Bioassay using juvenile mysids for rapid assessment of seawater: A case study from Reef HQ Aquarium (Townsville, Australia)

Reef HQ Aquarium (Townsville, Australia) pumps its new exhibit seawater from a tidal inlet. This study presents the in-house calibration of a bioassay based on juvenile mysids to do a rapid assessment (presence or absence) of toxicity in the new seawater. Calibration tests were carried out for several substances: copper, sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS or SDS), ammonia, antifouling paint, bilge oil from a yacht, oil from a dive compressor, seawater cooling effluent from a commercial ferry vessel, and aquarium tank water. Results were compared with two other bioassays already in use at Reef HQ Aquarium, based on (a) artemia hatched from aquaculture cysts and (b) Vibrio fischeri bacteria (Microtox®). This study determined (a) that the juvenile mysids bioassay yielded meaningful results and was viable operationally, (b) its sensitivity with respect to likely local pollutants, and (c) how it compares in terms of sensitivity with the artemia and the Microtox® bioassays.   Key words: ARTOX, bioassay, mysid, Microtox®, Reef HQ Aquarium, seawater, toxicity.