title: A new approach for the laboratory culture of the fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas.
abstract: Fathead minnows are routinely cultured for use in aquatic toxicology studies. A new mass culture system described in the present study consisted of 6 stainless steel tanks, each containing 68 fish and 20 spawning substrates. Spawning results are compared with a previous system of 22 individual glass aquaria, which contained 16 fish and 4 spawning substrates per tank. During a 19-mo period, the new system produced an average of 4105 eggs/d, compared with an average of 2465 eggs/d with the previous system. Labor and maintenance were reduced with the new system. The stainless steel tanks eliminated aquaria glass breakage, and daily water use was reduced by 45%. Analysis of reference toxicant data from fish cultured using both systems indicated no change in the sensitivity of the test animals. Analyses of 2009 egg production data determined that a 6:1 to 7:1 female to male ratio had a significantly positive impact on egg production levels and that 6-mo-old breeding stock should be introduced to the spawning tanks in mid-spring for optimal egg production during the rest of the year. Implementing a stainless steel mass culture system significantly increased efficiency of egg production; reduced turnaround delay of mature animal availability for toxicity and molecular testing; and reduced labor time, costs, and inherent safety hazards, compared with glass aquaria systems.
authors.affiliation: United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Denise A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: Mark E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wratschko
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Agard
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Holden
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wilcox
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lazorchak
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003530:Cyprinidae / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007753:Laboratories; D008297:Male; D023421:Models, Animal; D052287:Oviparity; D011189:Potassium Chloride / Q000633:toxicity; D018675:Toxicity Tests / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D011189:Potassium Chloride
keywords: Egg production; Fathead minnow; Mass culture system; Pimephales promelas; Water treatment system design