ray_sj

I guess no human can know the real answer, but it sure looks like my female guppies know what time to go to bed!

Each night around 8:30pm, the guppies gather in the quiet shady corner and go to sleep. It doesn't matter if the light is still on. If doesn't matter if I'm watching them. I don't have the light on a timer, nor do I feed them at the same time every night. I just wonder how they can be so consistent at going to sleep without some external trigger that tells them it's time to sleep...

Anyone else observe such behavior?

jrod

im guessing that after a long day of swiming around they get tired and get ready to sleep

we like to think we know a lot about fish,but sometimes we dont,
I learn new things about my fish almost everyday

nitram79

i think they get their time from the mornings, obviously they can see out of the tank, and so when its night time, and your sleeping and the lights are off in the room and so the fish are sleeping as well. Then the sun comes up and your room gets lighter and so does the tank and they can see more. so the fish can see when its daylight, whether or not you turn the tank light on. And like jrod said, they cant swim for ever, they all sleep at some time or at least rest.

ABCDemily

Most animals can 'sense' the time of day, and if it's routine, they'll soon work out what to do. They don't know the actual physical time, but they know at roughly when to do things. If they get fed at eight, for example, they'll know that afterwards, they sleep.

aquarist48

Mine always remind me of feeding time. Every 12 hours I have a big orange blob (all the bloody parrots) in one corner of the tank. The rest of the time they are just swimming as usual. They really are not big pigs during the rest of the day. They don't beg for food every time I walk by. At 6am or pm is when it all starts.

capekate

IMO fish and animals can tell time lol.. its that internal alarm clock of theirs. My guys always know when its feeding time and as Aquarist posted, my BRPs come rushing to the glass and try to watch me and get my attention, its time for a meal. Our two dogs... most definately know when its their meal time, as does my cats. Our dogs know when my husband should be walking through the door from work as well. I dont know how our animals can tell time...
but its more a routine that they get used to, it just messes me up when we fall back or spring forward during daylight saving times.. then they are either looking for their meal an hour earlier or an hour later!

ray_sj

Fish are amazing littlel creatures! They know more than we think they do!

My male guppies act differently, though. They seem to be content to play as long as any lights are on. And all of them do know when it's time to beg for food!