| Abstract: | Median lethal concentrations of un-ionized ammonia-nitrogen to red drum (Sciuenops ocellarus) were 0.9 ± 0.14 mg/L (mean ± SE) after 24 h and 0.8 ± 0.16 mg/L after 48 h (salinity = 4.0%, temperature = 20 C, pH = 6.8–7.1). Ammonia moved quickly from the environment into the plasma with 90% of steady state concentrations being reached after 33 minutes. When ammonia-exposed fish were moved to ammonia-free water, 90% of the ammonia which had accumulated in the plasma was no longer present after 3.3 minutes. The sensitivity of red drum to environmental ammonia appears to be similar to that of most other fishes tested. Based on the median lethal concentrations for red drum observed in this study and the acute-chronic concentration ratios for other species of fish, it is suggested that red drum fingerlings be chronically exposed to no more than 0.05 mg/L un-ionized ammonia-nitrogen. |
