Understanding How Koi Fishes Sleep

Koi look so beautiful and majestic with their striking colors and large size, and yet, within their beauty also lies deep mysteries. One of these mysteries is… do they ever sleep? Koi fish can look like they are awake 24/7 with their eyes constantly open. Indeed, while humans usually give away the fact that they are sleeping by closing their eyes, koi are masters of subterfuge – almost nothing can give away their sleep hours. But like any living thing, sleep is needed for rest and recovery from health issues in koi as well. Read on to find out more about how koi fishes sleep.

Seeking Safety

Before they can rest, koi fish need to find a safe spot in the pond or aquarium where they are likely to be most safe from predators. Usually, this is in the middle of the pond, or the bottom, where they feel most safe. Once they have found their safe spot, they will float on the spot as they rest. They may appear to not be moving, but on closer inspection it is apparent that their fins are making slight movements so they stay in place. If your pond is small and easily accessible by land predators or even birds, having a pond cover netting would help to keep predators at bay.

Rest & Recharge

While koi may not close their eyes like humans do, they certainly do also have periods of rest. These rest periods may not be considered sleep in the same sense that humans sleep; in fact, as far as it is possible to tell, koi also do not have dreams. Hence, their ‘sleep’ periods are more like deep, intensive periods of rest as they rejuvenate their bodies naturally.

Sleeping Habits

Usually, koi fish prefer to group together and sleep at the same time. Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean that they would not sleep by themselves on occasion. Also, koi tend to prefer to rest at night, but sometimes if they are able to find bugs at that time, they may take the chance to feed first, and then sleep in the daytime.

Hibernation

In the winter, the colder temperatures cause the koi to reduce their levels of activity. Their metabolism rates go down, and they stop eating as much. In such cold temperatures, koi often go into a state close to hibernation, where they stay near the bottom of the pond and avoid predators while staying inactive and in a state of rest.

Sleeping Sickness

Sometimes a koi that looks like it’s sleeping may actually be ill. A sick fish may seem listless, or behave differently from fish that are sleeping. To be able to observe this, you must first know how a koi behaves when it is sleeping normally, so you can make the comparison. If koi start to lie on their sides, this is a sure sign of alarm. It could be due to sleeping sickness, a generic condition which may indicate any number of infections. It may help to introduce a supplement into the water, such as the Microbe-Lift Stress Relief, or else to seek the advice of a doctor.