Abstract: Fish were collected from Nath Sagar, Paithan 50 kms away from Aurangabad and were brought to the laboratory and exposed to industrial effluent (tannery effluent). Behavioral changes and responses of the fish to the tannery effluent were observed. Control fish showed normal behaviour and swimming in contrast the effluent exposed fish showed abnormal swimming, loss of equilibrium, fading of colour, coughing and opercular movements

P B Rokade

R M Ganeshwade

S R Sonwane

CiteSeerX

Journal of Environmental Biology        January 2006, 27(1) 159-160 (2006) 
©Triveni Enterprises, Lucknow (India) For personal use only 
Free paper downloaded from: www.jeb.co.in Commercial distribution of this copy is illegal 
 
Short Communication 
Behavioral responses of Cyprinus carpio to industrial effluents 
 
R.M. Ganeshwade1, P.B. Rokade2  and S.R. Sonwane3  
1R. B. Attal College, Georai, Beed-431 127, India, 2P.D.V.P. College, Tasgoan-416 312, India 
3Department of Zoology, Dr. B.A.M. University, Aurangabad-431 001, India 
 
(Received: 17 June, 2004 ; Accepted: 25 November, 2005)  
 
 
Abstract: Fish were collected from Nath Sagar, Paithan 50 kms away from Aurangabad and were brought to the laboratory and 
exposed to industrial effluent (tannery effluent). Behavioral changes and responses of the  fish  to the tannery effluent were 
observed. Control fish showed normal behaviour and swimming in contrast the effluent exposed fish showed abnormal swimming, 
loss of equilibrium, fading of colour, coughing and opercular movements.   
 
Key words: Cyprinus carpio, Tannery effluent. 
 
 
Introduction 
 
The increasing luxurious needs of the human have 
not left any biosphere untouched. The danger is being seen at 
the doorstep while shifting million tones of solid waste materials 
from one place to another and converting them into degradable 
form of byproduct generated during the process is harmful to 
the living beings. Increasing demands, in over increasing 
population within limited natural source, has been the problem 
without solution. It shows an alternative to some extent, if the 
needs are minimized as the natural resources are limited. 
 
Industrial development has contributed significantly in 
uplifting everyone’s living standard upto present status, but at 
the same time, brought pollution danger. During analysis of 
liquid waste, it is reported that in many cases the toxicant level 
after treatment of toxic chemicals is in considerable amount, it 
may be due to lack of efforts and perfect technology. 
           
Materials and Methods 
 
Fish were collected from Nath Sagar, Paithan 50 kms 
away from Aurangabad. Fish were brought to the laboratory 
carefully to avoid any injury to the fish. Seven batches of ten 
fish weighing 280-300 grams were kept in a aquarium of 15 litre 
capacity to avoid overcrowding. Fish were exposed to the 
industrial effluent for 96 hrs. Effluent was added to the 
aquarium with different dilutions of the effluent (Table 1). While 
two batches of ten fish were kept in normal water to be used as 
control (Table 2).  
 
Results and Discussion 
 
Behavioral study gives direct response of the animals 
to the pollutant. Warner et al. (1966) commented that “The 
behavioral activities of an organism, represents the final 
integrated results of a diversified biochemical and physiological 
processes. Thus, a single behavioral parameter is generally 
more comprehensive than a physiological or biochemical 
parameter. 
 
When Cyprinus carpio were introduced to the effluent 
added water, they get excited and were swimming rapidly with 
random movements. While in control, fish were swimming with 
normal movement. Similar results were reported earlier by 
Anderson and Weber, (1975) when guppies were exposed to 
dieldrin. Similar excitement was also found with light movements 
and vibrations.  
 
There were rapid opercular movements followed by 
excited swimming and coughing in C. carpio because of 
improper ventilation or inconvenience in breathing. Carlson 
(1982) stated that, coughing in fish is due to the interruption of 
normal ventilation cycles. Similar results of coughing and rapid 
opercular movements were also reported earlier by Haider 
(1964) and Holcombe et al. (1976) in rainbow trout exposed to 
lead. Carlson and Drummond (1978) stated that, such coughing 
response is a useful tool for evaluating the quality of industrial 
and municipal effluents. While in control fish the opercular 
movements were normal and it was clearly seen when 
compared with experimental fish. Coughing was not observed in 
control fish.  
 
Quick expansion and contraction of opercular cavities 
serves the cleaning of debris accumulated on the gills. In C. 
carpio, the rate of movement of operculum is found increased 
with the increase in concentration of effluent. Similar results 
were also observed in Coho salmon treated with fenitrothion by 
Bull and Mc Inerney (1974).  
 
