The Role of Temperature, Ammonia and Nitrite to bioluminescence of Aliivibrio fischeri: towards a new sensor for aquaculture

Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) present an innovative, clean and practical way of producing fish intensively. Stress caused by high concentrations of chemical species such as nitrite and un-ionized ammonia, affects fish health and growth and therefore the sustainability of RAS would require an online monitoring for those chemical stressors. This work reveals a study on the suitability of Aliivibrio fischeri as a toxicity sensor for un-ionized ammonia and nitrite. Temperature variation effects were also considered. An EC50 of 0.17 mg/L was found for nitrite and 0.57 mg/L for un-ionized ammonia. It was concluded that Allivibrio fischeri is suitable as an indicator for nitrite in aquaculture at optimal salinity and temperature conditions.