Adewoye S.O
Populations of Clarias gariepinus fingerlings and adults were exposed to lethal and sublethal concentrations of soap and detergent effluents to allow behavioral changes to be observed. The fingerlings were observed to exhibit prompt and erratic behavioral responses at extremely low concentrations of effluents compared to the adults. The abnormal behavior observed in both fingerlings and adults of C. gariepinus were characterized by hyperactivities, erratic swimming, frequent surfacing followed by sinking, loss of equilibrium, colouration and gradual onset of inactivity. The behavioral responses were dependent on concentrations, as the concentration increases the behavioral responses increased. The fishes exposed to lethal concentrations of the effluents exhibited high degree of behavioral responses when compared with those in sublethal concentrations. No significant change was observed in the control treatments of the bioassay tests.
