How Fish Poop Is Made & How They Poop?

How do fish poop? This is a great internet question that needs answering and I think that’s exactly what ill do in this article today.

First, do fish even poop well we know the answer to that one here in my Do fish poop post. Anyways let’s look at the processes that fish go through in order to pass waste.

Before detailing the exact process of how fish expel their waste and how it’s even made. First ill just answer the questions briefly.

How do fish poop?

After digesting fish pass food via the stomach through their intestines and into the rectum where the fish can expel its waste via a hole known as a cloaca or anus.

How is fish poop made?

Fish poop is made in the stomach and intestines after food has been eaten the stomach/intestines break down the food by secreting digestive enzymes and absorbing nutrients leaving only waste matter.

That’s a very brief overview but let’s get in-depth and look at how poop is made and indeed how fish get rid of waste matter. 

How Fish Poop Starts In The Mouth

In order to poo or have any waste first fish like all things have to eat. Fish are able to catch and grab food with their mouths they have jaws that can move and adjust to get the food in the right spot.

Fish have teeth to start the chewing process these teeth like ours are in the mouth but fish also have teeth on the roof of the mouth that starts the breaking down of food.

Once the food has been chewed a little it’s passed to the throat normal yep same as with us only it’s passed to meet more teeth.

Indeed that’s correct fish seem to have teeth in their throats to further break down food. These teeth are also to help catch and keep larger prey in place before devouring.

So they’ve started chewing and the throat teeth have caught the bigger bits or bigger prey and started breaking this food down what happens next?

Well, fish produce no saliva to help so how do they swallow the food down the throat and into the oesophagus?

Glad you asked fish can produce mucus within the mouth cavity or around the food in the empty space of the mouth.

This helps get the food down the throat. Muscles in the throat move the food into the stomach.

Poop Is Made In The Stomach

Once in the stomach all the good nutrients the fish requires are broken down by gasses and chemical reactions in the stomach.

The stomach secretes digestive enzymes and absorbs nutrients. Once the fish has what it needs from said foods the waste is passed on. 

The liver and pancreas have a major role in producing the required enzymes and juices to break the food down into waste matter.

The Intestines Now Has The Leftover Waste

Indeed now the intestines have all the waste that will eventually be expelled from the fish as poop. Although there’s still some absorption of nutrients that the intestines take care of.

After this the poop as it’s now devoid of anything the fish needs at this point so we are now dealing with poop per se.

This waste moves on to the rectum and anus where the fish can relieve itself and go through the motion of pooping so to speak.

How Does A Fish Actually Poop Tho

Ok, let’s get back to the actual pooping. I did feel it important to somewhat explain how we get waste from the food in the first place.

As with all living creatures we do need to eat in order to create any waste. Now we’ve seen the process and have gotten to the point of having waste matter.

This waste is now at the rectum and needs to move down to the opening which on fish is known as a cloaca the anus.

That special mucus we spoke of earlier is now covering the waste and muscles via the rectum and the movement of the mucus pushes the waste down the rectum and into the cloaca.

Once in the cloaca and once the fish is ready to poop water is allowed in via the vent. The vent is a fancy way of saying the opening of the hole itself.

After the water is sucked in and mixed with the mucus the fish expels the waste. The waste itself is usually a long string-like substance ie fish poop.

Fish Poop In All Manner Of Ways

As we know fish come in all shapes and sizes and one size doesn’t fit all. What I’m getting at is most fish get rid of their waste and poop the way I’ve explained.

However, there are fish without a stomach and fish that have a pancreas surrounding the intestines and fish that don’t produce as much mucus and the poop isn’t as stringy its more like pellets.

How Fish Poop?

Even if there are differences in these fish the premise still remains the same. Fish all fish have to eat in order to survive.

Eating starts the processes needed to take the required nutrients this, in turn, leaves a waste product behind which by the way has some amazing nutrients that can be used for a whole host of things. Also, some toxins are left behind too.

The waste matter that’s left behind still needs to be expelled and the stomach will process this in most cases if not the intestines will do the job.

Both with the help of the liver and the pancreas. All works out in the end as all have been designed to perfectly get rid of waste in their own way.

Hope that makes sense as I realise there are some fish that are just built slightly different I’ve tried to stay with the so-called majority while writing this article.

To Conclude With How Fish Make & Poop Their Waste

To conclude id like to summarise how poop is made and how fish poop. Waste matter is made via the taking away of nutrients.

This is done by enzymes and juices made by the liver and pancreas and processed in the stomach and continued with mucus in the intestines.

Once all nutrients have been taken by the fish the waste is transported in this mucus sack down the rectum and out via the cloaca the vent is opened and water is sucked in to help push and expel the mucus sack out.

Culminating in the fish expelling its poop in the form of string-like mucus substance and that my friends is how poop is made and how poop is expelled. If you want to know why fish poop and what uses we have for fish poop check the link.

Thanks for reading and hope you will stick around and read some more!.