# White Cloud minnows sleeping at the surface at night



## Karen00

Hello fellow fish folks,

My 15g has been going for close to a year now and I have white cloud minnows in it. These are my first white clouds so I have no history on keeping them. Typically they swim around the middle of the tank during the day. At night I turn the lights off so it gets totally dark and this is when I see a change in their swimming. I noticed that the second the lights go out they all rise to the surface at the same time and appear to be sleeping because they just hover in the same position and will stay that way for quite some time. They only move if they get startled (typically by me watching this behaviour). What's interesting is the synchronicity of it. You'd think they all had strings attached to them and someone pulled them to the surface at the exact same time. They have always done this so it's not new behaviour.

When I get up in the morning they're all swimming around the middle of the tank again. What's also interesting is that they seem to rest/sleep in the middle of the tank during the day.

Have others experienced this with their fish? Do they do this because they're seeking out some light at the surface so they can see even though they're resting? Is this behaviour that happens in an aquarium but wouldn't necessarily happen in the wild? It seems to me being at the surface this way makes them vulnerable. If anything I thought they would go to the bottom to sleep. I tried googling to see if there were any posts on this but couldn't find anything.

This is more of a curiosity question for me than it is concern.

Thanks for any behavioral insights anyone can provide.


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## Sergey

i kept white clouds for a few years. Mine would always hang out towards the top, sometimes they would be in the middle of the tank but only when other fish where not occupying the same space.

They also slept much like yours, at the top of the tank.

I think in the wild they eat mosquitoes and other such bugs, so hanging out at the top of the tank would seem natural for such a fish.


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## Karen00

Thanks for the reply Sergey! I feel much better knowing your WC's behaved the same way. As mentioned I wasn't concerned about it being issues with water quality, illness, etc. I was more concerned maybe they needed some light at night and that was the reason for sleeping at the surface. It sounds like this is normal and you're most likely right about it being related to eating mosquitoes. Maybe they sleep at the surface to be ready to eat the larvae the minute they wake up. LOL!

Thanks again!!


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