SOME HEAVY METALS CONCENTRATIONS IN WATER AND TILAPIA (Oreochromis niloticus) MUSCLES OF FISH FARMS SUPPLIED BY THREE DIFFERENT WATER SOURCES

S.A. El-Korashy1; N.A. Ali2;

D.A. Al-Kenawy3 and I.M. Mousa2

1Chemistry department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal, University.

2Ecology department, Central Laboratory for Aquaculture Research, Sharkia, Egypt.

3Limnology department, The World Fish Center, Abbassa, Abu- Hammad, Sharkia, Egypt.

Received 10/ 1/ 2018

Accepted 22/ 2/ 2018

Abstract

This study was carried out on three fish farms in Sharkia governorate during the period from May to November 2016. The water supply sources of the studied farms were Nile water through the Ismailia canal, agricultural drainage water through El-Wady drain and sewage drainage water from Bahr El Bakar drain. Heavy metals concentrations of iron (Fe), copper (Cu), Cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and manganese (Mn), were appraisal in water and muscles of Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) collected from the three fish farms to evaluate the contamination by metals in these farms using Atomic Absorption spectrometry (AAS). The obtained results indicated significant difference between selected heavy metals in water of the three farms. The results revealed that Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Pb and Cd concentrations were higher in fish muscles than water in areas under investigation. There was significant difference among months for Cd, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn metals concentrations also there was significant difference among farms for Fe, Mn, and Zn metals concentrations in water. Iron (Fe) had the highest mean concentration while Pb exhibited the lowest one in fish muscle. It is worth to mention that the concentrations of heavy metals in the fish muscle were always higher than that in water. The mean metals concentration in the fish muscle decreased in the order: Fe > Zn >Cu > Mn > Cd > Pb. The mean concentrations of all metals in water and edible muscles of fish with the exception of Fe, Zn in the farms were found below the notified permissible limits.

Keywords: Fish farms, heavy metals, Oreochromis niloticus, Tilapia, water, Egypt.