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USE OF MARINE TOXICITY IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION (TIE) METHODS IN DETERMINING CAUSES OF TOXICITY TO FISH IN A MARINE AQUARIUM FACILITY
Citation:
Ho, K T., A Kuhn, R M. Burgess, M Pelletier, D McGovern, J. Charles, AND L. Patton. USE OF MARINE TOXICITY IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION (TIE) METHODS IN DETERMINING CAUSES OF TOXICITY TO FISH IN A MARINE AQUARIUM FACILITY. NORTH AMERICAN JOURNAL OF AQUACULTURE 65:14-50, (2003).
Description:
We obtained a water sample containing broken pieces of a tropical coral reef decor that was suspected of causing fish toxicity in a major aquarium. A toxicity identification and evaluation (TIE) was performed using three species: a mysid shrimp, Americamysis bahia; inland silverside Menidia beryllina; and an amphipod, Ampelisca abdita. Initial tests indicated that only the shrimp was sensitive to the unknown toxicant. The first phase of the TIE indicated that the toxicity to the shrimp could be eliminated by either the addition of EDTA or manipulation of the cation exchange column. Elevated concentrations of Cd were detected by inductively coupled plasma analysis, and metal toxicity was confirmed when the cation exchange column treatment successfully isolated the toxic metal. Analysis of affected fish tissue indicated Cd levels ranging from less than 0.3 ng/g in the muscle to 200 g/g in the liver. This study demonstrates a unique application of TIE methods to diagnose toxicity problems in aquaria and other aquaculture situations.