HOW TO MAINTAIN WATER TEMPERATURE IN POND

Fish are ectotherms because heat is
obtained from outside the animal
unlike endotherms (e.g. mammals)
that generate their own body heat.
Usually, the body temperature of
ectotherms is close to that of their surroundings; they are often
described as poikilothermic
(having variable temperature). Temperature affects all chemical
and biological processes. The
metabolic rate of fish doubles for
every rise of 10°C. Therefore,
temperature has a direct effect on
important factors such as growth, oxygen demand, food
requirements and food conversion
efficiency. The higher the
temperature, the greater the
requirement for oxygen and food
and the faster the growth rate. Temperature partly determines the
concentration of oxygen in water.
The solubility of oxygen decreases
with increasing temperature, and
so concentrations are usually lower
in summer. Silver perch have a temperature
tolerance range of 2 to 38°C with
optimum growth occurring
between 23 and 28°C. During
winter when water temperatures
are lower, silver perch will require less food and have a slower growth
rate. At temperatures below 10°C
the fish may enter a state of
torpor, with greatly reduced
appetite and activity. As the water
temperature increases in spring and summer, the fish will require a
larger quantity of food due to the
increase in their metabolic rate. Temperature also has a crucial role
in stimulating silver perch gonadal
maturation and spawning activity.
Silver perch can be induced to
breed in hatcheries when water
temperatures rise to about 21°C

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