Do Goldfish Sleep? - Goldfish Care Information Diseases & Treatments

Your blog was helpful to me, I was leaving the aquarium light on continuously and didn’t know that it was bad for the fish. Thank you!

Tam,

Your very welcome. Goldfish need sleep just like us. Leaving the aquarium light on can actually stress your fish. I’m glad my goldfish blog was helpful to you.

Just to let you know a lot of people leave their aquarium light on continuously. It not only causes stress for your fish but can create algae problems as well. It will cause you to have to clean your aquarium glass more often.

Thanks for stopping by my blog. If you ever have any questions at all please feel free to contact me anytime.

Did you ever have a algae problem with your aquarium leaving the light on?

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
Need more help with Goldfish, Koi, or Garden Ponds? Meet People, Share Photos Talk About Your Hobby- http://www.PetGoldfishForum.com

OMG!! Thx so much. Me and my bro were freaken out!

THX dude!!! i was going crazy not noing but how much do they need?!?

Ok so they sleep …but I had one yesterday who I thought was asleep and then that “sleeping” became slower and less movement and his breathing got slower and then he stopped… and died…he was hiding himself away in the plants and sulking … then today another one started to do this hiding thing and sulking (and when I’d tap on the glass to make sure he was ok jump out of its skin)… any thoughts he’s not going to get sick too is he…PS ive just turned off the light..Thanks

Okay in this case your goldfish may not be sleeping. Your goldfish may be sick or stressed out.

Have you had the aquarium light on for a long time or do you ever shut it off?

When you notice a goldfish acting weird and abnormal you should start thinking of possibility of something being wrong. Look for any signs or symptoms of goldfish diseases. If you don’t see anything then you should think water quality. Check your water, test it and see if everything are in the proper ranges. This could be your problem here.

How often do you do water changes and test your water?

I would start here, as this may be your problem.

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
New Pet Goldfish Forum – Join, Chat and Share Photos With Others

i’ve got a pair of new goldfish a week ago. the male is now hiding and swimming with effort.though eating is normal.i used to keep the light and motor on full time but now i of them for a few hours.it keeps itself to the bottom and its skin is a little scraped off. what should i do?

Hi Suneetha,

Your goldfish could be acting weird for several reasons:

1. Your goldfish may be sick with disease or paraites
2. Swimming with effort – Swim Bladder Disease – Try feeding crushed peas
3. Poor water quality
4. Stressed out from light being on most of the time.
5, Injured, and fungus and parasites setting in

You should check your water quality first but those above mentioned items may help. If your fish has scraped himself you should try using Melafix Fish Medication by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals to heal wounds and regenerate new tissue.

What are the symptoms, any scratching or flicking on the bottom of the tank? Also what did you mean by motor running full time, filter??? Your filter should be running 24/7. If you stop the benefcial bacteria in the filter will die as needs oxygen and will cause your nitrogen cycle to be affected and break down causing water quality problems.

You should check that first. 9 times of of 10 it is always water quality on why fish are sick or acting weird. It is caused by something and happened for a reason. Other then that those new fish you added to your aquarium could have been sick already.

Get back to me and we’ll see what we can do.

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
http://www.PetGoldfishForum.com

thank you so much! i received a goldfish tank set for christmas and finally decided to put one in there. as i went to bed, i realized, “does this guy need to sleep?” typed in the question, and found the answer! thank you for the wealth of information 🙂

Hi,

I have two baby Oranda’s (approx 4 months old) and they both “dive into the hairgrass and then just lay still (gills moving but motionless) they do this through out the day at different times of the day. When I wake in the morning they are floating in the grass like they are dead. When I switch the light on they spring to life and start scavenging for food. They scavenge for food most of the day and eat pretty well when fed. I have checked the PH and Ammonia levels and all seems to be 100%…but this motionless thing freaks me out…Are they sick or do they just need more rest?

How do I know if my goldfish is pregnant?

Hi there,

To learn more about how you know ” Are My Goldfish Pregnant? ” you can visit that link. It will explain all as goldfish lay eggs and don’t have live young.

Talk to you later,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy

My son has had two goldfish in the past. Two potbelly looking ones. Not long after getting them they died. He was so devasted and cried for days. Time has past and we just went to a b-day party where they had goldfish as center pieces. He eagerly took one home 🙂 after days have passed one has died and the other one looks like he barely has any life in him. What r we doing wrong? What type of fish (fresh water) is good for a 6 yr old boy and that will last a LONG time? Please help!!!

