Tolerance to temperature, pH, ammonia and nitrite in cardinal tetra, Paracheirodon axelrodi, an amazonian ornamental fish

Abstract

Poor water quality condition has been pointed out as one of the major causes for the high mortality of ornamental fishes exported from the state of Amazonas, Brazil. The purpose of the current study was to define water quality standards for cardinal tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi), by establishing the lower and higher for lethal temperature (LT 50 ), lethal concentration (LC 50 ) for total ammonia and nitrite and LC 50 for acid and alkaline pH. According to the findings, cardinal tetra is rather tolerant to high temperature (33.3 o C), to a wide pH range (acid pH=2.9 and alkaline pH=8.8) and to high total ammonia concentration (23.7 mg/L). However, temperatures below 19.6 o C and nitrite concentrations above 1.1 mg/L NO 2 -may compromise fish survival especially during long shipment abroad.KeywoRdS: 96-h LC 50 , ornamental fish, Paracheirodon axelrodi, water quality. Tolerância a temperatura, pH, amônia e nitrito do cardinal tetra, Paracheirodon axelrodi, um peixe ornamental da AmazôniaReSUMo A má qualidade da água tem sido apontada como uma das maiores causas da alta mortalidade dos peixes ornamentais exportados pelo Estado do Amazonas, Brasil. A proposta deste estudo foi definir padrões de qualidade da água para o cardinal tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi), estabelecendo a menor e a maior temperatura letal (LT 50 ), a concentração letal (LC 50 ) para amônia total e nitrito e LC 50 para pH ácido e alcalino. De acordo com os resultados, o cardinal tetra é mais tolerante a temperaturas elevadas (33,3 o C), a amplos limites de pH (pH ácido = 2,9 e pH alcalino = 8,8) e a alta concentração de amônia (23,7 mg/L). Entretanto, temperaturas abaixo de 19,6 o C e concentrações de nitrito acima de 1,1 mg/L NO 2 -podem comprometer a sobrevivência dos peixes, especialmente durante longos períodos de transporte para o exterior.PAlAvRAS-ChAve: 96-h LC 50 , Paracheirodon axelrodi, peixe ornamental, qualidade da água.

Effects of Two Anesthetics on Water Quality during Simulated Transport of a Tropical Ornamental Fish, the Indian tiger barb Puntius filamentosus

“…Total ammonia is the main waste product of protein metabolism in fish, with un-ionized ammonia being the most toxic form in hauling water (Berka 1986), and this is also the case for closed systems of fish transportation (e.g., transport bags). The acute and chronic toxicities of ammonia have been studied extensively in freshwater fishes (Biswas et al 2006;Reddy-Lopata et al 2006;Oliveira et al 2008). Reduction in water pH in the first couple of hours of transport is due to carbonic acid formation resulting from carbon dioxide release during fish respiration (Boyd 1982;Swann 1992b).…”

Topological and histological description of preoptic area and hypothalamus in cardinal tetra Paracheirodon axelrodi (Characiformes: Characidae)

“…Therefore, several studies have focused on understanding its basic biology, as an imperative step to find sustainable exploitation strategies (Burton et al, 1998;Walker, 2004;Anjos, Anjos, 2006;Oliveira et al, 2008;Tovar et al, 2009;Brito, Bazzoli, 2009;Gómez-Ramírez et al, 2011;ObandoBulla et al, 2013). In spite of these efforts, very little is known about the neuroendocrinology of reproduction in cardinal tetra, particularly regarding the neuroanatomical organization of the preoptic-hypothalamus-hypophysis complex.…”

Differential survivorship of congeneric ornamental fishes under forecasted climate changes are related to anaerobic potential

“…Significant increases in temperature and CO 2 concentration in the water were observed, showing the effectiveness of the microcosm experimental setup. The minor decrease in dissolved oxygen concentrations in experimental tanks of the mild scenario did not represent a hypoxic situation for the studied species ( Oliveira et al , 2008 ; Marshall et al , 2011 ; Campos et al , 2016 ).…”

“…Previous studies addressing lethal temperatures of P. axelrodi (LT 50 , 96 h = 33.7 °C) resulted in 100% fish survival between 29 and 31 °C, reaching total fish mortality at temperatures above 35 °C ( Oliveira et al , 2008 ). The recent study by Campos et al (2016) described the minimum and maximum thermal limits for both species, using critical thermal methodology (CTM): 13 to 40 °C for P. axelrodi and 12 to 42 °C for P. simulans.…”