrasse (6-line) just disappears deep into the rock work. I never see him sleeping. But that is typical for 6-lines. They slime themselves up and hide.

[thebkramer]

Originally Posted by agreeive?fish

My dogface puffer(RIP Spot) would just stop in his tracks the moment the tank light went off..sink to the bottom and sleep where ever he landed..and stay there until the lights came back on.

That is too funny I'm still giggling after 5 mins

BTW... this is from 2yrs ago!