Print PageGolden shiner Notemigonus crysoleucas is one of the most important baitfish cultured in Arkansas. Golden shiner is sensitive to pH and related water quality stress in ponds. Fish farmers in Arkansas usually report fish ‘disappearance’ in golden shiner ponds. pH could be one possible cause for the ‘disappearance’. pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), conductivity, water temperature, alkalinity, hardness, and ammonia were monitored in two types of golden shiner ponds (newly filled and old), three water layers (5cm, 20cm, and 50cm; Alkalinity, hardness, and ammonia were only monitored at the 50cm layer), and two time points (morning 8:00 -9:00 AM and afternoon 1:00 -2:00 PM) from June to October 2010. Two way or three way ANOVAs and Tukey’s tests were used to compare water quality differences between pond types, water layers, and time points.
Results/Conclusions
pH (mean ± S.D.) were significantly higher in the old ponds than those in the new ponds (P < 0.001; e.g., pH = 8.88 ± 0.50 for new ponds at 5cm layer in the morning and pH = 9.24 ± 0.52 for old ponds at 5cm layer in the morning), and significantly higher in the afternoon than those in the morning (P < 0.0001; e.g., pH = 8.88 ± 0.50 for new ponds at 5cm layer in the morning and pH = 9.28 ± 0.46 for new ponds at 5cm layer in the afternoon, and pH = 9.24 ± 0.52 for old ponds at 5cm layer in the morning and pH = 9.57 ± 0.51 for new ponds at 5cm layer in the afternoon). There was no significant difference of DO between the pond types (P > 0.1). DO concentrations decreased significantly from the surface to the lower water layers (P < 0.0001), and increased significantly from the morning to oversaturation in the afternoon (P < 0.0001). Conductivity (P < 0.0001) and hardness (P < 0.01) were significantly higher in the new ponds. Alkalinity and ammonia were not significantly different between the pond types and between the time points.
