Relationship Pattern of Soil and Water Quality in Sustaining Natural Feed Stocks and the Life of Milkfish, Chanos chanos (Forsskal, 1775): The Case study on a Traditional Pond in Kedungpeluk Village, Candi, Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia

Traditional aquaculture activities in Kedungpeluk are currently facing the problem of low Survival (SR) and slow growth. The purpose of this study is to examine the development of soil and water quality as well as the behavior of soil and water quality parameters, which act as a limiting factor and determinant of the quality of natural food and fish life during rearing. The study is descriptive and developmental. Data collection is done through longitudinal surveys. The results showed that the pond bottom soil is very acidic and anaerobic, whereas the water is alkaline and aerobic. There are indications of hydrolysis of NH₄ bound to the mud to the water above it, changing NH₄ into NH₃ + H⁺ and, of decreasing the amount of oxygen as it is absorbed by the base layer of anaerobic soil because of the stirring by the milkfish in search of food. Natural feed quality has decreased because it is dominated by species of phytoplankton of Cyanophyta hated by the milkfish. The condition is considered a causative factor of low survival and slow growth.