A thick coat of mucus was observed all over the body 
of the fish, making the fish slimier. While in control the fish were 
also with normal mucus coat on their body. Similar results were 
noted by Carpenter (1924, 1927). Durve and Jain (1980) 
observed similar behavioral changes in Rasbora daniconius 
when treated with distillery effluent.  
 
The fish were swimming with the belly upwards and in 
zig zag motion. There were also erratic and parallel movements 
observed in the fish, indicating the loss of equilibrium while in 
control the fish were swimming normally without loss of 
equilibrium. The fish regularly came to the surface of water. Also 
the gills of fish were affected indicating the pale red colour of the 
gills.  Similar  results  were  observed  by  Murthy  and Ramarao  
Ganeshwade et al. 160 
Table – 1: Fish exposed to different dilutions of tannery 
effluent. 
 
No. of fish 
exposed 
Concentration 
of effluent 
(%) 
No. of 
fish 
dead 
No. of 
survived 
fish  
Percentage 
mortality 
 
10 10 00 10 00 
10 20 00 10 00 
10 30 2 8 20% 
10 40 3 7 30% 
10 50 5 5 50% 
10 60 6 4 60% 
10 70 7 3 70% 
 
Table – 2: Fish kept in normal water for control.  
 
No. of fish 
exposed 
Concentration 
of effluent 
(%) 
No. of 
fish 
dead 
No. of 
survived 
fish 
Percentage 
mortality 
 
10 00 00 10 00 
10 00 00 10 00 
 
(1983) when he exposed Tilapia to lindane. Similar results on 
behavioral changes were also observed by Konar and Ghosh 
(1982), and Peshine and Kurve (2000).  
 
Acknowledgements 
 
We are thankful to the Shri. S. B. Deshmukh, Head, 
Department of Zoology for providing the facilities to carry out 
the work. 
 
References 
 
Anderson, P. D., and L. J. Weber : Toxic response as a quantitative 
function of body size. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol., 33, 471 (1975). 
Bull, J. and J. E. Mc Inerney : Behavior of juvenile coho salmon 
(Oncorhynchus kisutch) exposed to sumithion (Fenitrothion), and 
organophosphate insecticide. J. Fish. Res. Bd. Canada., 31, 18-67 
(1974). 
Carlson, R. W.: Some characteristic of ventilation and coughing in the blue 
gill Lepomis macrochirus Rafinesque. Environ. Pollut., 29, 35 (1982). 
Carlson, R. W. and R. A.   Drummond : Fish cough response – A method 
for evaluating quality of treated complex effluents. Water Res., 12, 1 
(1978). 
Carpenter, K. E.: On the biological factors involved in the destruction of 
river fisheries by pollution due to lead mining. Ann. Appl. Boil., 12(1), 
1-23 (1924). 
Carpenter, K. E.:  The lethal action of soluble metabolic salts on fishes. J. 
Expt. Boil., 4, 378-390 (1927). 
Durve, V. S. and S. M Jain : Toxicity of distillery effluent to the cyprinid 
weed fish Rasbora daniconius (Ham). Acta. Hydrochim., 8(4), 329-
336 (1980). 
Haider, G. : Studies on the heavy metal poisoning of fishes I. Lead 
poisoning of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri Rich). Z. Angew. Zool., 
51, 347-366 (1964). 
Holcombe, G. W., D. A. Benoit, E. N. Leonard and J. W. Mc Kim : Long 
term effects of lead exposure on three generations of brook trout 
(Salvelinus fontanalis). J. Fish. Res. Bd., 33, 1731-1741(1976). 
Konar, S. K. and T. K. Ghosh : Ethology of fish, Tilapia mosambica under 
lindane toxicity. Geobios., 10, 230-231(1982). 
Murthy, B. N. and K. V. Ramarao : Ethology of fish Tilapia mosambica 
under lindane toxicity. Geobios., 10, 230-231(1983). 
Peshine, R. G., and  S. S. Kurve : Estimation of LC50 values for Lebistes 
reticulates with toxicants zinc sulphate and mercuric chloride. J. 
Aqua. Biol., 15 (12), 84-85 (2000). 
Warner, R. E.  K. K. Peterson and  L. Burgman, Behavioral pathology in 
fish. A quantitative study of sub-lethal pesticide toxication. J. Appl. 
Ecol., 3, 233 (1966). 
 
 
Correspondence to :  
Dr. P.B. Rokade 
H. No. 1-13-18, Ghati,  
Gautam nagar,  
Aurangabad-431001 (M.S.) India 
E-mail: drpbrokade@yahoo.co.in  


Behavioral responses of Cyprinus carpio to industrial effluents

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download;jsessionid=0C20A43166E32389404DFC7E1D2BD1B7?doi=10.1.1.1043.8703&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Behavioral responses of Cyprinus carpio to industrial effluents

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

CiteSeerX