I’m sorry to about your son’s experience with goldfish. Kids definitely fall in love with their new pet goldfish and they gro on them. The biggest thing about taking care of goldfish is providing proper care. In fact goldfish are a very hardy fish and live for a long time.

I’m not quite sure why you were having problems with goldfish. One you may have bought sick goldfish from a pet store. Sometimes just because they are no signs of disease or parasites doesn’t always mean they are healthy.

In order to help you more with your goldfish aquarium I need to ask you some questions:

1. Do you have a goldfish aquarium or goldfish bowl?
2. Do you have enough aeration with air pump and a filter on your fish tank?
3. Where you buy goldfish do they have a good reputation for healthy fish and is the pet shop clean and well maintained?
4. How often do you feed your goldfish and what type of fish food?
5. How often do you do water changes on your fish tank?
6. Do you add conditioner each time to remove chlorine and harmful metals?
7. Do you add beneficial bacteria such as Cycle each time water changes are done?
8. Do you clean the aquarium gravel bud and stir it around when doing water changes?
9. Do you clean the filter and do water changes on the same day?
10. How often do you test your water quality?

The biggest thing about taking care of goldfish is making sure your water quality is perfect. One thing that people do and in fact I just helped a person on my goldfish forum just yesterday was having some CopperSafe on hand. This product works great and treats fish tank for one month. I would suggest you getting some and having it on hand. You can buy CopperSafe online cheaper then you can in pet stores.

To learn more about CopperSafe and where to get it please visit this post:

CopperSafe From Mardel Labs – Fish Medication For Ich, Velvet and Other External Parasites

Get back to me and I will help you out further so your son won’t have to lose anymore goldfish. Hopefully I can help so that this doesn’t continue. With the use of CopperSafe you should have better luck.

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy

i have 2 goldfish but no light bc i have a tank but during the day my room is well lighted and at night i keep it very dark (for me) so the light isnt an issue, but when i clean the filter it just seems very powerful and sometimes when i feed my fish it seems like the filter kind of blows them away, should i turn off the filter at night or is it ok to leav it on?

Thank you so much!! I thought I was going crazy!! I haven't even had my goldfish for 2 weeks, but so far, I have taken care of the water and set up the aquarium like the pet store said. My fish are greedy little boogers–they just LOVE feeding time. How often should I feed them though? My husband & I have differing opinions about feeding them. I leave the light on at night and turn it off during the day as my house is semidark all the time. It is quiet other than the tv for the kids, and the kids don't tap on the glass or anything. If I buy fish from the store, can they breed? I hope not, cuz I don't want a tank full of fish!! Thanks!!

That helped soo much! I thought my goldfish was dying. He was exactly as you said it, on the bottom in the corner of the tank and was less orange than normal. Thanks!! : )

From what I was told, goldfish in a tank often times will not breed. The only time they breed is if they are in a big body of water, like in a pond. As for the feeding goes, I only feed mine one time a day, because they tend to overeat and have such tiny tummies and are messy. They can die if you overfeed them by feeding them too many times per day. Or you can do it two times a day, just a little pinch of food each time. I was told at a pet store to give them a pinch of food no bigger than your thumbnail, for the two times a day. I give them a little more than that since I feed them at the sime time in the evening every day only once. They are very healthy, we have two, have had them since right after Christmas last year in a 5 gallon tank. I just found out they don't need any light at night time because they need to sleep and the light will bother them and then they won't get enough rest. I did not get a light, my apartment provides them with enough and at night, I was leaving the blinds open since we have a courtyard apartment and there is a light out there. I would leave the blinds open so that they are not in the complete dark, but after reading up on whether goldfish sleep or not, I think I will start closing them because they don't like any light and can't rest as well. Hope you found this helpful about the feeding tips and about them breeding in a tank.

To all goldfish care takers,

I just want to let you know, if you don't yet, that you should stay away from putting those green plants you see at the pet store in your fish's aquarium. I found out myself when I had one in my fish's auarium that those things grow parasites on them after a time! And they can cause your fish to get sick and die. I threw the one I had in there out and don't have any more in there. Plus, when I clean their tank every two weeks, leave about 20% of the water in there, since I was told at the pet store that it contains some of the bacteria that they need to survive. And if your water is not good, make your you add about a 1/2 teaspoon of water conditioner every time you are adding fresh clean water during water changes. I use First Step, purchased at the pet store. You can probably find it at Walmart as well. And it helps to wash off all the decorations inside the tank as well, since they get dirty and slimy. I do it every time I clean their tank. Anyway, hope you find this helpful. Stay away from the green plants!!

