im not sure but i do know that there are some animals that do swallow rocks, such as alligators, to help with digestion.
Question for sand substrate owners...
- Thread starter Gr8KarmaSF
- Start date
Farmers put sand or small pebbles in their chickens food to help with digestion as well. If it's good for alligators and chickens, maybe it is for fish too????
oceanobsession289;1409786; said:
I was thinking the same thing but then again a fish to a chicken is a huge gap in stomach function.
Anybody think that the sand could actually damage fish gills as it passes through during feeding?
First, I'm not an icthyologist but fish, like other animal groups are diverse in form and function and there are probably some species which have evolved to deliberately consume gravel or sand because it provides a digestive benefit, given the food type that they are consuming. For example, some plecos actually require wood fragments in their diet. Intuitively, I would think that bottom-feeders would be the most likely to have such a requirement. regarding potential damage to gills...I doubt it. Many fish that are not bottom-feeders will routinely engage in landscaping (nest building, etc.) with no apparent ill effects. Also, aquatic environments are full of particulate debris and I would guess that the gill structure is designed to accommodate the passage of particulate matter.
I would assume it would be ok as in the wild some Reef fish (Parrotfish) actually eat corals and their excrement is actually Sand.
And Wild Turkeys eat rocks for their crawl to help grind nuts and such, but I don't think this is done constantly.
And Wild Turkeys eat rocks for their crawl to help grind nuts and such, but I don't think this is done constantly.
Gr8KarmaSF;1409824; said:
i don't think it would because whenever i go to my favorite LFS i always watch this small goby (i think) in there huge saltwater display and what it does is take in a mouthful of sand and shift it through his mouth and then it comes out of his gills
95Harley;1409949; said:
I forgot about that but it's true! So those beautiful white sandy beaches in the tropics, a lot of that sand is parrotfish poop when you think about it. Theres something to think about next time you go to the beach.
