Chronic toxicity of diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid to crimson-spotted rainbowfish (Melanotaenia fluviatilis) : Effects on reproduction, condition, and ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity

The chronic effects of the chelating agent diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) on reproduction, condition factor, liver somatic index (LSI), gonad somatic index (GSI), and ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity of adult Australian crimson-spotted rainbowfish (Melanotaenia fluviatilis) were assessed. Breeding groups of three females and two males were exposed to 0, 1, 10, or 100 mg/liter DTPA (nominal) in a 28-day "static-renewal" experiment. Overall, the toxicity of DTPA to adult crimson-spotted rainbowfish was relatively low. Reproduction was not affected at concentrations up to 100 mg/liter DTPA, although an early effect on hatchability was potentially attributed to direct toxicity to rainbowfish eggs. DTPA also had little effect on the condition of adult rainbowfish, with condition factor and GSI being unaffected at concentrations up to 100 mg/liter, the latter finding supporting the reproduction results. However, LSI in male rainbowfish exposed to 100 mg/liter was significantly lower than in those exposed to 1 mg/liter DTPA (P