Hello,
my name is Kieran, ive had my goldfish for about 5 months now and I've stuck to my routine water changes and test so I'm pretty sure the water quality is good for my fish but just lately he has been clamping his fins a little bit more than usual, his eating is still normal and otherwise he's a pretty normal goldy, but this is a bit strange? Thanks, you blog is excellent by the way!!
Kieran

Hi Kieran,

Regular maintenance and water changes are the key to successfully taking care of goldfish. It sounds like you are doing all the right things.

As far as your goldfish having clamped fins it could be a result of stress, for example leaving the aquarium lights on all the time etc..

It could also be internal parasites and he could be getting sick. It's hard to say right now but keep an eye on your goldfish and see if he starts clamping his fins even more.

A good practice to do every once in a while is feed them medicated food for internal parasites and bacterial infections. Your goldfish may appear healthy from the outside appearance but internally may be a different story.

I would keep up your water quality as your doing, clean the filter as that may be the cause or increase aeration. I know fish need plenty of oxygen and they love going through the bubbles and current. Start doings tests and see if your goldfish begins acting normal again by doing a few things.

Hope this was some help and if you have anymore questions please feel free to ask.

Thanks for your kind words! I'm glad you love my goldfish blog.

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy

Find Even More Goldfish Resources and Info on My Goldfish forum!

http://www.PetGoldfishForum.com

thank you so much with helping me with my fish you were very helpfull and now my fish will have a good night sleep.

Hi, i have 3 gold fish, in a tank thats about 40cm long 25cm wide and 30cm high, 2 of my fish are about 6cm and the other is about 4cms. I was wondering wether or not there tank is big enugh for them now? and if i got a new fish would it be too crowded? also i was wondering if they are board, i have a pile of rox in there and a plant, and it seems whenever i go up to the tank they go crazy and swim to the top expecting food, i feed them everyday and they are fat enugh as it is, help!

i got 3 gold fish today and they were all swimming about fine, there at the bottom of the tank but only one is moving its gills and the other 2 simply arent doing anything at all what do i do as this is the first time i have had fish. the pump is switched half on as it not a very big tank.

I was just reading a book and I looked over at my fisg tank. One of my fish was up side down and I thought he was dead. I tapped the glass and he just about jumped outta his skin from suprise. Can goldfish sleep upside down???

thanks for the help, I figured he had to sleep but never seen him do it.

Searched google for "do goldfish sleep", and yours was the first response. Your blog is helpful, especially for a first time goldfish owner like myself. thanks for taking the time to write it.

Thankyou for your help!! I just came home unusually late and went into my room, where my tank is housed. During the day they obviously get light from the main room lights and a lamp, but because I sleep in the same room, all the lights got turned off at night. I just came in and turned off the lights and noticed that my fish were all at the bootom of the tank and also dull and faded. I now that they were in fact sleeping!! Thanks for saving a lot of panic!

This blog with very helpful. We got a new goldfish yesterday, and right now I believe it is sleeping. It is in the water and pretty still. I was concerned if it was stressed because of it's new home or sick. This artical was helpful. Thanks!

my daughter has a wee goldfish and shes had him for about 8 months , lately he doesnt seem as lively and he seems to lie on the bottom of the tank on his side im a bit worried as my daughter will be devasted if anything happens to him , what do you think is wrong , he lie there for ages and sometimes he looks dead and then hell breath and move a little .

My goldfish have what looks like cotton wool comming out of there mouth what is this

diane

Hello, I just bought to goldfish and have them in a bowl, with a small decoration! I had no idea in the world that goldfish sleep.I came home from work one day to find one of the fish motionless at the bottom of the bowl, naturally I thought he's dead! I was distraught and took him out and flushed him away down the toilet! Later that evening some friends came over and I mentioned that one of my goldfish died, and my friend said "Are you sure he's was'nt sleeping?" I thought he was pulling my leg! When they left I looked it up online(that's how I found you)to find that they do indeed sleep! Well I bought another fish and I won't make that mistake again, unless their belly up at the top! I like your website, its very helpful and informative in taking care of my fish! Jim

I found this really helpful we have just brought our daughter a goldfish thinking it would be fairly straight forward to care for but have been bit concerned about it's behaviour hiding alot other than when food is given (is she sleeping)also water looks misty only had fish 1 week .

