# Why do Cichlids Yawn?



## Tux09

Just curious... it looks hilarious and adorable, but is there a reason behind it or are they really just yawning?


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## Blue Cray

Its not just cichlids my dats and arowanas do it too.


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## Tux09

Well in that case, why do fish yawn..?


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## BV77

'cause they can


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## bmlbytes

Why do you yawn?

My cichlids and my betta do this.


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## Osiris

LOL, stretching excersizes


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## Blue Cray

Bored of being stuck in a lousy glass box all day?


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## Tux09

hmm.. helpful..


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## Blue Cray

To be fair why do you even need to know?


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## OCtrackiepacsg1

I looked around on Google, most say it's oxygen deficiency


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## Tux09

Just curious.. sorry for living, you guys are a bit hostile, dont u think?


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## BV77

Not trying to be hostile, just think about it....why do you streach? Then why would a fish streach his jaw muscles?? So they can make sure they can open fully if a mouthful of small fish swims by, I'd guess.


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## Tux09

I know you're not trying to be hostile, but I was just interested to hear what were people's thoughts on this and I got all these snippy answers. Its not like I NEED to know the exact scientific reason, it was just a conversation. Bunch of geeks. lol


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## OCtrackiepacsg1

this thread is not gonna have a happy ending will it? As I said, I peeked my head into goodle, most say its a lack of oxygen.


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## Tux09

Thanks, OC, I'm not usually one to argue in forums.. I was just surprised at the response I got. Anyway thanks for the answer


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## emc7

Need more data. All the fish gasping at or toward the surface while barely moving is low oxygen. One fish gasping while lying sideways in a plant is stress. A fish looking at another fish head on and puffing out the gill covers and opening the mouth is a dominance display. In cichlids and kissing gouramis, often its followed by jaw-locking. Geophagus types will take a mouthful of sand and sit there with flexing their mouths to drive the sand out the gills while they swallow any food that was in it. Mouthbrooding fish that have let the brood out will often open their mouths wide for the fry to go back in for the night or if threatened.

So I'm assuming thats why the "why do you want to know?" query. "I'm just curious" gets a different answer than "all my fish are up in the corner yawning". I have seen fish just seem to stretch their jaws. I've also seem them seem to chew food.


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## bmlbytes

OCtrackiepacsg1 said:


> this thread is not gonna have a happy ending will it? As I said, I peeked my head into goodle, most say its a lack of oxygen.


Although I am sure your research suggests that lack of oxygen is likely the key, I do not believe it to be true. I have a tank where the whole back wall is bubbles (2 bubble wands on an air pump with dual output), it has 2 filters (a Penguin 200 and an Aqueon 20), and you can see little tiny bubbles floating around in it, and the cichlids still yawn. Nobody knows why people yawn, but there is some speculation. I think it would apply the same to fish.


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## Osiris

I was under the assumption of a fish actually yawning. Not gasping for air. 


Like this:










I've seen several times just happens out of the blue...


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## bmlbytes

^^ My fish do that all the time.


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## Blue Cray

Lol this is such a stupid thread.


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## Tux09

If it's such a stupid thread, Blue Cray, why are you participating in it?

I've never owned anything more than a little betta before and I just inherited a big tank full of cichlids, and as I'm sure you "fish lovers" would understand, they are fascinating and very entertaining to watch. They do some odd things like digging and yawning and what not.

I'm not a scientist or biologist or anything like that but I'm pretty sure the nature of this hobby has some roots in those interests, not just bragging about who has the best setup. The whole point of science is to ask "why?" So as a new fish owner I noticed some interesting behaviour and asked why? 

Anyway...I'll remember to censor myself next time I have a question.

As for the actual responses, I think I've heard that humans yawn to help wake up the brain by stretching the jaw and neck muscles to distribute more oxygen to the head...but thats just like the hiccups, I dont think anyone knows for sure. It's not low oxygen, I know that for sure, and none of them appear sick or laying on their sides or anything like that. They're all healthy and active, so I guess it really is just a stretch. It's interesting. Well interesting to me, anyway... I guess not to everyone else. lol


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## Osiris

Blue Cray said:


> Lol this is such a stupid thread.


Come on dude think before you type :chair:


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## emc7

That pic looks like the fish is about to eat another fish. It could also be sucking up food that too small for us to see.


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## Osiris

Kinda like what i do when i see Oreo Pie! LOL


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## OCtrackiepacsg1

very funny lol!
Lets not get all torches and pitch forks though guys. Judging by the lol, he meant no harm.


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## lohachata

the only stupid question is the one that isn't asked.....
i do have a friend that is an aquatic biologist..i will have to ask him to see if he might know..
for longer than most of the members of this site have been alive i have watched all kinds of species of fish yawn....and i do remember someone telling me why they do it..but i have completely forgotten what it was...
and have you ever noticed that it is never just a little yawn...it is this huge;almost like a snakes jaws coming unhinged type of yawn...


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## OCtrackiepacsg1

I didn't find that site very helpful though, maybe it has some good articles on tanks set up and stuff (which i didn't find) or some fish profiles which aren't filled but theres probably a lot of hidden jewels on that site that must make you suggest it.


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