A Preliminary Observation on Water Quality and Plankton of an Earthen Fish Pond in Bangladesh: Recommendations for Future Studies

The present study provides a characterization of water quality and plankton samples in earthen fish pond in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Sampling was done over a period of six months, running from October, 2004 through March, 2005. All the water quality parameters were within the optimal ranges for plankton productivity. Temperatures varied from 19.75 to 27.25 degrees C; transparency, 24.75-29.50 cm; pH, 6.62-7.85; Dissolved Oxygen (DO), 3.87-5.85 mg L(-1); free CO2 5.25-7.25 mg L(-1) and bicarbonate (HCO3) alkalinity, 81.25-147.5 mg L(-1). Analyses of plankton samples recorded a total of 5 classes phytoplankton viz.; Bacillariophyceae, Chlorophyceae, Cyanophyceae, Dinophyceae, Euglenophyceae and 2 classes of zooplankton; Crustacea and Rotifera. The phytoplankton population was comprised of 17 genera belonging to Cyanophyceae (5 classes, 34.47%), Bacillariophyceae (3,…