Water quality analysis and food preference of sarotherodon galilaeus in the golinga community reservoir in the northern region of Ghana

摘要

The study investigated the water quality and food preference of Sarotherodon galilaeus (S. galilaeus) in the Golinga Community Reservoir in the Northern Region of Ghana from November, 2011 to April, 2012. Analysis of stomach contents in the laboratory found seven different food items (detritus, filamentous blue green algae, diatoms, green algae, blue green algae, undigested items and xamthophyceae) in 216 stomachs sampled. The food preference was in the order of detritus (43.5%), filamentous blue green algae (23.9%), diatoms (13.0%), green algae (11.4%), blue green algae (8.9%), undigested items (1.2%) and xamthophyceae (0.4%). The ranges for the water quality parameters in the reservoir were 23.8 -31.3 ^oC, 43.1-61.1 μcm^-1, 6.85-7.65, 1.8 -18.8 NTU, 23.3-29.3 mg/l, 0.04 mg/l-1.80 mg/l and 0.006-0.007 mg/l for temperature, conductivity, pH, turbidity, total alkalinity, nitrates and phosphates, respectively. These were within the optimum range for plankton production and culturing of S. galilaeus.