Acute toxicity of nitrite to matrinxã, Brycon cephalus (Günther, 1869), (Teleostei-Characidae)

Nitrite leads to many physiological and hematological disturbances followed by lethality. This work reports the lethal concentration of nitrite to juvenile matrinxã. Experiments were done at 24ºC, pH 6.7-7.0 under natural photoperiod. Fish were exposed to 0.2- 0.5- 1.0 and 2.0mg L-1 of nitrite N-NO2 for 96h. The 96-h LC50 of nitrite-N was calculated by the trimmed Spearman-Karber method (0.86±0.05mg L-1; 0.57-1.30 to 95%CI) and it was concluded that matrinxã is very sensitive to environmental nitrite. Therefore, care must be taken to prevent accumulation of nitrite in intensive culture systems of matrinxã.