Fish and flatulence
“Do fish poop?”
“Yes, definitely. Haven’t you ever had fish?”
“No, but I didn’t think they’d poop. Does it smell?”
“Well… I just kind of think that fish smell in general. But poopy fish water is supposed to be great for your plants.”
“So wait. Do fish have gas then?”
“I don’t think so.”
“They must have gas. I mean, if they poop, they must have gas, right? Anything that poops has gas.”
“Well, if they had gas they’d float to the top of the water, so I don’t think they do.”
“But what are those little bubbles in the water then?”
“Um…”
“I think that fish must have gas. I mean, they must. How sure are you that they don’t have gas?”
“Not very. How sure are you that they do?”
“Not very.”
“Well, then. I’m glad we cleared that up.”
Filed under: Complete and utter nonsense, The Horse Whisperer
Oh, yeah, fish definately poop (not sure about the gas part though- I think the bubbles are them breathing). I had a goldfish and its poopy water was some of the smelliest stuff ever!
this is hilarious. i’ve never given fish farts much thought but now it will plague me all day.
They must have gas…We know people have gas…I can tell you dogs have gas. I can tell you that on an almost daily basis, as a matter of fact. I’m agreeing with whoever in the conversation said “if they poop, they must have gas”.
Fun post. Thanks.
http://www.heptune.com/farts.html
Do fish fart?
According to our ichthyologist at the University of Guam, fish flatulence per se has not been studied, although people have investigated fish digestion. They find that although most fish have alkaline intestinal environments like our own, coral-eating fish have acidic intestinal contents. The acid serves to dissolve coral skeletal material. Coral has the same composition as Tums (calcium carbonate). One product of the reaction between acid and calcium carbonate is carbon dioxide gas. Therefore, it is logical to assume that coral-eating fish fart a lot.
The other fish probably fart also, for the same reasons that we do.
However, Mike Pulte, a great fish enthusiast, said that he has never seen a fish do it.
I asked our ichthyologist if it were possible that fish gas would go into the swim bladder instead of out the anal opening. He said that modern fish have an air bladder that is independent of the gastrointestinal tract. The gas comes from enzymatic activity and not from the intestine. Older models of fish have their swim bladder connected to the gastrointestinal tract, but it is attached high up, closer to the mouth than to the other end, and these fish come to the surface and gulp air to fill the bladder. Therefore, we can assume that intestinal gas leaves the fish through the anal opening.
We also pondered the possibility of fish making noise via flatulence, but apparently most fish noises are made through belching rather than farting.
Lisa P., an aquarium enthusiast, reports that she has seen her fish fart: “I have four aquariums and many fish, and I have personally witnessed fish farting! My goldfish used to do it all the time! You’d see a little bubble come out of his anus and stay there, trapped in the mucus of a long string of poop. (Ugh!) And my opaline gourami does it too. Neither of these are coral-eating fish. I have only owned two coral-eating fish so far, but I have never seen either of them fart. It seems most likely to me that much of this gas comes from air swallowed during eating. Also, goldfish have a very simple digestive system and their food is absorbed inefficiently, so possibly the bacteria have more to feed on?”
Youtube vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcwCYIfm6eA
brought to you by Imusthavetoomuchtimeonmyhandsatwork
Crystal clear! : )
I love “Well, then. I’m glad we cleared that up.” haha Cracked me up.
This made me LOL! I love intellectual conversations….
this was an awesome discussion. you made me laugh at my desk
My favorite part is the logic that if fish had gas, they’d float to the top of the water. Now that’s some thinking!!
I can promise, hand across my heart, that fish poop. I’ve seen it first hand. And those big parrot fish in the Carribean? Can poop a looooooot. Never seen one let loose with a couple of bubbles, though….
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