Everyone needs sleep

I need sleep as much as anyone else needs sleep. I don't know how I'd go throughout the day without it. The question is, do fish sleep? I asked myself this question when I saw that my fish were floating in the water and weren't moving. Except one of my fish, she was laying on a leaf as if it was her bed. I didn't know whether they were sleeping, being weird and just wanted to stay in place, or if they were dead. They've been doing this for a while now, but only in the morning. After I would turn on their light they would start swimming around the tank. I did some research and most fish rest by reducing their activity, when fish sleep it's different from how land mammals do. They have to "sleep" with their eyes open because they don't have eyelids ("Do Fish Sleep?"). At first I thought it was creepy and weird, but after finding out that it's the way they rest, even if their eyes are open, I thought it was amazing how they have to ability to sleep underwater. When I'm swimming under water I can't open my eyes because it feels like I just got shampoo in it, but fish have the talent to have their eyes open every second of the day.

 A guppy sleeping 

Source: http://guppyfishcare.com/do-guppies-sleep/

After finding out how fish sleep, I wondered for how long they sleep? Do they need the same amount of sleep as humans do? Fish can sleep up to 12 hours, but they only need about 9 or 10 hours in order to get through the day ("How Long Do Fish Sleep?"). Similar to humans, they need a certain amount of hours of sleep to have enough energy to complete that day. How much they sleep depends on how dark the tank is. If there is light shining around their "home" they won't be able to sleep just like when we try to fall asleep and someone turns the light on, I hate it when that happens. I like to think of it as if the light were their sun. When the "sun" is shinning through the tank it becomes the morning and when the "sun" has disappeared, or in this case turned off, it becomes the night. Although they don't have a moon to indicate when it's the night, they still have time to relax as the light is being shut off and is no longer disturbing them.   

Animals and humans are not that different. I find it interesting on how much we actually have in common. I would have never known whether fish sleep or not if it weren't for me to be observing at that time. We might have different lifestyles, but we all live our life the way we were taught to live it. 

Works Cited 

"Do Fish Sleep?" National Ocean Service. N.p. n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2014.

"Do Guppies Sleep? When Do They Sleep and How Can You Tell?" Guppy Fish Care. N.p. n.d.

     Web. 25 Oct. 2014.

"How Long Do Fish Sleep?" My Aquarium Club: Real Knowledge. Real People. N.p. n.d. Web. 25 

     Oct. 2014.

I learn something new everyday

My fish fascinate me more and more each day. This week I was paying a bit more attention to my "sucker fish". I think he is starting to get more comfortable with me watching his every move as the days go by. He was cleaning the tank as usual but was more focused in the back of the tank under the filter. I was home alone at the time I was observing so it was more calm and quiet. He seemed to be more active during that time. He was swimming around the tank cleaning, he looked like a mini vacuum just strolling around. While he was cleaning his back fin was up and open like it was in my last blog. He was actually around the same place too! I got a closer picture so that you guys can see the beautiful detail on his fin.



My "sucker fishes" spotted fin

After a while he moved over to the left side if the tank. He continued to clean but this time his fin was down. I got a little closer and decided to take a video of his mouth moving while he was doing his job. As I was recording I saw that his eye blinked! He blinked at me! Right that second I remembered that a giraffe at the zoo had winked at as well! Maybe animals just like to blink at me? I started thinking. I then went to look at the other fish and see if they blinked but they didn't. Their eyes were as if they were frozen in place. I couldn't get it out of my head. I did some research and according to the website http://www.critters360.com/index.php/fish-species-plecostomus-2-18230/ Pleco fish, which is the nickname of Plecostomus, have been thought to blink. Many people think that they blink but in reality they are rolling their eyes. I guess my "sucker fish" was giving me a little attitude. I'd rather say that he winked or blinked at me. I like that better. Here's the video of him "rolling his eyes."

 

                                      

 

I can watch that video and it still feels so realistic. I can't wait to see what other surprises he brings to me as I observe him this week. I hope he realizes that I am going to watch much closer than usual.

Back to the usual

As it was back then, my "sucker fish" is back in the castle. It makes me sad because now I won't be able to see him trying to find a new home, but then again it seems as if my other fish are able to swim around more comfortably. I've noticed that once they get used to him being out all the time they swim the same as they would if he was hidden inside the castle. I don't know which one they prefer, or if they even care? It relates to when a baby is trying to get used to all the other little kids around him/her. They have to get to know each other before they act as if they've known one another for years, but do they like each other?

As I continued to watch my other fish I became extremely curious to why my blue and orange fish follow each other around all the time! I did some research and according to the website www.fishchannel.com/fish-health/healthy-aquariums/get-a-grip-on-aggression.aspc, when fish are chasing each other around the tank they are probably mating or playing with one another. It could also mean that they are fighting. It's crazy how one move in the fish world can mean a whole bunch in the human world. I never really took the time to find out why fish do certain things. It's fascinating when I discover something I would have never thought about. 

Frenemies ?

I don't know whether my fish are friends or enemies. I'll just call them frenemies. Most of that time they are separated by the type or class of fish they are. Once in a while they mix together and swim around the tank and look like one big family. This reminds me of the movie Finding Nemo. The fish are with their friends and family, plus they all look like one another. Although I don't have a thousand fish like in the movie the separation is still noticeable. Are each of their groups similar to the stereotyped groups we have in "high school"? "I think my fish prefer to be with fish that are similar to them. Maybe they understand each other better than they do with other fish?" Field notes 9/30. 

I was able to get a picture of what seemed to be them interacting with each other and not staying in their usual spots. The blue and orange fish at the top are usually always together. They lost 3 other members of their group a while ago and they've stuck together ever since. 

My fish 9/30

My "sucker fish" at the bottom was cleaning at the time I took the picture. I've noticed that it's back fin opens up while he's working. It's fin reminded me of a peacock. The polka dots make the fish look less mean from my perspective. Is my sucker fish even considered a mean fish? Are any of my fishes known for being aggressive? I hope they aren't because then I'll end up with no fish.