Table 1 Quality parameters of water used during acclimation and experimentation

pH

7.96 ± 0.10

Salinity (‰)

≤ 0.1

Dissolved oxygen (mg L⁻¹)

7.75 ± 0.05

Chemical oxygen demand (mg L⁻¹)

< 0.01

NH₃-N (mg L⁻¹)

0.015 ± 0.005

NO₂-N (mg L⁻¹)

0.003 ± 0.001

NO₃-N (mg L⁻¹)

4.3 ± 0.1

SO₄²⁻ (mg L⁻¹)

8.0 ± 0.5

PO₄³⁻ (mg L⁻¹)

0.25 ± 0.05

SS (mg L⁻¹)

28 ± 2

Total hardness (CaCO₃ mg L⁻¹)

150 ± 10

Cd²⁺ (mg L⁻¹)

≤ 0.0001