Drown, or Suffocate?

When temperatures in aquariums get high, the oxygen level in the tank goes down. When it's too low, the fish will die. Now my question is what kills them? Suffocation, or drowning? You suffocate when there's no oxygen in the atmosphere, and you drown when you inhale liquid. A fishes atmosphere consists of liquid. I'm just a little befuddled.

 

Water can hold X amount of oxygen at Y temp, the higher the temp, the less dissolved oxygen the water can hold, so your fish will suffocate due to lack of oxygen in the water!

 

They suffer from hypoxia and cell death sets in. Once cells start to die they produce a toxin, this kills more cells. It a cascade effect, or like dominos. Short explanation, but yes lack of oxygen. Which came first the drowning or the suffocation, chicken or the egg.

(yes yet another useless factoid)

 

In order to drown, one needs lungs for breathing atmospheric gases (air); lacking that, a fish can only suffocate.

 

Yes, I would say neither words apply to fish.

 

Yes but see, gills are just capillary membranes, gas exchange takes place, CO2 out O2 in, similar to aveolar membranes in mammals.

I think this is more of a verbiage or syntax question.

So now I will be thinking out this question while I doze off. Off to review fish gills. Thanks a lot guys lol

 

Actually, I stand corrected. Just looked it up in the dictionary and you guys are correct. The word "suffocated" applies to gills.

 

there under water at the time and run out of air from a pesamist stand point both.?.

It is kinda like saying can a fish die of thirst

 

Fwiw humans suffocate when they drown. Water doesn't enter your lungs until post mortem. Your larynx spasms shut and when you lose consciousness it relaxes and water enters your lungs.