Do fish die if they don't move?

[brandoniscool]

hi my name is Lucia and i am in Rutherford,s third grade class. And i was wondering if fish can die if they don't move. It seems like they are always moving and never stop. I also have another question which is how do snails survive in the ocean? Our snails always crawl up the glass and are out of the water, is this bad for them?. and i have a 160 gallon reef tank in the classroom. We are setting up another tank in Mr.s Perez's classroom.

[Uncle Salty 05]

Welcome Lucia!
No fish do not have to move to stay alive. They actually sleep during the night time hours. Sharks however do have to keep moving to keep oxygen flowing through their gills.
The snails you mention are probably Nerite snails. They do have a tendency to come out of the water. I found one dried up behind my tank just the other day. Most snails do not do this. They stay under water because that is where their food is. Nerites in the ocean will sometimes come up out of the water to feed on algae that is on rocks that stick out of the water. In the ocean the tide coming in or a big wave will put them back under water.
In an aquarium they come out of the water and can't figure out how to get back in.

I hope this answers your question.

[Spar]

Sharks however do have to keep moving to keep oxygen flowing through their gills.


Not all, but most.

But ya, think of Wrasses burying themselves at night, etc.

[BigCountry74]

if i were your teacher I would totally stock your school tanks with blennies...you kids would have a blast :D

[Fizz71]

A couple of interesting night habits of fish:
The Mandarin Goby (Synchiropus splendidus)...during the day they scoot around along the bottom and rocks with brilliant coloration. At night they completely stop moving and produce a dull looking poisonous slime that completely cover's their body so that any predator that comes along will take one taste and move on. It takes a good deal of nudging to wake a mandarin up to the point they move on. They look dead and rotten. Most fish don't really get a "good night's sleep" because then need to be ready for any crab or starfish hunting for meal. The mandarin could care less. :)

Clownfish...have been known to lie on their sides on the bottom of the tank or float in a high corner like they're dead. I remember my first clownfish...when I saw it at night I thought I had killed it.

Wrasses (certain types like the Dragon Wrasse [Novaculichthys taeniourus])...completely bury themselves in the sand, some with a very fast darting motion that's cool to watch.

Bigger fish like tangs will find a cave or rock crevice to wedge themselves in and remain motionless, but will move quickly if startled.

Since your tank is at the school you really don't get to see the "night life" of a reef. Sometime when your school is doing an evening event you should turn the lights off early and check out the tank with red flashlights...red so to not scare anything.

[brandoniscool]

i am Lucia thank you so uncle salty 05 much for a reply i learned a lot.