Disclaimer: I’m assuming this question can be tagged multiple flairs, but biology might be the most fitting, forgive me if im wrong.
I had a random shower thought today, I remember learning about fish and how they breathe, but I dont remember the details. Do they inhale water (H2O) and then take the Oxygen, as a result exhaling 2 Hydrogen? Do fish always exhale air bubbles? I used to own some and I dont remember them doing that unless they went to the surface for a short period of time. I also assume they breathe and drink like we do, or do they only ‘drink’ water when they consume their food since its also saturated with water?
In: Biology
Water is very rarely ever pure water. Much of the water in the lakes and oceans and rivers has oxygen dissolved into it, either through osmosis with the air or, more often, produced by algae that also live in the water. That dissolved oxygen is what the fish breathe. The gills of a fish are designed to have as much surface area as possible and are filled with countless blood vessels. After the blood goes through the body, it has significantly less O2 and more CO2 than what’s in the surrounding water. When the blood goes through the gills, these molecules try to even each other out between the two fluids through the process of osmosis. No splitting of water molecules or production of air bubbles required!
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