My fish sometimes gasp at the surface in the morning and growth is slow. What water quality should I keep in a fish pond?
What pond water quality should I maintain for fish, pH, oxygen and ammonia?
RRama Rao6mo ago · 257 views
5 Answers
🌾Farmer.in Krishi TeamExpert ✓5mo ago
Fish gasping at the surface in the early morning is a classic sign of low dissolved oxygen, which is one of the most important things to manage. Key parameters are dissolved oxygen, pH, and ammonia, and good water also has the right temperature and not too much organic load. Oxygen falls overnight and when the pond is overstocked or overfed, so avoid overfeeding, do not overstock, and use aeration or fresh water exchange when needed. Keep pH in a comfortable range with liming as advised, and prevent ammonia build up by removing excess feed and not over manuring. Test your water regularly with a simple kit and get exact target ranges and corrective steps from your state fisheries department, since they depend on the species and system you use.
SSatyanarayana M5mo ago
Overfeeding was my hidden problem. The uneaten feed rotting on the bottom was fouling the water and pulling down oxygen. Once I fed only what the fish cleared in a set time and stopped piling it in, the morning gasping reduced a lot.
VVenkata Ramana4mo ago
An aerator paid for itself in my pond. On still, cloudy days and in the early mornings the oxygen would drop and the fish struggled. Running the aerator at those times kept them feeding and growing. If you cannot afford one, at least keep stocking and feeding moderate so the pond can cope.
PPrasad Babu4mo ago
I bought a simple water test kit and started checking regularly instead of guessing, which the fisheries office had suggested. Catching a problem early, before the fish are gasping, is much easier than fixing a crash. Liming when advised kept my pH steady and the fish healthier.
DDurga Prasad3mo ago
Cloudy still days in summer are the danger time for us, the oxygen falls and the fish come up gasping at dawn. On those days I run the aerator early morning and cut the feed right back so nothing rots on the bottom. A partial fresh water exchange when the pond looks too thick and green also helped pull it back.