Abstract
The effect of different water pH environments on hematological parameters of juvenile Tilapia mossambicus was investigated after three weeks of exposure to different acidic (p H 5.5 and 6.5) and alkaline (p H 8.5 and 9.5) enviroments. The results obtained indicated a significant decrease (P<0.05) in the erythrocyte count, hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, lymphocyte count and significant increase (P<0.05) in total leukocyte count, monocytes and neutrophils of fish exposed to acidic pH 5.5 and alkaline pH of 9.5. The values of mean corpuscular volume decreased significantly in fish exposed to pH level of 5.5 only, whereas the values of mean corpuscular hemoglobin and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentrations were not significantly different in all exposed fish groups when compared with controls. On the other hand, the variations in hematological parameters of fish exposed to pH levels of 6.5 and 8.5 were not significantly different from controls. These hematological alterations indicated that change in water pH might have caused physiological stress to the fish that can affect the growth and survival of fish in natural environment.
