Abstract

EFFECT OF DIFFERENT CONCENTRATIONS OF DETERGENT ON DISSOLVED OXYGEN CONSUMPTION IN LEPIDOCEPHALICHYTHYES THERMALIS

Sudhasaravanan. R* and Biukumari.S

Abstract

The detergents are household chemical cleaning compound required in wide range of our daily life for diverse purposes. In many of these of application, the surfactants are used in interaction with water. Surfactant is a major constituent of detergents; this is a compound of high biological activity and has a tendency to accumulate in organisms, making adverse effects possible even at very low levels of exposure. In some rivers the concentrations of detergents is quite high. Three different concentrations of a popular brand of detergent were prepared and the amounts of dissolved oxygen consumed by fishes exposed to the detergent were determined using Winkler’s method. Our study demonstrated that dissolved oxygen consumption in Lepidocephalichthyes thermalis increases in the presence of detergent. This is due to the stress caused by the detergent on the normal physiological activities of the fish. Draining of domestic sewage containing detergents into water bodies adversely affect its aquatic fauna.

Keywords: Lepidocephalichthyes thermalis, Detergent, Dissolved Oxygen, Fresh water, Stress.