Carbonic Acid Anesthesia for Aquatic Organisms
- 1 July 1979
- journal article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in The Progressive Fish-Culturist
- Vol. 41 (3) , 142-144
- https://doi.org/10.1577/1548-8659(1979)41[142:caafao]2.0.co;2
Abstract
Carbonic acid in water is a safe, inexpensive, effective, convenient, and easily obtainable anesthetic for fish and other aquatic organisms. Carbonic acid is not a controlled substance in the United States, and may not require U.S. Food and Drug Administration registration. Baths containing 150 to 600 mg/L carbonic acid (H2CO3) will anesthetize fish; lower concentrations anesthetize more slowly and less deeply, higher concentrations act more rapidly and with greater sedation. The length of time that fish or aquatic organisms can safely be held in anesthetizing baths depends on the carbonic acid concentration, and is longer at low concentrations than at high concentrations. A convenient procedure for developing known concentrations of carbonic acid in anesthetizing baths involves adding equal volumes of 6.75% (wt/vol) sodium bicarbonate solution and 3.95% (wt/vol) of concentrated (97-98%) sulfuric acid solution to a known volume of water. The needed volume of the two solutions can be calculated by...Keywords
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