rbandrews: (Default)
rbandrews ([personal profile] rbandrews) wrote2008-02-14 06:40 pm

Burning question

Could a fish survive in club soda, you think?

p.s. please do not try

[identity profile] desfido.livejournal.com 2008-02-15 01:40 am (UTC)(link)
I'd suspect not for very long. The dissolved oxygen level in the club soda would be pretty low, I'd expect, and the club soda would also likely be somewhat more acidic than the fish would be used to. I suppose if one used a species of fish that was adapted to a somewhat acidic environment (not sure how acidic it would be, offhand) and that had low oxygen requirements, it might survive for a reasonable while.

If you weren't expecting a serious answer, well, all I have to say is that questions in my house (by which I mean one of my areas of expertise slightly less ignorance) tend to inspire me to put on my Serious Hat.

[identity profile] jameshroberts.livejournal.com 2008-02-15 09:53 am (UTC)(link)
If my memory serves me correctly, anoxia and elevated levels of CO2 dissolved in the Earth's oceans is suspected to be a cause of the Permian extinction 250 Myr ago, the most severe mass extinction in the history of the world. 90% of all species perished, and the marine life was hit particularly hard. As I recall, land animals survived better because their lungs allowed them to expel the CO2 more efficiently. But it's been ... ouch! 10 years since I took Paleontology, so the picture may have changed by now.

In any case, I agree, the fish would not survive long.