Evaluation of Biochar as Abio filter for Application in Commercial Fish Culture System

Abstract

Biochar is commonly used for absorption of heavy metals in the soils and water and so decreasing its level in fish meat with improvement of growth performance, productivity and hatchability as well as immunity of the fish against different fish diseases. The present work was conducted a fish farm is Metobase area in Kafr El-Sheikh governorate during season 2014. The period extended from January to May at the department of fish production Fac. of Agric. Saba Basha, Alexandria University. The biochar was prepared by burning of the rice bran at 300 o C using circular cylinder rotated by anaerobic motors. In our investigation, a total number of 162 broodstock of Oreochromis niloticus fish that were collected from private fish farm at Kafr El-Sheikh governorate, Egypt. The enhancement of aeration of aquaculture occurred by air blowers and agriculture machine, and the water column of ponds in both was about 1.5m. The aim of this study is to investigate the importance of biochar in growth performance and production efficiency of Nile tilapia as well as protective effects of heavy metal pollution in the aquaculture environment, product of fish and finally the histopathological alterations. Our results concluded that, the addition of biochar to the fish production ponds decrease the level of heavy metals and reduced its accumulation in fish organs especially the saw dust biochar, followed by rice husk biochar.