Water quality guidelines for the management of pond fish culture

The Optimum fish production is totally dependent on the physical, chemical and biological qualities of water to most of the extent. Hence, successful pond management requires an understanding of water quality. Water quality is determined by variables like temperature, transparency, turbidity, water colour, carbon dioxide, pH, alkalinity, hardness, unionised ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, primary productivity, BOD, plankton population etc. In the present chapter water quality management principles in fish culture have been reviewed to make aware the fish culturist and environmentalist about the important water quality factors that influence health of a pond and are required in optimum values to increase the fish yields to meet the growing demands of present day scenario of the world, when the food resources are in a state of depletion and the population pressure is increasing on these resources.