Fully defined saltwater medium for cultivation of and toxicity testing with marine copepod Acartia tonsa

The marine copepod Acartia tonsa and the food organism Rhadomonas salina were cultured in fully defined medium for 8 months without problems. Both organisms were also cultured in natural seawater and in a commercial salt mixture for at least two generations before the sensitivities of A. tonsa to bisphenol A, potassium dichromate, nonylphenol, and 3,5-dichlorophenol in the three different media were compared and found to be at the same level. The defined medium may be used for cultivation and testing, thus avoiding unknown background contaminants.