Fish live in water but do they ever get thirsty?

Everyone knows that fish live in water, but do they ever drink water? Is this question too easy? The truth is not that simple.

Shocking facts about fish that will surprise everyone

I bet you and I have never wondered about this before reading this article. I always thought that fish need to drink water until my 4 year old nephew asked me if fish need to drink water like humans.

Of course, as an uncle, I had to find an answer for him. So, do fish drink water?

The short answer is yes. But it depends on what kind of fish you are talking about. Freshwater fish basically don't drink water because it would dilute their blood too much. Saltwater fish, on the other hand, drink a lot of water to hydrate their bodies.

Fish drink water too.

Are fish thirsty?

While talking about whether fish drink water, I thought of the question of whether fish feel thirsty? For example, we only drink water when we feel thirsty. Thirst is a kind of signal from our body to tell us that we need to replenish water.

But things get a little more complicated for fish.

Fish spend their whole lives in water, so how can a creature that lives in water feel thirsty? Do you feel hungry when your house is full of food?

However!

The answer is not that simple. Saltwater and freshwater fish have different biological anatomy which results in different drinking behaviors.

Fish do not actually need to feel thirsty to drink water. Drinking water is just a reflex that happens without any decision from their bodies. So it can be said that fish never feel thirsty.

Drinking mechanism of freshwater fish

In fact, the salt concentration in the blood of freshwater fish is much higher than that of the water surrounding it. Therefore, if freshwater fish drink water, they will be at high risk of having their blood diluted. That is why freshwater fish do not drink water.

Instead, they use a mechanism called osmosis. Freshwater fish absorb water through their gills and skin. They also excrete much more diluted urine to get rid of excess water in their bodies.

Drinking mechanism of saltwater fish

Compared to the surrounding water, saltwater fish have much thinner blood. Therefore, they are always at risk of dehydration.

That is why saltwater fish need to actively drink water. Thanks to special gills, saltwater fish can drink seawater, process and excrete all the excess salt.

What about fish that can live in both salt and fresh water?

There are not many fish species with this ability. A typical example is salmon, which can migrate from salt water to fresh water.

So do they need to drink water?

How can they survive in two completely different environments?

Baby salmon are born in freshwater, they will undergo three major changes before leaving their birthplace to return home to salt water.

First , they will drink a lot of water.

Next , their kidneys will reduce the amount of urine.

And the most important part is that the mechanisms in their gills start working in reverse, removing instead of absorbing salt from the water.

When adult salmon need to return to freshwater to spawn, they spend a few days in an intermediate environment, called the intertidal zone (shore waters or areas where the seabed is exposed at low tide). Here, their bodies reverse all of the transformations they went through as juveniles to survive in freshwater.

So the answer is that fish that are capable of living in both aquatic environments do drink water.

Do other creatures that live underwater drink water?

Of course, fish aren't the only ones who live in water. What about their neighbors? Do whales, dolphins, and even turtles need to drink?

We all know that these creatures, like all other creatures, need water. The question that needs to be clarified here is whether they drink water from their surroundings or not.

Do whales drink water?

Whales need to replenish their bodies with water by drinking water around them or absorbing it from food.

Whales are classified as aquatic mammals. They need to replenish their bodies with water by drinking water from the surroundings or by absorbing it from their food. Whales have very large kidneys, which allow them to excrete excess salt without losing too much water.

And some other interesting information about whales such as they do not sweat and do not lose water when breathing. As for us humans, when breathing, we will lose a lot of water. The reason for the above difference is because the air layer on the ocean surface is full of water vapor, so whales do not lose water when breathing.

Do dolphins drink water?

Similar to whales, dolphins are also aquatic mammals. It is hypothesized that dolphins get their water from their food. Squid, fish, and octopus contain a lot of water in their bodies, and dolphins will absorb water from their prey. This method is much more efficient than drinking seawater directly.

It is also hypothesized that when dolphins take a bite of their prey, they also drink some of the surrounding water. Furthermore, dolphins have a very advanced filtration system. This amazing mechanism allows them to easily extract more salt from their urine, which helps them easily separate the salt from the seawater they drink.

Do turtles drink water?

Turtles are reptiles that can live both on land and in water. But since turtles spend most of their time on land, they need to be well hydrated. So, it can be concluded that turtles drink water.

Turtles drink water mainly when they swim or wade in the water. Some sea turtles that live primarily in saltwater need to filter salt out of the water they drink. To do this, sea turtles have a special organ behind their eye sockets called a "salt gland."

When sea turtles drink salt water, the salt is transported into their blood and through the blood vessels to their salt glands. The salt glands then produce a solution twice as salty as the water they drank and expel it out of the corners of their eyes.

Because turtles drink water while swimming, those who keep pet turtles need to clean the tray and change the water regularly. In the wild, animal waste is processed by other organisms. However, in a closed environment, waste will settle to the bottom of the tank and accumulate there. Therefore, breeders need to clean and change the water regularly to minimize the risk of disease for the turtles.

