Short-term toxicity of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate to early life stages of the rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus)

Nitrogenous pollutants including ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are a widespread concern in natural waters and aquaculture. In the present study, the toxicity of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate to rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) in the early life stage were evaluated by 2 short-term toxicity tests. In the short-term toxicity test, conducted on embryo and sac-fry stages, 30 fertilized eggs with 3 replicates were randomly exposed to varying levels of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate until 3 d posthatch (dph). In the 7-d larval subchronic toxicity test, 30 newly hatched larvae with 3 replicates were randomly exposed to varying levels of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate until 7 dph. The results showed that the 7-d larval subchronic toxicity test was more sensitive than the short-term toxicity test on embryo and sac-fry stages. Both toxicity tests revealed that ammonia was most toxic to rare minnows, followed by nitrite and nitrate. High levels of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate decreased growth, retarded development, and increased mortality. The no-observed-effect concentrations of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate for larval growth were 2.49 mg L(-1) , 13.33 mg L(-1) , and 19.95 mg L(-1) nitrogen, respectively. The present study's results demonstrate that nitrogenous pollutants pose a threat to wild populations of rare minnows and provide useful information for establishing water quality criteria for this laboratory fish. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:1422-1427. © 2015 SETAC.