5 water quality mistakes that cost shrimp farmers a crop
The everyday habits behind most water quality losses, and simple ways to avoid them.
1. Measuring only in the afternoon
Afternoon readings look healthy because algae are producing oxygen. The danger is just before dawn. Take at least one early-morning DO reading every day, especially in older, high-biomass ponds.
2. Writing readings on paper and never looking back
A single reading tells you little; the trend tells you a lot. A pH that swings more each day, or ammonia creeping up over a week, is an early warning that is easy to miss in a notebook.
3. Ignoring the bloom
A sudden change in water colour or transparency often means the algae are crashing, which can cause an oxygen drop and an ammonia spike within a day or two. Record colour and transparency alongside the meter readings.
4. Feeding the same amount whatever the water says
When oxygen is low or the water is off, stock eats less and the uneaten feed makes things worse. Adjust feed to the conditions and to what the feeding trays show.
5. No agreed limits
If each worker has a different idea of "too low", action comes late. Agree warning and critical limits per species, write them down and make sure everyone knows what to do when one is crossed.
Making it routine
Aqua Farming Portal records readings from a phone at the pond, compares each one with your limits and alerts the right people straight away, so the team acts on the same numbers.
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