Can Fish Drown?

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It is glaringly obvious to see that you are wondering: “Can fish drown?” Well, the answer to the question is critical to understanding how the aquatic creature survives. Afterward, you will know how to manage them in your pools and aquarium. Well, all you have to do is go through this informative piece to know the detailed answer to that question.

Going back to the basics, a fish is a gill-bearing aquatic creature whose body makeup shows that it has no limbs with digits. Being an aquatic species, it means that it survives and spends most of its time in the water. Therefore, understanding how they survive in water will give you an insight into the answer to the question.

How Fish Breathe and Get Oxygen

how fish breathe and get oxygen - can fish drown?

For a living aquatic creature to survive in water, it has to breathe. This is thanks to gills, the feature that makes breathing possible. Under the operculum (found on both sides of the pharynx), there are gills (this is commonly known as a fish slit).

Think of it this way: Human beings live on land and need lungs to breathe. In contrast, fish live and survive in water, so they need gills to breathe. These aquatic beings typically have four pairs of gills. In an effort to breathe, they usually take in water through the mouth. As the water flows through their mouths, it gets to the feathery, blood-rich filaments.

At this juncture, the protein-like structure, filament, absorbs the oxygen from water and passes it into the bloodstream. Keep in mind that water is made of molecules of oxygen and hydrogen (H2O). The oxygen is known as dissolved oxygen (D.O.). The moment the oxygen gets to the bloodstream, its heart pumps the blood to distribute the gas throughout the body. In fact, they have hearts like us humans!

On the reverse side, the blood contains some carbon dioxide (CO2). The gas is mainly waste that exists in the blood. To get rid of the unwanted gas, it goes through the same duct that brought in oxygen. Once again, it is on the reverse. Now, you have learned how fish breathe, get oxygen, and get unwanted gases (carbon dioxide) out of their systems.

How Do the Gills Work?

how do the gills work? - can fish drown?

In an effort to answer the question, “Can a fish drown?” you need to grasp how its gills work. Now, this segment will you through it. As you already know, the gill is for the fish what lungs are for human beings.

Feel free to liken breathing to a chemical reaction that powers both human beings and other creatures. On the reverse, carbon dioxide has to be eliminated. The gills work by absorbing the oxygen in water while getting rid of the unwanted carbon dioxide in their systems.

As the water passes through the gills, it wafts through many different tiny vessels. This process will cause oxygen to seep through the walls of those vessels into the blood in exchange for carbon dioxide. So, the gills are organs that enable the aquatic creature to breathe when it is in its habitat.

As mentioned earlier, the protein-like part of the gill, filament, plays a pivotal role in its respiratory system. These functions include ion transfer and exchange of gases (oxygen and carbon dioxide). Given the presence of filament, the gills can provide the large surfaces that allow these essential processes to take place.

Is It Possible for Fish to Drown?

is it possible for fish to drown? - can fish drown?

Having come thus far, it is fair to say that you grasped the key exchanges and reactions that facilitate breathing in the aquatic species. Now, let’s go back to the main question: can fish drown?

To be clear, drowning means that a living creature has taken in excess water or other liquids, thus filling up the gills or other breathing tissues or organs. Because of excessive intake of liquid, the living creature dies. Therefore, drowning simply means that a living thing has died due to excessive water intake.

The million-dollar question now is, is it possible to happen to the aquatic species since it lives and survives in water? Guess what, yes, fish drown! You read that right! However, there are certain caveats that lead to that suffocation.

In clear terms, the creature dies because it does not have enough oxygen in the water it consumes. As you read on, you will see certain factors that lead drowning among fishes. Well, that will come after suffocation.

