Investigation of water quality parameters for aquaculture – a case study of Veeranam lake in Cuddalore District, Tamilnadu

Water quality plays an important role in the survival and distribution of aquatic organisms. It is dependent on physico-chemical and nutrient parameters. The present investigation deals with the analysis of water quality of Veeranam Lake water samples were collected monthly for a period of one year from June 2009 to May 2010 at 5 sites of the lake. The physico-chemical parameters such as temperature, pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH), electrical conductivity (EC), biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), chloride (Cl), sulphate (SO4), phosphate (PO4), gross primary productivity (GPP) and net primary productivity (NPP) were analysed. The water quality of the Veeranam lake water was within the safe limits throughout the study period which shows that this water is fit for aquaculture.