Thank you very much for that post! it was very helpful . i have a question though, my goldfish appears to be losing its scales, could this have to do with the light always being on????

you shouldn't let your fish go from pitch black darkness to your bright aquarium light. they have no eyelids. its probably a bit painful.

I notice that my fish does hide behind this little shark display I have in his bowl and just kinda hangs there and is very still. I sorta figured he was sleeping.
But I didn't know that he is effected by my lights. I sleep with my lights on and he usually goes to bed the same time I do. He sees me lay down and when I don't move, he stops moving too and hides behind the shark. Should I start sleeping with the main light off and just keep my closet light on? It's not as bright. My fish doesn't seem to be effected by the lights. He's been alive and well for 3 and a half months. Should I change my pattern so there is less light or keep it as it is now since he's used to it?

Thanks..very knowledgable

Hey Diane,
maybe a suggestion for your gold fish would be to put a sheet over the tank of an evening as a new indicator for sleep to block out the light, like you'd do with a bird cage???

I got a gold fish last week from my science teacher and it keeps trying to eat the pebbles in the tank. Is that ok?

We just moved a goldfish (party favor) from a fishbowl to a 10 gallon fishtank. He has not stopped swimming crazy laps back and forth and banging into the glass for two days. he didn't stop at night either, though the light was off. i was up for two nights with sick children, passed through many times and did not see him resting. should i turn off the light and filter to give him a break? we kept him alive for 2 months before getting a tank and now i'm worried he'll die from fatigue!

HI, great site – really useful to a newby to goldfish!

I just bought two goldfish to put in the aquarium I had running empty for 1 week.
The pump seems to be creating a very strong current and they both looked like they were constantly fighting it. One of them died after just three days and I thought it might be from exhaustion so I turned the pump off over night so the other could rest which he did. This was the first time i saw him sleeping. Now I've read here that the pump should never be turned off. Is it ok for there to be a constant current in the tank? Can the goldfish sleep with this current?

tks.

You may have lost a goldfish due to the fact that the fish tank is not properly cycled yet. This is a new aquarium and it can take up to a month for it to cycle.

You should never really shut off your aquarium filter. This is basically the heart of your aquarium keeping the water quality safe for your fish.

What you can do is depending on the filter you have you can lower the current by simply turning it down. I know on the Hagen AquaClear Power Filters you can. This will decrease the current in your tank allowing your goldfish more time to rest or sleep.

How big is your aquarium? What size filter do you have on your fish tank?

I think you should test your water quality as I believe that you have a spike in ammonia which is common on new aquarium set ups.

Talk to you soon,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy

A week ago i bought two goldfish and have been swimming actively and eating. Today i saw one of them lying at the bottom of the tank (which i never saw the fish do til now). Alot of reasons go thru my mind, maybe their sleeping, maybe because i left the light on for 24hrs and forgot to turn it off, or maybe it's just sick. However, as soon as i tapped on the tank it swam actively again. What do you think it is?

It's hard to say without seeing your goldfish. It could have been very well sleeping or resting on the bottom of your fish tank. Your goldfish could also be sick.

When goldfish start becoming sluggish, lying on the bottom of the tank, not eating etc.. these are warning signs that something may be wrong. What I would do fist is test the water quality and make sure everything is okay. Then next thing I would do is just observe your fish over the next few days and see how he does.

I know sometimes people can forget to turn the aquarium light off but it should never be left on 24 hours a day. This will create more maintenance for you such as algae on the aquarium glass as well it causes stress on fish. This may be why your goldfish is suddenly not acting normal.

Keep an eye on him and hopefully everything is okay!

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy

My 3 year old son just gave up his soother and to show him how pleased I was with him I bought him a 5 gallon tank with a telescope eye calico fantail and a regular fantail goldfish. He loves them they sooth him off to sleep now but the problem lies with the light and no time for the fish to sleep and rest as the tank acts as a night light, And then his room is light all day. Would it be a good idea to throw a blanket over the tank during the day to let them sleep? Can't let them go without any sleep!

I recently bought myself a couple of goldfish and this blog's helped a lot! I don't like leaving the light on anyway because I'm scared it'll overheat, so I'm pleased to know it's actually best not to.

