do the fish sleep?

Answer 1

Yes, but not as we do - some fish (sharks in particular) die if they stop moving unless they are in moving water, as they can't pump water through their gills themselves.

Extract from the NAtional Aquarium's website:

Do fish sleep?
All fish spend time in an energy-saving state that can be called "rest", and we might even call their behavior "sleep", though it is probably different than "sleep" in most land animals. Many fish, like Bass and perch, rest on or under logs at night. Coral reef fish active in the day, hide and rest in crevices and cracks in the reef to avoid being eaten at night. The resting behavior of fish is very different from their behavior the rest of the day. Many minnows, for example, which are very active in schools during the day, scatter and remain motionless in shallow water at night. Many fish "rest" or "sleep" during the day and are active at night instead, but almost all fish sleep. There are some animals that never stop swimming, like many species of shark, however, they HAVE to keep moving to push water through their mouths in order to breathe, and they may still sleep while moving, we just don't know yet.

Answer 2

Most animals have some daily pattern of rest and activity, and in many species these daily cycles are similar to people running around during the day then lying down at night and doing nothing or sleeping. It is believed that fish are no different, although it is a controversial subject.

Some fish keep very still, experiencing a quiet period (quiescence) that you might call sleep. Scuba divers often handle reef fish in the middle of the night without startling them and can even lift some species out of the water before they awaken. Tropical freshwater fish in home aquaria appear to be resting immediately after turning the lights on in a room that has been darkened for several hours.

Unfortunately, fish have no eyelids so it is difficult to tell whether they are asleep or not.

Answer 3

Most fish spend time in an energy-saving state that we call resting or sleeping. Although this is probably different than the way most land animals sleep. Fish will often lay at the bottom of the tank and not move, sometimes you can sneak up and watch them during this time. They can't close their eyes because they have no eyelids to do so.

There is still too little research on this to know what is going on when there in a energy-saving state though.

Answer 4

Most fish spend part of every day asleep. Being asleep can mean different things to different fish. Some fish (like herring and tuna) are motionless in the water during the night. Other fish, like rockfish and grouper, don't appear to sleep at all. They rest against rocks, bracing themselves with their fins. Also, some freshwater fish (like catfish) swim up under a log or river bank for shelter during the day. By the way, fish can't close their eyes when they sleep; they don't have eyelids.

Answer 5

Fish sleep but they do not have eyelids to close, and they do not lie down. Most fish will stop moving in the water and just stay still while they sleep. Other species such as Plecos will find a darkened hiding place to sleep, and still others (like many sharks) will continue to swim in thier sleep.

Answer 6

I don't think so. I slept over a friend's house where she had fish. They never slept and were scared all the time. I woke up to get a drink at 5:00 am, and all I did was bop the tank and those dumb fish all swam away.

Answer 7

Fish sleep with they're eyes open.

Answer 8

Yes they do sleep.Sharks have to wedge them selves against
rocks facing the flow of sea water so the water flows through the
gills,allowing them to breath and sleep.

Answer 9

i'm not sure but goldfish probli don't coz they forget evrythin after 3 secnds so if they feel tired they'd just forget that theyre tired and b 2 busy thinkin were they r lookn round bein confused
random question
lol! :P

Answer 10

Yes, they do "sleep ". Although they can not close the eyes, they keep still in one place for long periods or time.Like meditating.