Waterborne copper sulfate toxicity in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) juveniles affect survival, growth, and physiology

This study aimed to evaluate the acute and long-term exposure to different cupric sulfate pentahydrate (CuSO4.5H(2)O) concentrations in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Experiment 1 evaluated the LC50-96 h of juveniles at 12 different CuSO4.5H(2)O concentrations (0.00, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, 1.6, 3.2, 6.4, 12.8, 25.6, 51.2, 102.4, and 204.8 mg L-1). In experiment 2, fish were exposed to four different sublethal cupric sulfate pentahydrate concentrations (0.0, 0.0069, 0.0696, and 0.6960 mg L-1) with evaluations on days 20 and 40. In the first experiment, the LC50 and safe concentration for 96 h were, respectively, 6.96 and 0.6960 mg CuSO4.5H(2)O L-1. In the second experiment, fish subjected to 0.6960 mg CuSO4.5H(2)O L-1 decreased growth performance and survival, altered hematological parameters, and had hepatic vacuolation and liver necrosis. In conclusion, we have found that to control the excessive algae growth, fish could tolerate a concentration of up to 0.0696 mg CuSO4.5H(2)O L-1 for 40 days.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the acute and long-term exposure of Nile tilapia to different concentrations of cupric sulfate pentahydrate. The results showed that fish could tolerate certain concentrations, but higher concentrations resulted in growth limitation, decreased survival, and liver damage.