Accumulation and effects of aluminium in the minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus L.) at different pH levels

The accumulation and effects of 150 pg All‐1 on minnows (Phoxinus phoxinusL.) were studied in soft water at pH 7, 6 and 5. The fish were kept in a flow‐through water system for up to 48 days. Addition of aluminium to the water resulted in poor appetite, passivity and a tendency for the fish to gather as far as possible from the aluminium inlet. The mortality was high at pH 5 and also after addition of aluminium at pH 6. Severe lesions were noted in the gills and olfactory organs after exposure to aluminium. The concentration of aluminium in the gills, liver and kidney was increased at low pH. A large proportion of the aluminium was located on the surface of the gill epithelium. The recovery capacity was pronounced when the aluminium exposure was terminated and the pH was increased from 5 to 7. No further mortality occurred and gill and olfactory organ structure returned to near normality in about 36 days.