The goldfish seems like a very simple animal – it is one of the most common pets and this frequency often gives the impression that they are not very interesting or unusual in some way. The truth on the other hand is far from that. Not only have they a very old history of breeding, but they were also strongly present in the Chinese culture, from where is their origin. The surprises continue even more – to a biological level. Every owner, while looking after his seemingly always energetic and active pet has probably wondered – do goldfish ever sleep?
Well, the simple answer would be just a “yes”, but the whole explanation behind it is way more complex. They do sleep, but the process is different than we imagine – what they do is more close to the meaning of the word “rest”. If you have such a pet you have probably seen that every day there is a period when they are less active and just float in the tank. They are not completely restless, as their bodies move a little to stabilize themselves while hovering in the water. This is the process that we can refer to as sleeping.
Many of us’ first thought is about whether they sleep with their eyes open – something rather funny, as they don’t have eyelids. This is why they can keep a constant sense of being alert and can be easily scared with a sudden movement or a switch of the lighting. When you see your pet in this condition it is best to try and avoid such actions, as they come with a certain amount of stress that is not healthy for the goldfish.
You may think that they sleep at night like most of us, but the truth is that with them sleeping is when it’s dark, rather than a specific part of the twenty-four hour period. Of course this predisposes them to sleep when you do, because this is when your house or apartment is at its darkest. If you want to take the best care for your pet the right thing to do is to turn off the aquarium light for 12 hours a day, because it will be able to rest better. You can make a regime and switch it on in the morning and off before you go to bed , so it learns to sleep when you do.
You can check the results by identifying the typical signs of a sleeping goldfish. Apart from the hovering in a specific spot, their color fades a little bit is another sign of the process being in motion. When this is happening not only try to avoid startling it, but also don’t put food in the aquarium or make sudden noises.
Last but not least – be alert if your goldfish floats on one side. They never swim like that if their healthy and when they sleep the body posture is the same as when they are active.
