Assessment of Selected Groundwater for Fish Culture in Maiduguri Metropolis, Nigeria

Background and Objective: Fish farmers in Maiduguri Metropolis mainly use groundwater boreholes for their farming. However, homestead fish farming has been declining in the area, probably due to water quality issues. This study therefore aimed at investigating the quality of borehole water for fish culture in Maiduguri Metropolis. Materials and Methods: Borehole water samples were pristinely collected for three months from five different locations (Bolori Kasua, Ngomari Costain, Gwonge Sabolahi, Mai-Sandari and Umarari) in Maiduguri Metropolis and analyzed using standard methods and procedures for physicochemical and heavy metal contents. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA at p<0.05. Results: The results revealed higher (p<0.05) pH, electrical conductivity, alkalinity, total dissolved solids, total hardness and potassium in Gwonge Sabolahi and Mai-Sandari. Ngomari Costain also showed elevated (p<0.05) magnesium, sulphate, nitrate, calcium, manganese and zinc levels, however, dissolved oxygen, temperature, cadmium and iron showed marginal variations (p>0.05) among locations. The results, however, indicated that the physico-chemical and heavy metal parameters analysed in the study were within the desirable limits for fish culture, except cadmium (0.01±0.00-0.01±0.02 mg L‾¹⁾ and iron (0.11±0.05-0.20±0.02 mg L‾¹). Conclusion: Hence, water is regarded as good for fish culture. It is however necessary to appropriately remediate those few parameters above the threshold for successful fish culture.