MONITORING OF WATER QUALITY AND SOME HEAVY METALS IN DIFFERENT TISSUES OF MORMYRUS KANNUME FISH FROM DAMIETTA BRANCH

Niema A.Ali and Eman A. A. Abd El-Hameed

Central laboratory for Aquaculture Research, Agricultural Research Center Egypt.

Received 5/ 1/ 2014

Accepted 25/ 2/ 2014

Abstract

This study was carried out to introduce a new type of fish (Mormyrus kannume) to the market to fill the gape of protein shortage. This was achieved by collecting water and fish samples from Nile River in Meet Ghamr city region, Dakahlia Governorate every month over a year to set the physico-chemical properties of water dissolved oxygen (DO) hydrogen ion concentration(pH), temperature(T), un-ionized ammonia NH3, Nitrite (NO2) and Nitrate (NO3), orthophosphate(Po4), total hardness (T.H), Ca++, Mg++. and heavy metals accumulation in water and fish tissues. The results showed that M.kannume contained levels of some heavy metals (Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Pb, Cd) less than the permissible limits globally. In fish tissues, the lowest value of heavy metal observed in the muscles followed by the gills and finally the highest value was in the liver. Fe recorded the highest levels in comparison with Cu, Zn and Mn, while the Pb and Cd were not detectable except in few months. In addition, heavy metals in water and water quality were within the suitable range for fish environment. So this fish is suitable for rearing in fish ponds.