Studies of Ammonia Toxicity on Haematological parameters to Freshwater Fish Cyprinus carpio (Common carp)

Ammonia is widespread in the environment due to agricultural runoff, industrial runoff and decomposition of biological waste. Ammonia is a major toxicant to fishes and other aquatic life. It enters natural water system from several sources including industrial waste, sewage effluents, coal gasification and liquefaction conversion process plants and agricultural discharges including feed lot runoff. It is a metabolic waste product to fishes. Ammonia is toxic to all vertebrates causing convulsions, coma and death, probably because elevated NH displaces K and depolarizes neuron which leads to Ca and subsequent cell death in the central nervous system (Randall DJ, Tsui TK, 2002). The term ammonia refers to two chemical species which are in equilibrium in water, NH3, ionized form and NH 4+