Do fish drink?

[MartinB]

My 8 year old daughter asked me "do the fish drink water."

Now thinking about it more. Do thay???

 

[pondfreak4365]

Only after vigorous exercise Couldn't resist, sorry. I really have no idea

 

[kmurph]

Freshwater fish do NOT drink as they absorb water needed through osmosis. Saltwater fish on the other hand DO drink water.

 

[MartinB]

Thanks

She and a few freinds of mine thinks I know everything about fish.
Luckly thay don't have a computer.

 

[ade]

Got me thinking now - if a fish (freshie) has been swimming really hard and doesn't drink (as only salties drink) - will the freshie get dehydrated? ie can they up their osmosis to stop themselves getting thirsty?

And we know that they poo - but do they wee too?

You've really got my brain going now!

Ade

 

[Colisa lalia]

As fish exercise more they may lose water but then water will be absorbed faster because osmosis will happen faster.
Fish do pee, but it contiuoslyinstead of like us. They don't need to hold it in so they just release it as it is produced.

 

[Cian McLiam]

kmurph is right.

Water moves from a low concentration of salt to a high concentration, a freshwater fish is more salty than the water around it so they must constantly excrete the water that the body absorbs inwards so they dont bloat out and die.
Saltwater fish on the other hand are less salty than the water around them so they must constantly drink lots of water to prevent themselves drying out as water leaves their body to dilute the surrounding water.

Adding salt to a freshwater tank means there is less of a difference in the salt concentration in the water, and in the fishes body, so they do not need to excrete so much water. This means less work for the fish, and less energy used and is one of the reasons that salt is a good tonic for some freshwater fish if they are ill.


Ken

 

[st.cichlid]

i saw my o pee once 2 minutes the record

 

[fishy frenzy]

you learn something new every day

 

[akhtar]

they do wee... thats where most of the amonia comes from , i read that somewhere.

 

[Billsjunkie]

Were all adults here. Can't we say, Piss, or take a leak. Wee wee, and Pee pee sounds like were preaching to little kids lol.

 

[Cian McLiam]

We aren't all adults here though!! There's loads of young people here below 16 although Im sure wee wee is not an everyday phrase for anyone here

Ken

 

[MartinB]

How did this get from drinking to pissing.