The aqueous medium of the experiment mimicked freshwater used in aquaculture . The medium was standardised, reproduced in bulk, stored in the lab environment, and aerated with an aquarium air pump for 12 hours before the experiment. The medium consisted of a mixture of 0.33 g/L of sea salt (Sigma Aldrich©, UK), 23 ml/L of 117.6 g/L calcium chloride dehydrate CaCl2.2H2O (Fisher Scientific©, UK), 22 ml/L of 25.2 g/L sodium bicarbonate NaHCO3 (Honeywell©, Germany), and 1 ml/L of 0.07 g/L selenium dioxide SeO2 (Merck KGaA©, Germany) dissolved in Millipore Milli-Q de-ionised high purity water (pH =7).