RESPONSE OF PHYTOPLANKTON AND ZOOPLANKTON COMMUNITIES TO DIFFERENT WATER SUPPLIES IN AQUACULTURE PONDS

Mona H. Ahmed1; Gibreel M. Sharaf2

and Nadia N. Abd El-Hamed3

1
Central Lab .for Aquaculture Research, Agricultural Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture, Egypt.

3
Faculty of Science Suez Canal University.

2 Labor University, Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt.

Received 24/ 9/ 2015    

Accepted 8/ 11/ 2015

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the impact of two different aquaculture systems on plankton organisms. The first farm is a private fish farm located in Kafr El-Sheikh governorate and the second is located in Central Laboratory for Aquaculture Research in Abbassa, Sharkia governorate. Water samples were collected monthly from the two farms from June to December to measure physico-chemical parameters and plankton composition. The results showed that the most studied water quality parameters were within the permissible range for fish culture at the two farms, phytoplankton groups showed dominance of diatoms and green algae compared with blue green algae and euglenoids. At Kafr El-Sheikh July samples showed the least densities of phytoplankton, and the numbers reached their maximum values in October. However at Abbassa the phytoplankton densities were remarkably low compared to Kafr El-Sheikh; pond water where their numbers showed minimum values in November and maximum values in October. Concerning of zooplankton, rotifers were the dominant species Brachionus sp., Keratella sp. and Filinia
sp. comprised more than 82.63% of rotifers species at the two farms. Kafr El-Sheikh pond water rich with rotifers species than Abbassa whereas cladocera group was the dominant in Abbassa pond fish farm which represented by Cerodaphnia sp, Moina sp. and Bosmina sp.