Standard Water Quality Requirements and Management Strategies for Fish Farming (A Case Study of Otamiri River)

A study on standard water quality requirements and management strategies suitable for fish farming is presented. The water quality criteria studied based on physical, chemical and biological properties of water include temperature, turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solid (TDS), nitrate-nitrogen, pH, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total hardness. Water samples from Otamiri River in Imo state, Nigeria, were analyzed based on the afore-mentioned criteria to assess its suitability as a source of water for fish farming. The results of the analysis compared with international standards revealed that the river temperature of 26.9 0 C, nitrate-nitrogen value of 0.015 mg/l and total suspended solids of 18.60 mg/l fall within the acceptable range for fish farming. However, the pH of 5.82, total hardness of 5.8 mg/l, total dissolved solids of 13.60 mg/l and biochemical oxygen demand of 0.6 mg/l all differed slightly from the standard recommended values. This study will aid fish farmers on the necessary treatment needed to effectively use water from this source for fish farming.