Water Quality Parameters

in Aquaculture
 First rule.
• There is no substitute for common sense. It is
the first requirement for proper water quality
management.
 Second rule.
• No water quality parameter is independent of
all other parameters. When managing for one,
we are probably affecting another.
 Parameters
• Temperature • Light
• pH • Toxic or stressful
• Hardness compounds
• Alkalinity (CO2) • Particulates and
• Nitrogen BOD
compounds • Salinity
• Oxygen • Feed
• Fertilizers
Tolerance vs. Resistance.
 1- Temperature.
• For every organism, there is an optimal
temperature range, tolerance ranges and
intolerable extremes.
• In commercial situations, it is rare to have
optimal temperatures year-round.
• Since water is very expensive to heat or
chill, we should manage the culture regime
instead of the temperature. (Seasons of
culture).
 1- Temperature.
• Temperature also affects the growth of
disease organisms.
• It reduces the immunity of the cultured
organism.
• It affects feed conversion (optimal
temperature for growth is often not the
optimal temperature for feed conversion).
 1- Temperature.
• Temperature also affects ammonia toxicity.
• Temperature affects oxygen dissolution.
• Temperature changes cause stress.
• Temperature changes harm biological filters.
• Extreme temperatures stops feeding.
• Finally, worse of all, it is difficult to manage
temperature inexpensively.
1- Temperature.
 2- pH.
• pH is a measure of the acidity of water.
• Respiration releases CO2 that acidifies water.
• Ammonia oxidation acidifies water.
• Bacterial degradation acidifies water.
• Sometimes the water comes to the aquaculture
facility acidified.
 2- pH.
• The main problem is not in having a low or
high pH (acid or base).
• The problem is when we get large shifts in pH
in a short period of time.
• This means that our water is not well buffered
and that can easily be remedied.
• High or low pH causes stress and disease.
• pH also affects ammonia toxicity.
 2- pH.
• Good pH is between 7.5 and 8.2
 3. Hardness.
• How easily does soap lather in a water.
• It is a function of divalent cations Ca ++ and
Mg++ in water.
• Unless you are growing invertebrates or marine
animals in inland saline waters, you do not have
much to worry about concerning hardness
unless it is lower than 20 ppm as CaCO3.
 4- Alkalinity.
• Scientists define it as the total titrateable
bases in a water.
• define as the buffering capacity of water.
• In other words: How much acid or base can
you add to a water without changing the
pH? It is the property that stops rapid and
large changes in pH.
 4- Alkalinity.
• In water, alkalinity is mainly due to HCO3+ .

• CaCO3 + CO2 + H2O Ca++ +

2HCO3-
• HCO3- + H+ H2CO3
• HCO3- + OH- + Ca++ H2O +
CaCO3
 4- Alkalinity.
• Many people confuse alkalinity and hardness.
• Both are affected by CaCO3 in water so they
are reported as CaCO3 equivalents.
• However we can change one and not the other
if we want.
• NaHCO3 changes only alkalinity and CaSO4
changes only hardness.
 5- Nitrogen Compounds.
• Ammonia
• Nitrite
• Nitrate

• In aquaculture, they come mainly from

proteins in the feed of fish and from dead
animals.
 5- Nitrogen Compounds.
• Feed Protein digestion Deamination

Oxidation NH3

Nitrification NO2 NO3

N2 Denitrification
 5- Nitrogen Compounds.
• Ammonia is toxic because it affects the
nervous system of fish and other animals.
• NH3 is more toxic than NH4.
• We generally test for total ammonia
nitrogen and then consult a table of pH vs.
NH3% to estimate NH3 level.
• Low pH favors NH4+.
• Again we see interaction between
parameters.
 Relationship between pH &
Ammonia.