Fish Suffocate

fish suffocate - can fish drown? Moving forward, you need to understand what suffocation is. You see, suffocation means death due to the inability to breathe (or get enough oxygen). It is the most common drowning method because death among fishes is often due to the lack of oxygen in the water. There are major sources of oxygen in water:
  • Dissolution through algae and aquatic lives
  • Photosynthesis
  • Diffusion from the atmosphere
While all of these factors lead to the adequate supply of oxygen to water, the fish is at risk of suffocation when one or any of these factors are adversely affected. Put simply, the lack of any of these aforementioned factors lowers the volume of dissolved oxygen in water. It is also known as fish kills. So, do fish drown? Sure, they do drown by suffocation. Due to insufficient air in water, they tend to make their way to the top of water to gasp for air. However, they don’t survive with the oxygen that comes from the air. Because large fish have a greater demand for survival gas, they will be the first to die. Note that the air contains more oxygen than water. Hence, humans (warm-blooded animals) have enough of it to inhale and survive from the air. In contrast, fish are cold-blooded creatures, so they don’t need as much oxygen as humans. Despite making their way to the top of the water to gulp sufficient oxygen, they cannot survive because a vast majority of them are created to absorb the oxygen from water, not air.
  1. Eutrophication and algae
Here’s one factor that leads to drowning among them. Algae bloom or cyanobacteria (also called harmful algae bloom) happens whenever there is an excessive increase in water nutrients. In turn, this process culminates in the explosion of the bacterial population in water. When there are loads of bacteria in water, they will deplete the oxygen content of the water. The after-effect is that the craniate species cannot get enough oxygen-rich water to live on. So, suffocation sets in, causing the creatures to die.
  1. Harmful chemicals
If you have an uncycled tank, you should not use it for a pond or aquarium because it is likely to cause drowning. New tanks usually undergo a water cycle. You probably didn’t know, but tank cycling means forcing your tank to go through the nitrogen cycle. The process leads to the growth of bacteria that are required to eat up harmful ammonia and nitrates as quickly as they are produced. It typically takes about 3-6 months. Once ammonia and nitrates have dropped to zero, it means that you can use the tank for your pond or aquarium. If you fail to do so, there will be an ammonium spike, leading to ammonium poisoning. The chemical causes physical burns on the craniate species, thus making their gills to bleed. Once the gills cannot function, it is over! Fish drowning begins to set in. As far as those aquatic creatures are concerned, you should keep ammonia and nitrites far away from them.
  1. Parasites and diseases
The presence of parasites and diseases can also lead to drowning among aquatic lives. Parasites and diseases can compromise the gills. Afterward, it becomes a big challenge that most of them cannot overcome. More often than not, parasites and diseases attack them both internally and externally. As for the parasites, they fall within the monogenean class, such as flatworms. According to studies, such parasites are often seen lounging on their skin and gills. Researchers have also shown that a slimy gill fluke always attaches itself to goldfish and carps. Once this happens, it results in irritation that makes the craniate species scratch its gills on a hard surface. This damages the breathing organ.
  1. Body modifications
Body modification can also lead to drowning. A good example is the betta fish. The species has a labyrinth organ, which allows them to breathe on top of water surfaces. With that special organ, they can survive when water contains low oxygen. However, the species has undergone modifications over the years. The modification occurs at the tails, which often pull them down into the pond or aquarium bottom. This makes it difficult for them to gulp air from water surfaces and even swim in the water. In turn, they keep drowning in their numbers. Therefore, anyone wishing to farm this species should ensure that the water is always oxygenated to avert avoidable fish kills.

Signs of Low Oxygen and How to Increase It in Water

signs of low oxygen and how to increase it in water - can fish drown?

If you own an aquarium or pond, there are clear-cut signs, which indicate that oxygen level has dropped significantly. As a result, the scientifically-approved method of determining the volume of adequate oxygen in water is to test the water. By and large, these important signs could suggest oxygen deficiency:

  1. Labored breathing: As oxygen level continues to dip, fish will display labored breathing in an effort to stay alive. At lethal level, they keep struggling to breathe until they make their way to the surface of the water. However, this is a worst-case scenario and certain species (such as bettas, gouramis, and corydoras) can survive it.
  2. Rapid gill movement: Rapid gill movement is another sign that the level of dissolved oxygen has dropped considerably. The gills keep moving fast to take in more water and absorb the D.O. Most times, this condition is accompanied by slow movement among fishes.
  3. Low appetite: When your fish starts eating less, it is a clear-cut sign that there may be dissolved depletion in your pond or aquarium. If you don’t address the situation, it will culminate in stunted growth. So, this is a sign to look out for.

Here is a solution… To increase the dissolved oxygen, you have to take specific steps as outlined below:

  • Change the water: Carry out a large-scale water change of about 50%. This means that you can change half of the water if the condition has become critical.
  • Enhance water movement: You should increase water movement by adding powerheads, airstones, or even more filters. This will increase water movement. Note that flowing water contains more oxygen than stagnant water and that at the surface will contain more oxygen because the air has more oxygen than underneath water. However, filters improve dissolved oxygen as it triggers water movement.
  • Introduce a fountain: Furthermore, you can introduce a fountain to enhance surface water aeration. The reason is that anything that can improve water movement will have a multiplier effect on dissolved oxygen. Upon taking the step, everything should return to normal.

Conclusion

In conclusion, let us rephrase the question, “Can fish drown in water?” At this point, it is crystal clear that the answer is simply “YES, they can!” In wrapping up, do you wish to start fish farming or set up an aquarium? If so, you already know the answer to the question, the factors that lead to it, and what to do to avert the nightmare scenario.

Finally, other factors that may cause a low level of dissolved oxygen are overcrowding, lack of water movement, excess accumulation of waste, and low lighting with live plants. At this point, you should go ahead and establish your pool and aquarium as you now have the answer you sought.