What happens when aquatic mammals drink too much seawater?

This is a complicated issue. If aquatic mammals consume too much salt, they will begin to experience some dangerous symptoms such as kidney failure, liver failure, and other motor problems.

This is because aquatic mammals need to filter and eliminate excess salt when drinking seawater, which helps them avoid organ damage caused by excess salt.

Do fish "go easy"?

Everyone knows that fish "poop". The evidence is the scum that appears at the bottom of the aquarium if you don't clean it regularly. But what about "pooping"?

If you stop cleaning your fish tank, after a while it will start to smell like ammonia. So the answer is obvious. Yes, fish do poop .

However, each species will have a different way of "walking". But basically, fish "walk" continuously.

How do fish "go lightly"?

Most fish "walk" through their urethra or gills.

Most fish "pass" through their urethra or gills. Species that "pass" through their gills excrete urine that has been filtered by their kidneys. On the other hand, saltwater fish "pass" through their gills while freshwater fish use their urethra.

As mentioned above, saltwater fish live in environments with higher salt concentrations than their bodies. Therefore, saltwater fish absorb a large amount of salt from their surroundings and need to remove this salt from their bodies. Meanwhile, freshwater fish need to remove excess water from their bodies.

Fish kidney

All fish have two kidneys. The posterior kidney filters waste through the urethra and the anterior kidney filters waste through the gills.

In saltwater fish, the kidneys excrete ions and store water and eliminate most waste products through the gills. In freshwater fish, their kidneys work in exactly the opposite way to saltwater fish. They eliminate water and retain ions.

Fish urine

The main ingredient in fish urine is ammonia. Ammonia exits the fish through the gills and again, it depends on what type of fish we are talking about.

In addition, fish urine also contains organic acids creatine and creatinine, amino acids and a trace amount of urea. Freshwater fish urine is mainly water, while saltwater fish urine is mainly salt.

Saltwater fish do not produce much urine, but it is extremely concentrated. In contrast, freshwater fish produce a lot of urine.

What color is fish urine?

Fish urine is very different from human urine. Fish urine is usually black or gray in color.

Types of kidney and urinary tract diseases in fish

Fish can also suffer from urinary tract and kidney diseases.

Just like us, fish can suffer from urinary tract and kidney diseases. These diseases are often caused by a parasite called Renal Dropsy. This parasite is commonly found in carp and goldfish. Fish affected by this parasite often have swollen bellies due to fluid buildup when the kidneys are no longer functioning.

Another parasite called Sphaerospora angulate also commonly causes kidney failure in carp. This parasite causes the host's abdomen and eyes to swell and will not survive more than 6 months.

In addition, commercial salmon fry and adult salmon often suffer from proliferative kidney disease. Symptoms of this disease are that the fish become unusually lethargic and slow.

Fish use urine to show class

According to some studies, fish "walk lightly" on other fish when they want to let the opponent know who is the boss here.

What have we learned?

Of course fish live in water. Some live in salt water, some live in fresh water.

Although some fish can survive for several days on land, most will die if they cannot return to water. This is because their lungs are structured differently than those of mammals. When mammals breathe, their lungs fill with air and specialized cells filter the oxygen in the air. During this process, the lungs are completely dry and contain no liquid. Fish, on the other hand, suck water into their mouths and use their gills to filter the oxygen in the water.

In addition, all animals need water to sustain life, so all must drink or absorb water, including animals that live in water. How aquatic animals replenish the amount of water they need depends on the water environment they live in and the biological mechanism of each species.

Saltwater creatures need to maintain a balance of salt levels in their bodies because of the high salt concentrations in their environment. Therefore, their bodies have adapted to be able to eliminate large amounts of excess salt. Freshwater creatures do not have this problem, but they must ensure that their salt levels are at safe levels. Aquatic mammals have additional mechanisms to keep their lungs dry and to keep their water and salt levels at safe levels.

Some other questions

Can you use tap water for Betta fish? Yes , you absolutely can . You should not use distilled water because it does not contain enough oxygen and minerals necessary for the fish to live healthily. Actually, tap water is the best choice. You should let the tap water "breathe" for about 1 day to let the chlorine evaporate, then let it return to room temperature. In addition, you can also use other water treatment products.

Do fish cry? Fish do not cry like humans . They lack the cerebral cortex and nervous system to produce emotional responses like humans. However, scientists have discovered that they do cry, but only through sound.

Do fish get bored? The answer is yes , especially goldfish. The signs of boredom can be mistaken for symptoms of lack of oxygen or many people think that they are begging for food. Goldfish rarely beg for food and when they are low on oxygen, they will only swim near the surface of the water. You can add another fish or some aquatic plants to the tank to make it happier.