% NH3
 5- Nitrogen Compounds.
• Nitrite binds to hemoglobin and other
respiratory pigments non reversibly and
forbids oxygen from binding.
• Fish blood turns brown and fish suffocate.
• Cl- binds to hemoglobin in competition with
nitrite but the process is reversible and it
does not alter the function of hemoglobin.
• Therefore, nitrite is dangerous in fresh
water.
 5- Nitrogen Compounds.
• Nitrate is not toxic except in very high
concentrations.
• Those concentrations (>150 ppm) are
frequently reached in intensive closed
recirculating systems but can be dealt with
via anaerobic nitrification.
6- Oxygen.
 6- Oxygen.
• Necessary for life.
• Dissolves better at low temperatures.
• Dissolves better at low salinities.
• Dissolves better at high pressure.
• Dissolves more efficiently when the oxygen
concentration in the water is low.
• Again we see that oxygen is affected by
many other variables.
 6- Oxygen.
• However, oxygen management also affects
some variables.
• Aeration removes excess CO2, thus raising pH
too fast.
• Aeration speeds up evaporation, thus cooling
the water.
• Aeration mixes water thus removing
thermocline.
7- Light.
 7- Light.
• Warms up the water.
• Affects photosynthesis and thus oxygen and
pH.
• Affects primary productivity, microphytes
and macrophytes.
• Affects fish aggressiveness and
cannibalism.
• Affects feeding behaviour.
• Affects reproductive behaviour.
8- Toxic or stressful compounds.
• Chemicals to treat for parasites (formalin,
potassium permanganate).
• Chemicals to treat for unwanted plants
(copper).
• Chemicals for fungus (Malachite green).
• Chemicals with imaginary benefits based on
hearsay.
• Various feed additives with dubious
benefits.
9- Particulates and BOD.
 9- Particulates and BOD.
• Particulate matter irritates gills.
• Particulates affect feeding especially in larval
fish.
• Particulates affect light penetration.
• Organic particulates affect oxygen
concentration.
• They also affect effluents.
 10- Salinity.
• Affects osmoregulation.
• Affects oxygen solubility.
• Affects parasite concentration.
• Affects filter rigor (stability).
• Affects degree of effect of rain (rain dilutes
very salty water but does not affect fresh water
ponds.
 10- Salinity.
• Many people will add salt to their water to fight
brown blood disease or parasites. A rapid
addition of salt can kill your filter and also
stress your fish.
• Many people are now trying to grow marine
animals inland in low salinity inland well water.
Although the salinity in many of those ponds is
adequate, the kind of salt is not.
11- Feed.
 11- Feed.
• The biggest input you add to your pond is feed.
• The fish go in small and only once. They grow
because of other additions to your pond.
• Feed affects ammonia, oxygen, particulates, and
indirectly photosynthesis and pH.
• Moreover, food is expensive.
• Therefore, why add more than necessary of a
detrimental and expensive chemical, such as
food.
 11- Feed.
• A feed that is not nutritionally complete is a
waste of money. Buy a good feed at whatever
price rather than a cheap feed that is inadequate.
• Various feeds are formulated for specific species.
Choose the right feed.
• The protein, fat and energy content of feed are
important, but so are the composition of protein
and fat.
 11- Feed.
• A nutritionally wrong feed is just an expensive
fertilizer that will spoil your water quality.
• Even if the formulation of the feed is good, if it is
not stable in water, it is useless.
• Finally, even the best feed can spoil if not stored
properly.
• Spoilt feed can be used as fertilizer for your tree
orchard but do not feed it to your fish.
12- Fertilizer.
 12- Fertilizer.
• Used only in pond aquaculture.
• Helps productivity in a pond.
• Promotes growth of good phytoplankton
instead of detrimental organisms.
• Improves feed conversion.
• Dangerous because it promotes high pH
shifts.
• Too much applied rapidly could be toxic to
some fish.
 12- Fertilizer.
• Normal fertilizers are N-P-K.
• P is a bit of a problem because it gets
removed by bottom sediments.
• Fertilizer should be mixed with water and
then dispersed all over the pond.
• Many people believe that probiotics and
fertilizers help production. They might in
specific cases. Ask a professional.