Why can saltwater fishes only live in salty water?

To answer the question in your thread title, the reason why only saltwater fish can live in saltwater is due to them being able to process the salt through their organs/gills. There are some brackish, and very few freshwater fish that can live in saltwater (they have a special organ that can allow them to process saltwater), but other fish would slowly die due to them not being able to separate and process the salt in the water.

Avery said:

To answer the question in your thread title, the reason why only saltwater fish can live in saltwater is due to them being able to process the salt through their organs/gills. There are some brackish, and very few freshwater fish that can live in saltwater (they have a special organ that can allow them to process saltwater), but other fish would slowly die due to them not being able to separate and process the salt in the water.

Doesn't that answer the question of why freshwater fish can only live in freshwater more than why saltwater fish can only live in saltwater?

I'm wondering how that salt processing works. Sounds interesting. Myself, I avoid salt for the effect on my blood pressure.

This is actually quite interesting. I did know that it was probably regarding the type of water they could process but wasn't sure.

It does leave it open for research though to find out how they are able to do that as that is pretty amazing!

Hey everyone,

I was reading Shortie's comment about why saltwater fishes can only live in salty water, and it got me thinking. It's actually a pretty fascinating topic, so I did a little digging to find out more.

It turns out that saltwater fishes have evolved to live in high salinity environments. Their bodies have adapted to handle the high salt concentration in the water they inhabit. In fact, their kidneys are specially designed to excrete excess salt, helping them maintain a balanced internal environment.

The reason why saltwater fishes can't survive in freshwater is because their bodies are not equipped to handle the lower salt levels. If they were placed in freshwater, their cells would actually start to swell up due to the intake of water, which could lead to serious health issues and eventually death.

So, in a nutshell, saltwater fishes need the salty water to maintain their internal balance and keep their bodies functioning properly. It's pretty amazing how nature has adapted these creatures to their specific environments, don't you think?

If anyone else has more insights or information on this topic, feel free to share! It's always great to learn new things.

Cheers,

leon