Can Fish Get Impacted From Ingestion Of Sand?

[johnw]

I know it's a problem with reptile keepers, chameleons and dragons so most have no substrate in there enclosures. I was wondering is there's something different about fish digestion system that prevents this from happening or are they able to somehow avoid eating it. I'm thinking here of plecos and fine sand (not gravel)?

 

[fluttermoth]

Fish don't eat the sand because any that gets into their mouth can be expelled out through the gills, which obviously reptiles don't have the option to do!

Many bottom dwelling fish, including some plecs, corydoras and the so-called 'earth-eating' (geophagine) cichlids sift the sand like that as a natural part of their feeding behaviour.

 

[Geoff-]

My corys dig into the sand until it's up to their eyeballs, and copious quantities of sand comes spilling out of their gills after they have sifted it.

My other fish (esp German Blue Rams and Red Tailed Black Shark) pick at the sand and spit it out again and are all doing great.

So I can only conclude that sand is good for fish.

 

[Bignose]

There is always a risk of something adverse happening. I could imagine a grain of sand lodges in a crevice in the digestive tract, eye socket, or gill that could get infected and result in significant illness. But, I think it is pretty low on the list of things to worry about. Fish that have evolved in situations where they are likely to be rooting around in sediment or ingesting sediment have evolved ways of dealing with it. That is, dirt and sand should pass through the digestive system without issue. And, most of it is filtered out via the shape and function of their mouths and gills.

 

[Jogalyn]

Yes I have seen some tilapia (for cooking) with small grains the size of rice in their intestines