Sand Sleeping Wrasses - What kind of schedule does yours keep?

[Calm Blue Ocean]

I've seen people complain that they only see their sand sleepers on weekends because the fish doesn't get up until they have gone to work and has gone to bed by the time they get home. I've seen people report that their sand sleepers keep a very exact schedule, always going to bed at the exact same time each day, to the minute! Still I've seen other stories where the fish has no regard for lighting schedules and marches to the beat of his own drummer. As with all things, every fish is an individual. What kind of sleep habits does your sand sleeper have?

 

[laverda]

Mine sleeps it the same place every night and goes to bed 30 minutes before lights out.

 

[AlexG]

Most of the time the wrasses I have will dive into the sand as the lights go down about 30 min before lights out. Once the lights come on in the morning they will leave the sand and start swimming. On a few occasions new wrasses that live in the sand might stay buried for a week before coming out on a regular basis.

 

[nereefpat]

I've seen people complain that they only see their sand sleepers on weekends because the fish doesn't get up until they have gone to work and has gone to bed by the time they get home.

I would adjust my lighting schedule in that case. I run my lights from 1 PM - 10:15 PM. If I'm home over lunch, great. And I can watch and work on the tank in the evening after work.

My melanurus is up a few minutes after lights on, and in the sand a few minutes before lights out. Very similar schedule to the chrysus and Corid gaimard I've kept. Coris got very angry about daylight saving time switches.

 

[Calm Blue Ocean]

Thanks for the answers. I find the idea of these fish sleeping in the sand to be incredibly interesting. I'm hoping to learn as much as I can about their unique habits so I can understand better how one might fit in with my other tank inhabitants. All of these wrasses sound like neat fish.

 

[SaltyT]

My Halichoeres wrasses are up about 3 hours before my lights come on and hit the sand about 10 minutes after they shut off. My leopards are up 5 minutes after lights on and in the sand 5 minutes after lights off.

 

[Calm Blue Ocean]

My Halichoeres wrasses are up about 3 hours before my lights come on and hit the sand about 10 minutes after they shut off.

I find this particularly interesting. It makes sense that a fish known to hunt small inverts might sometimes get up a little early to have a better chance at finding them. The early bird (or wrasse in this case) gets the worm!

 

[9975]

My melanurus and ornate are very regimented. They pop up within 5 minutes of the lights going on in the morning. The melanurus is usually "in bed" no later 530pm and the ornate by 6pm. Sometimes the melanurus is asleep by 4. It's so lazy....but getting fat

 

[jaxteller007]

I still remember the first time i was up early and caught my melenarus coming out of the sand in the morning. Just his head was out and he saw me and froze like "oh no, he sees me!"

 

[blue.flyzz]

I have 5 in my tank, my mystery is not a sand sleeper, it's always first one out and last one in. My checkerboard is out shortly after lights come on and will generally stay until moonlights, Melenurus is next out, usually within 30 minutes of lights on and out about an hour before moon. Next out is my Moyeri, up to 90 minutes after lights come on and will sometimes stay until moon. Finally, my leopard is usually 2-3 hours after lights on and will sometimes stay until moon. I have a Timor and China in QT, we'll see how they fit in.