POND WATER MANAGEMENT FOR MUD CRAB CULTURE

Water quality in ponds is essential and serves as an indication of

aquaculture production. It is one of the most important factors in
maintaining fish health.
Inadequate water quality causes more
losses than any other problem. A better understanding of water quality
principles will help the aquaculturist in determining the potential of ponds for
aquaculture, enhancing environmental conditions in ponds, minimizing
or even preventing possible diseases and stress-related problems, and
ultimately producing cultured animals efficiently.
There are different components of water that are vital for survival and good
health of cultured species. Alkalinity, ammonia, chloride, chlorophyll,

dissolve oxygen, hydrogen sulfide, water hardness, nitrite, pH,

phosphate, salinity, temperature, and total suspended solids
are some of the water parameters that must be evaluated periodically. For MUD
CRAB GROW-OUT CULTURE, optimum water quality is presented in the table below.
Table 1 Suggested water parameters for mud crab pond management, importance,
control and treatments if it goes afar desirable limits

Paramete
rs

Alkalinity

Ammonia
(TAN)

Importance
-Measurement of
carbonates and
bicarbonates
concentration in
a pond water
-Buffering
capacity of
ponds against
low pH
-By-product from
protein
metabolism
-Un-ionized
ammonia (NH3) is
extremely toxic
to cultured
animals

Optimum
range

> 80 ppm
(Ideally 120
ppm)

< 3 ppm
(crablets
high
ammonia
tolerance)

Test
Control and
methods of
treatments if
measureme beyond tolerable
nt
limits

Titration
method

Phenate
method

Increase alkalinity
by adding lime

To reduce
ammonia:
a) Avoid overfeeding,
application of
fertilizer, and over
stocking of culture
species
b) If low alkalinity, add

lime
c) Zeolite at a rate of
50mL per 100
gallons
d) Regular water
exchange

Chloride

Chlorophyl
l
Dissolved
oxygen
(DO)

-Useful in
maintaining the
osmotic balance
of cultured
animals
-Must be 10
times higher
than nitrite
concentration to
avoid brown
blood disease
-Could cause gill
irritation if >100
ppm
- An index of the
abundance of
phytoplankton
-Affects growth,
survival,
distribution,
behavior, and
physiology of
cultured species
-Main sources
are air and
photosynthetic
planktons
-Poor DO could
led to sub-lethal
effects like
reduction of
growth and
mortalities
-An indication of
low DO is when
fish comes to the

> 60 ppm

APHA method
4500-Cl

0.05-0.2
ppm

Spectrophotme
try

> 5 ppm
(mud crabs
tolerant of
low oxygen
levels)

DO meter

Depends on water
salinity

Depends on the
abundance of
phytoplankton
To avoid poor DO:
Avoid overfeeding,
application of
fertilizer, and over
stocking of culture
species
Phytoplankton
biomass
management
Mechanical
aeration
If DO is too high,
introduce hot water
gradually with
pipes

e)

f)

g)
h)

water surface
and the reading
Secchi disc is
below 20 cm

Hydrogen
sulfide

-Regulated by pH
-acidic
environment
increases
hydrogen sulfide
-This could be
detected at very
low
concentration
even without
water analysis by
the presence of
rotten-egg
smell

< 0.05 ppm

(best if not
detected)

Colorimetry
using pphnylene
diamine HCl

Water
hardness

-Measurement of
calcium and
magnesium
concentration in
a pond water

> 2000 ppm

EDTA
Titrimetric
Method

Nitrite

-By-product of
nitrification
process
produced by
autotrophic
Nitrosomonas
bacteria
-Invisible killer
-too high could
cause brown
blood disease

< 10 ppm at
salinities >
15 ppt
< 5 ppm at
salinities <
15 ppt

Colorimetric
method

To reduce hydrogen
sulfide:
a) Regular water
exchange
b) Raise pH by lime
application

-Reduction of high
water hardness
a) Prevent run-off
water from entering
ponds during heavy
rainfall to avoid
siltation
b) Add zeolite or lime
- To reduce high
nitrite:
a) Avoid over
stocking
b) Enhancing of
feeding
c) Biological
filtration like
algae
d) Additional of
small amount of
chloride salts
e) Regular water
exchange
f) Probiotics

pH

- Negative
logarithm of
hydrogen ions
concentration

7.5-8.5

pH meter

Phosphate

-Serve as plant
nutrient

0.005-0.2
ppm

Ascorbic acid
method

Salinity

-Total
concentration of
ions in pond
water

10-25 ppt for

crablets

Refractometer

Temperatur
e

Total
suspended

-Degree of
hotness or
coldness of water
-High
temperature
increases biochemical of
organisms in
ponds causing a
high demand of
dissolved oxygen
-Too low (<20oC
has sub-lethal
effects; >35oC
has lethal effects
to cultured
species)
-Total
concentration of

25-35 oC

10-50 ppm

- To reduce high pH:

a) Add gypsum
(CaSO4) or organic
matter (cow dung
or poultry
droppings)
- Add quicklime
(CaO) to neutralize
low pH
- To increase
phosphate, add
inorganic fertilizers
Caution: too much
phosphate could
cause algal bloom
which could harm
cultured animals in
effect
- Replenishment of:
a) Freshwater if too
high
b) Seawater if too low

-If too high:

a) exchange water,
planting
mangrove shady
Thermometer
trees, or making
artificial shades
during summer
b) Mechanical
aeration

Filtration- oven
drying method

Avoid algal
bloom to

solids

dissolved
substances

Turbidity

-Transmission of
light penetration
-Affects the rate
of
photosynthesis

20.30 m

Secchi disc

prevent high
total suspended
solids
-Reduction of turbidity:
a) Addition of more
water
b) Addition of CaO,
Alum
(Al2(SO4)314H2O at
a rate of 20 mg L-1
c) Gypsum at a rate
of 200 Kg/1000m-3

References:
Boyd C.E. (1998) Water Quality for Pond Aquaculture. Research and
Development Series No. 43. International Center for Aquaculture and Aquatic
Environment. Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station. Auburn University. pp. 37.
Bhatnagar A. & Pooja D. (2013) Water quality guidelines for the management
of pond fish culture. Internationla Journal of Environmental Sciences volume 3,
issue no. 6.
FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper 567 (2011) Mud Crab
Aquaculture: A practical manual. Rome, FAO. pp. 78.