Therefore, it is important to keep saltwater fish in saltwater and freshwater fish in freshwater to avoid the potentially harmful effects of osmosis.
What would happen to the cells of a salt water fish if it were put in fresh water?
If a saltwater fish is put in freshwater, its cells will undergo a process called osmosis. Osmosis is the movement of water across a selectively permeable membrane from an area of higher water concentration to an area of lower water concentration. In this case, the saltwater fish's cells will be in a hypertonic environment, meaning that the concentration of solutes (such as salt) outside the cells is higher than the concentration of solutes inside the cells. As a result, water will move out of the cells and into the surrounding environment, causing the cells to shrink and become dehydrated. This can lead to a number of problems, including damage to the cell membrane, loss of essential nutrients, and even death.