Water-quality testing is one of the more important jobs in aquaculture and is essential for its success. If the water quality of a culture system is poor, stock can suffer from health problems such as damage and diseases. You should ensure that the water is free of toxic chemicals.
A range of tools and test kits are used to test water-quality using parameters such as the level of dissolved oxygen, pH, alkalinity, water hardness, ammonia levels and so on. Each of these parameters plays a critical role in the delicate balance of the aquatic environment: alkalinity acts as a stabilizer for pH; carbon dioxide must be monitored because of its toxic effects on fish (every species can tolerate different levels of CO2); oxygen levels affect fish respiration and incorrect concentrations can slow down their growth rate; hardness is monitored because it diminishes the toxicity level of ammonia; pH also is measured to determine the toxicity level of the water; salinity is important because of its relation to dissolved oxygen.
The common problems encountered due to failure in water-quality control are reduced feeding, poor growth, an inability to reproduce, increase in disease and stock mortality.
It is advised that regular water testing of your system should be carried out, generally every one week to two weeks, especially in the first years until the system has become balanced.
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