Betta fish are so beautiful to look at, that’s why we all love them. However, before keeping betta fish at home, we should be aware of the characteristics of betta fish.
Many times we have seen our Betta fish settle in a particular place in the aquarium and it arouses a lot of curiosity in our minds! Do betta fish really sleep? Or is our betta fish sick? Let us discuss this completely through this article.
Do betta fish sleep?
The answer is yes, betta fish sleep like all of us and this is a very normal thing. But betta fish don’t need anything special to sleep, like we do.
Although betta fish are a bit lazy in nature, they like to take naps at different times of the day.
Not only that, they are very sensitive while sleeping. At the slightest hint or disturbance, they wake up and rush to safety.
How do betta fish sleep?
Especially at night when we turn off the aquarium lights, betta fish try to sleep within moments. Also, betta fish sleep at different times of the day.
A closer look at some aspects of our betta fish will tell us that our betta fish is sleeping like,
- Betta fish greatly reduce their activity during sleep, not only that they gradually spread or relax their fins.
- Betta fish breathe very slowly while sleeping. As a result, the gill function of Betta fish is greatly reduced. Which may scare us many times but it is very normal.
- Betta fish are usually very bright in colour, but when they sleep, the colour of the betta fish decreases.
- Not only that, Betta fish do not respond much while sleeping. That is, if we don’t go too close to them or disturb them, they settle down and sleep in a certain place.
Where do betta fish like to sleep?
If our betta fish sleeps somewhere, we can tell by looking at it like,
Many times we have seen our betta fish settle in a certain area. That’s because betta fish find a specific place before sleeping where they can hide themselves easily. Not only that, a proper surface is essential for betta fish to sleep on.
So we should use some ornaments, plants and pebbles in the betta fish tank.
How to create the ideal environment for sleeping betta fish?
We should turn off the lights in our betta fish tank at night. That’s because turning off the lights sends a signal to the beta fish that it’s night and it’s time to sleep.
We have seen many people leave their fish tank lights on all the time which is a very wrong practice.
As we mentioned earlier, Betta fish need a proper sleeping surface such as aquarium plants, ornaments, pebbles or rocks. So we should purchase such a tank for betta fish holding at least 5 gallons of water.
Betta fish need the right water temperature to sleep. The ideal water temperature for betta fish is 75 to 80°F.
What if our betta fish sleeps too much?
If our betta fish sleeps too much then we must know that our betta fish is sick or the environment of the betta fish tank is not right.
If for some reason the amount of ammonia in our betta fish tank increases then our betta fish may have problems. So we should always use a good biofilter in our betta fish tank.
If for some reason the water temperature in our betta fish tank is too low or too high then our betta fish can have problems. So it is very important to keep the tank temperature correct by using a heater.
If for some reason harmful bacteria or fungi get into our betta fish tank, it can lead to various infections in our fish. So we should clean our hands thoroughly before touching the betta fish tank. Not only that, any plants or ornaments should be cleaned before use in the betta fish tank.
How to control excessive sleep in our betta fish?
If we can keep our betta fish tank environment right then the chances of such problems will be greatly reduced.
We should always keep the Betta fish tank water temperature between 75 and 80 F.
We should always keep the ammonia in the parent fish tank between 0 and 0.25 ppm (parts per million).
We should always feed the betta fish the right amount of food. This is because excess food settles to the bottom of our tank and later turns into ammonia which is harmful to our fish.
We should turn off the lights in the betta fish tank at night. If we keep the fish tank lights on all the time then it may be difficult for the fish to sleep properly.
We should always create suitable surfaces for Betta fish such as various plants, aquarium ornaments and pebbles.
Another thing we should always keep in mind is that we should not get too close to our betta fish, especially at night. Not only that, if there are other pets in our house like dogs and cats etc., then we have to make sure that those pets can’t get too close to our betta fish. That’s because our betta fish can be afraid of those pets.
Due to the reasons mentioned above, our betta fish do not sleep properly or create an ideal environment for sleeping. This makes our betta fish very lethargic and increases the chance of getting sick very quickly.
Note: If we feel that our betta fish is sleeping more than necessary then we should discuss it with the veterinary doctor.
Welcome to our website Aquarium Fish Zone. My name is Sagar Ghosh and I live in Kolkata. I am a science graduate.
I have kept fish in aquariums since I was very young. I loved seeing the colorful fish in the aquarium.
I have always tried to maintain and care for the fish properly. So me and my team members have created this website.As a result, we can provide you with accurate information about how aquarium fish are kept.