Abstract
An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of temperature on the acute toxicity of copper sulfate to juvenile channel catfish ( Ictalurus punctatus). Alkalinity and hardness were 30 and 26 mg l −1, respectively. The 7–10-g fingerlings were acclimated in four climate chambers at test temperatures of 21, 23, 25, and 27 °C for 2 weeks. After determining an acutely lethal copper dose, aerated tanks of 7.6 l were placed in each climate chamber in quadruplicate. To each, seven acclimated channel catfish fingerlings were added. The 72-h cumulative mortality from 20 mg l −1 copper sulfate was significantly lower in the 27 °C treatment (25%) compared to the 21, 23, and 25 °C treatments, where cumulative mortality was 79–96%. Total mortality at 72 h was significantly correlated ( P<0.05) with decreasing temperatures ( r=−0.91). This provides evidence of an inverse relationship between toxicity of copper sulfate and water temperature. Survival time, however, decreased with increasing temperatures.
Published Version
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