Effects Of Fish Pond Wastewater Treated with Bio-Coagulants on The Growth Performance of African Catfish (Clarias Gariepinus)
This study was carried out to determine the effects of fishpond wastewater treated with bio-coagulants on the growth performance of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus). Matured and naturally dry seeds of Moringa oleifera (brown in colour) was harvested from a healthy Moringa tree in a botanical garden of Federal University of Technology, Owerri. While the shells of African giant snail shells (Achatina achatina) was bought from Akachukwu restaurant Ihiagwa. Seven (7) different ponds of 100 liters capacity made from concrete was prepared in school of agriculture and agricultural technology farm Federal University of Technology, Owerri. Sixty litres of wastewater from the different ponds individually was collected into two different 100 litres plastic butter and labeled according with the different Bio-coagulants used in the treatment process. All analysis was determined at significant level of P>0.05. The results further revealed that the highest mean values of colour (8 ± 2.0) after treatment with snail shell powder coagulant and Moringa oleifera seed powder coagulant (6 ± 1.0) while the least value was obtained before bio-coagulant application. Results obtained showed the presence or presence of bioactive compounds such as Alkaloids, Flavonoids, Saponins, Cardiac glucosides (%) and Anthraquinone (mg/100g) in the plant extracts. Cardiac glucosides yielded the highest phytoconstituents with a mean value of 44.44 ± 5.31 (%) while the least value was gotten from Terpenoids with a mean value of 1.13 ± 0.07. Among the mineral composition, calcium recorded the highest mean concentration (14177.58 ± 111.17 mg/100g) followed by phosphorus (202.04 ± 28.95 mg/100g) while the least mineral recorded from the snail shell powder was manganese (0.17 ± 0.02 mg/100g). The results revealed that there was a significant difference (p>0.05) in mean length of catfish treated with Snail shell powder (300g) and Moringa Oleifera seed powder relative to the control. Increase in mean length of catfish was observed to correspondingly increase as the week of bio-coagulants treatments increases. From the research, results of snail shell materials had higher treatment potentials than M. oleifera powder; it is shown that modification will be a good research direction to increase the adsorption capacity by increasing the surface of the shell material.
Keywords: fish pond, wastewater, bio-coagulants, growth performance, African catfish
