Aquaculture

2025-07-23

Background

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), aquaculture “is understood to mean the farming of aquatic organisms including fish, molluscs, crustaceans and aquatic plants. Farming implies some form of intervention in the rearing process to enhance production, such as regular stocking, feeding, protection from predators, etc. Farming also implies individual or corporate ownership of the stock being cultivated.”

Aquaculture species water quality requirements

Aquaculture Species	Temperature (°C)	Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L)	pH	Alkalinity (mg/L)	Ammonia (%)	Nitrite (mg/L)
Baitfish	60 – 75	4 – 10	6 – 8	50 – 250	0 – 0.03	0 – 0.6
Catfish/Carp	65 – 80	3 – 10	6 – 8	50 – 250	0 – 0.03	0 – 0.6
Hybrid Striped Bass	70 – 85	4 – 10	6 – 8	50 – 250	0 – 0.03	0 – 0.6
Perch/Walleye	50 – 65	5 – 10	6 – 8	50 – 250	0 – 0.03	0 – 0.6
Salmon/Trout	45 – 68	5 – 12	6 – 8	50 – 250	0 – 0.03	0 – 0.6
Tilapia	75 – 94	3 – 10	6 – 8	50 – 250	0 – 0.03	0 – 0.6
Tropical Ornamentals	68 – 84	4 – 10	6 – 8	50 – 250	0 – 0.03	0 – 0.5

Source/Reference:Water Quality Tolerance by Species

In the process of aquaculture, the stability and suitability of water quality are crucial to the growth rate and quality of aquatic products. Water quality sensors can collect various key water quality indicators in real time, such as pH, dissolved oxygen, ammonia nitrogen, salinity, etc., to provide farmers with accurate water quality data. According to relevant statistics, the reasonable use of water quality sensors for monitoring and regulation can increase the survival rate of aquaculture by more than 20%.

water quality standards for the aquaculture industry:

Item	Standard Value
Color, Odor, Taste	Shall not give fish, shrimp, shellfish, and algae any abnormal color, odor, or taste
Floating Substances	No obvious oil film or foam shall appear on the water surface
Suspended Substances	The artificially increased amount shall not exceed 10 mg/L. After the suspended substances settle to the bottom, they shall not have harmful effects on fish, shrimp, and shellfish
pH Value	6.5 – 8.5 for fresh water, 7.0 – 8.5 for seawater
Dissolved Oxygen	For 16 hours or more in a continuous 24 hours, it must be greater than 5 mg/L, and at any other time, it shall not be lower than 3 mg/L. For salmonid habitats during the ice – covered period, it shall not be lower than 4 mg/L at any time
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (5 days, 20°C)	No more than 5 mg/L, no more than 3 mg/L during the ice – covered period
Total Coliform Bacteria	No more than 5000 per liter (no more than 500 per liter for shellfish culture water quality)
Mercury	≤ 0.0005 mg/L
Cadmium	≤ 0.005 mg/L
Lead	≤ 0.05 mg/L
Chromium	≤ 0.1 mg/L
Copper	≤ 0.01 mg/L
Zinc	≤ 0.1 mg/L
Nickel	≤ 0.05 mg/L
Arsenic	≤ 0.05 mg/L
Cyanide	≤ 0.005 mg/L
Sulfide	≤ 0.2 mg/L
Fluoride (as F⁻)	≤ 1 mg/L
Non – ionic Ammonia	≤ 0.02 mg/L
Kjeldahl Nitrogen	≤ 0.05 mg/L
Volatile Phenol	≤ 0.005 mg/L
Yellow Phosphorus	≤ 0.001 mg/L
Petroleum	≤ 0.05 mg/L
Acrylonitrile	≤ 0.5 mg/L
Acrolein	≤ 0.02 mg/L
Hexachlorocyclohexane (gamma isomer)	≤ 0.002 mg/L
DDT	≤ 0.001 mg/L
Malathion	≤ 0.005 mg/L
Sodium Pentachlorophenate	≤ 0.01 mg/L
Dimethoate	≤ 0.1 mg/L
Methamidophos	≤ 1 mg/L
Methyl Parathion	≤ 0.0005 mg/L
Carbofuran	≤ 0.01 mg/L

Cases

Wireless Monitoring System for Offshore Cage Aquaculture

Main water quality conditions for trout farming

Water temperature: 10 – 16℃. Too high water temperature will lead to faster metabolism and increased oxygen consumption of trout, and may even cause disease and death.

Dissolved oxygen in water: 6 – 10mg/L. High dissolved oxygen helps trout breathe and grow because their metabolism is relatively vigorous.

pH value: 6.5 – 7.5. Overly acidic or alkaline environments will have adverse effects on the physiological functions of trout.

In river shrimp farming

Dissolved oxygen: The dissolved oxygen in the upper layer of the water is required to be greater than 5mg/L, and the dissolved oxygen in the bottom layer is required to be greater than 3mg/L. If the dissolved oxygen in the water is insufficient, it will cause suffocation and death.

PH value: The PH value needs to be controlled between 6.5-7.5.

Ammonia nitrogen: In river shrimp farming, ammonia nitrogen cannot be greater than 0.05mg/L.

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