I do have an unrelated question, though.
Naturally one of my goldfish is slightly bigger than the other, but only by a little bit. But sometimes he'll act agressively towards the other and sort of push it around. He only does this when they're feeding (I've started placing a divider in the tank when they're fed so they both get enough), but I've seen it happen once when they weren't feeding. Every other hour of the day though, they seem fine. The smaller one will follow the other round the tank and they swim together without any problems.

I was wondering if this is normal among fish? I've only had them for about 3 days, could that be related?

Many thanks 🙂

My Goldfish, upon turning on the light, swim in a huge panic, bouncing of of the walls and rocks violently but immediately stop when the light is turned off. So, the light is rarely on anymore. The fish came from a dorm room but had to be moved here because school is out now and my sister is home. They were in the same tank during winter break when they were here and there wasn't any issue, however the tank is now downstairs… Does it just have to do with the change in room lighting?

is my goldfish sleeping when he floats in the corner of his tank? he does that a lot and it says fish sleep on the bottom of the tank, is there something wrong cause he is floating?

Hi,
your information helped me out, very much. I just got a fish from walmart, and I pretty much, know nothing about Goldfish. I know some things, but I'm pretty sure I need to know more. How about the water? What kind of water do I need? I have spring water in there, because I know fish and iron water, don't really mix. And I have 3 fish, (names: Zelda, Gilgamesh, and Pebbles) And I don't know how much food to give them. Thank you, And I hope to here back soon.

Hi! I just bought 2 new goldfishes and I'm keeping them in a fish bowl large enough for the both of them and de-chlorinated the water like I was told in the pet shop. They didn't say anything about oxygen so long as i keep the bowl clean.
Some friends are telling me this is a bad idea. Do i really need to install a filter or an oxygen tank or something? I'm kinda freaking out.

PS. Your article helped me a lot too, thanks!

So, I have a Goldfish and everything, But I just changed his tank today and hes been acting all Weird. He sits at the bottom of his tank, and He ate only after I changed his tank water, Now he doesn't move when the tank light is on. Only when its off. Whats up with this guy?

hi ..i have got a pair of gold fish two weeks ago…and i am not sure about their feeding time…whenever i go near by the aquarium they get excited and expecting for food and i give them food..but i heard somewhere that its not to feed them more..so how many times should i feed them a day??

Thank you i thought my fish was sick

Hi , I was given a 75 gallon tank I have an algea eater and about 15 gold fish all differant sizes .. I have found that your blog is very informational. This is my first fish tank .. I do have several questions ; are them plant that u buy at the pet store good , what is the best kind of fish food to buy , and how often should I feed my fish since I have 15 a few small few medium and two fan tail , well that’s wat I call them .. any info would be great ,,,,,,,, thanks Jennifer

Hello Jennifer,

I’m glad that you find my goldfish blog helpful!

I will be writing a post on the benefits of having aquarium plants in your fish tank. I think others would like to know as well. Quick answer they are very good to have!

For more information on feeding goldfish please read the article below:

What To Feed Your Goldfish

For more information on how much to feed your goldfish please see the link below:

How mUch Fish Food Should I Feed My Goldfish

If you have any questions related to the topic at hand please post a comment on that article. Just trying to keep all comments related to the goldfish topic at hand.

I hope the information I provided you will answer your questions related to your goldfish. Please comment again to make sure you found your answers you wanted.

Thanks,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy

My goldfish is in a goldfish bowl so he/she doesn’t have a light but we have light going into the room during the day and at night its all dark except for a lava lamp. Is my lava lamp (that’s beside his bowl) too much light for him to sleep at night?

I wouldn’t say it’s too much light for your goldfish but if you could shut it off or move it that would be good. Think of it when we are trying to sleep the last thing we want is a light on, right? Let your goldfish get some sleep and help give him the rest he needs.

Know I know why my goldfish are so slow of a morning

I dont have an aquarium light so they can sleep for ages in the lougeroom

if the filter is on will that effect their sleep and if so I will turn ot off at 10 o clock

I have had my 4 goldfish for just over 4 years now and one has recently passed. I never knew much about them except water temp and how much to feed them. I used to have the light on all the time but I didn’t like it so I shut it off at night.

I notice they stand on there fins and fall back to about a 45 degree angle and a few minutes later they move to another spot. So I googled if they were sleeping and found this blog. Thank you so much for all you helpful tips 🙂

hi
just have 4 new goldfishes n i m so much existed 4 all tat stuff
like their sleeping feeding all..
n u r article is really helpful
so many thanks 4 such a wonderful info.

62 replies on “Do Goldfish Sleep?”