Water Quality Considerations for Aquaculture

Fish and other organisms with aquacultural potential live in water, thus, it is no surprise that professional fish culturists state that "Water quality determines to a great extent the success or failure of a fish cultural operation" (Piper et al. 1982). Because water is an essential requirement for fish farming, any properly prepared business plan for aquaculture must describe the quality and quantity of water available for the proposed enterprise. An experienced aquaculturist can judge whether the water is suitable for the proposed enterprise. The objective of this report is to present a brief overview of a few physical and chemical qualities of water that are of importance to aquaculture—the business of fish farming. Although the quantity of water available is of primary importance, only water quality factors are considered here.