Toxicity of Trace Metal Mixtures to Alevin Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Larval Fathead Minnow (Pimephales promelas) in Soft, Acidic Water

The acute lethality of a fixed-ratio mixture of Al, Mn, Fe, Ni, Zn, Cu, and Pb (75:60:60:12:12:6:6 μg∙L−1 = 1.0 acid lake concentration or ALC, representative of Ontario lakes acidified to pH 5.8) was examined with alevin rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and larval fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas). All testing was done in extremely soft, acidic water (2.5 mg Ca∙L−1; pH 4.6–5.8). For the acid-tolerant trout alevins (144-h LC50 = pH 4.32), median lethal metal mixture levels at pH 5.8 were 5.0 ALC. Toxicity of the mixture increased at lower pHs, with a median lethal threshold of 1.0 ALC at pH 4.9. A mixture of Al, Zn, and Cu was equivalent in toxicity to the full mixture; mixture toxicity was caused by Cu alone at pH 5.8 and by Al alone at pH 4.9. For the acid-sensitive fathead minnow larvae (144-h LC50 = pH 5.54), the mixture of metals typical of lakes acidified to pH 5.8 was lethal (LC50 = 0.84 ALC); again, toxicity was associated with Al, Cu, and Zn. This research implies that Cu could be an important factor contributing to the demise of acid-sensitive fish at pHs above those associated with increased Al solubility and toxicity.