Requisite condition of fish culture

Proper site selection is recognized as the first step guaranteeing the eventual success of any aquaculture project. Following guidelines for the selection of a suitable site for fish culture:

 1. Meteorological and hydrological information: All available meteorological and hydrological information about the area (generally available from meteorological and irrigation authorities), such as range and mean monthly air temperature, rainfall, evaporation, sunshine, speed and direction of winds, floods, water table etc, should be gathered.

2. Nature of vegetation: The nature of the vegetation indicates the soil type and elevation of the water table. Lands under grass or low shrubs are better suited, as dense vegetation (tall trees) makes clearing more difficult and expensive. However, tall vegetation around the farm can serve as effective wind breakers in the areas which are exposed to strong winds or cyclones etc.

3. The existing and future sources of pollution: Information on development plans is gathered for the neighborhood areas just to ascertain that there will be no adverse effects of pollutants (air, water or soil) on the fish to be cultured and other biota.

4. Soil characteristics: The quality of soil is important in pond farms because of

Ø    Its influence on productivity and quality of the overlying water.

Ø    Its suitability for dike construction.

Ø    Its ability to retain the required water level.

Following Conditions of soil are suitable for fish culture:

Ø    Sandy clay to clayey-loam soils.

Ø    Soil fraction should be about 90% of the whole soil, stone and grave not exceeding 10%.

Ø    PH near neutral.

Ø    Total nitrogen 0.1%; total phosphorus 0.1%; organic carbon> 1.0%; free CaCO₃ 5%.

5. Source of watch and its quality: A dependable source of water supply must be available within or near the site. Aquaculture ponds require just sufficient water to fill the ponds and to compensate the water loss through seepage and surface evaporation there after. Equally important is the need for avoiding excess water and hence there must be arrangement for the excess water to escape through a bypass channel pr a spillway. The water supply to the pond should as far as possible be natural, preferably rain water. However, alternative arrangements of water supply should be made for dry season either from a deep tube well or irrigation canal or from perennial sources like spring, stream, river etc. 

The quality of the available water is also equally important for fish culture. Pond fish production is influenced by the physical and chemical properties of the water.