COMPLIANCE INFO PRE 2019 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

0 . - Department of Health Services—Title 22 Toxicity Screen Test 3 TOXICITY TEST PREPARATION Receiving and Acclimating Fish The fathead minnows, Pimephales promelas, are received from the supplier at least 10 days prior to initiation of toxicity testing. Shipment of the test fish In Insulated containers with hard freshwater and an atmosphere of bottled oxygen from Aquatic Biosystems located in Fort Collins, Colorado is via Federal Express overnight to MBC. Upon receipt of the test fish, the plastic bags containing the fathead minnov/s are floated on the surface of an appropriately sized aquarium containing aged local (hard) drinking water in the temperature controlled toxicity test laboratory. When the temperature of the water in the shipping water is.within 0.5°C of the holding tank, each plastic bag is opened and the fish are gently eased into the initial acclimation water containing penicillin. This antibiotic is effective against both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria as well as fungus. The antibiotic is maintained in the acclimation water for 24 hours while the hardness is slowly decreased to that of the reconstituted moderately hardwater utilizing a reservoir and siphons to slowly change over the water following guidelines in Standard Methods (18th Edition). The test fish are subsequently gently transferred using a fine mesh dip net to the maintenance tank for further acclimation until initiation of the toxicity testing. During the acclimation period, up until 48 hours prior to initiation of the toxicity testing, the fathead minnows are maintained on a diet of Tetramin brand flake food and San Francisco Bay Brand frozen brine shrimp. Tetramin flake food is fed in the nioming and brine shrimp in the evening, while observing the behavior and monitoring the quality of the acclimating fish. The quantity of food delivered at each feeding is based upon the quantity that the tank population would completely consume within approximately five minutes of feeding. During these observations, any sick or dead fish are removed and the numbers of each, as well as any observations, are noted in the acclimation tank log book Dilution Water Preparation Dilution water for the toxicity tests is prepared following the formulation of Kopperdahl (1976) and Horning and Weber (1985) for artificially reconstituted softwater. Table I indicates the quantities of reagent grade chemicals utilized in preparing the synthetic freshwater. Reconstituted softwater is prepared in 208 liter linear polyethylene barrels by addition of the salts to deionized (resin exchange column) water followed by thorough mechanical mixing at least 48 hours prior to initiation.of the toxicity testing. The reconstituted softwater is maintained in a isolated area of the same temperature-controlled laboratory in which the test fish are acclimated and the toxicity tests are performed to ensure against any significant difference between acclimation and test water temperature that might induce additional stress in the test fish. Table 1. Quantities of reagent grade chemicals Handling and Storage of the Waste Samples required to prepare reconstituted softwater and expected water qualities. Upon arrival at MBC, the Samples are listed in the Toxicity Test Sample Log Book located in the toxicity NBHCOa: 48.0 mg1l testing laboratory by the Toxicity Laboratory Ca5042HzC; 30.0mgll Coordinator. The samples are stored at 40C in a MgSO4: 30.0 mgA designated area of the cold storage locker labeled KCI: 2.0 mgft °SAMPLES FOR HAZARDOUS WASTE TESTING", pH: 7.2-7.8 until the initiation of toxicity testing. The remaining Total Hardness: 40-48 mgll CaCO3 portion of each sample is returned to the cold storage Total Alkalinity: 30-35 mg11 CaCO3 locker. MBC Applied Environmental Sciences, 3000 Redhill Avenue, Costa Mesa, California 92626