The importance of bluegill feeding behavior within an automated biological monitoring system for industrial wastes

Abstract

Cairns et al. (1973) described a biological monitoring system designed to detect sublethal levels of industrial effluents. Measurements of fish (Lepomis macrochirus, Rafinesque) activity, as well as respiration, were employed as indicators of toxicity. Prior to this study, fish used within the system were unfed throughout the duration of an experiment, and casual observations indicate the mean level of activity decreased over time. A complete redesign of the aquaria was accomplished (Westlake et al. unpublished) to provide a means of long term automated feeding. An approximate maintenance ration level was determined (0.5% body wt). The response to food was a flurry of activity at the time of feeding, but this did not significantly alter the overall decline in activity. Feeding did increase the capability of the monitor to detect "pink" water (a toxicant resulting from the production of TNT) as shown by a significant increase in the number of responses from fed fish over unfed fish.