Making Sense of the Secchi Disk

By
Abdullah Abd Rahim

The Secchi disk is a familiar tool to students of limnology and aquaculture, who can
immediately identify with the black and white disk as a device to measure water
clarity.

The Secchi disk was invented in the 1860’s, over 140 years ago, by Pietro Angelo
Secchi, an Italian oceanographer. He used white discs attached to calibrated ropes to
measure the clarity of the Mediterranean Sea. Later, devices similar to those he
worked with are simply called Secchi disks and became widely used in water quality
measurements, especially as an index of phytoplankton abundance.

Today, commercially available Secchi disk is a weighted disk, 20 cm in diameter and

painted with alternate black and white quadrants.

In limnological studies, where the Secchi depth of lakes can be several meters deep,
Secchi disks are attached to long graduated lines (Fig 1). In aquaculture ponds, where
water depths are usually less than 2 meters, a simpler, cheaper and more practical
device can be made (Fig 2). The disk can come from a round can lid, plywood or cut
out from the bottom of a white plastic jug, painted black and white in opposing
quarters and attached to a 1.0 – 1.5 meter long wooden stick or pvc pipe, marked off
or painted in centimeters.

Figure 1. Measuring Figure 2. A simple, practical

phytoplankton abundance with a Secchi disk for pond aquaculture
Secchi disk ponds

To read a Secchi disk, simply lower it into the water until it just disappears from sight
and record the depth. Lower the disk a little more and then raise it slowly until it
reappears and record the depth. The average of these two depths is the Secchi disk
visibility or simply, the Secchi depth.
Secchi depths are routinely measured in well managed fish farms, where water quality
data are kept in log books for management purposes. The historical Secchi depth data
of a particular pond may be reviewed to compare the effects of operational decisions
such as water exchange, fertilization and desludging on phytoplankton abundance in
different crop cycles.

Generally, in pond aquaculture, a desirable Secchi depth to maintain for most species
is 30 to 45 cm (Boyd, 1990).

The following guidelines may be used in evaluating Secchi depths:

RANGES OF SECCHI DISK VISIBILITY

SECCHI DISK VISIBILITY
COMMENTS
(cm)
Danger of dissolved oxygen problems
Less than 20
during the night.
20 – 30 Phytoplankton becoming overabundant.
30 – 45 Ideal.
45 – 60 Phytoplankton becoming too scarce.
Water is too clear. Inadequate
More than 60 phytoplankton production and danger of
aquatic weed problems.
(From Boyd, 1990)

In intensive marine shrimp ponds where minimal water exchange is practiced, Secchi
depths of 20 to 30 cm are normal, especially after 100 days of culture and when
feeding rates become very high. Most shrimp ponds provide continuous aeration.
Therefore, the danger of low dissolved oxygen at night due to the overabundance of
phytoplankton is effectively eliminated.

Shrimp ponds with very shallow Secchi depths are likely to have very high daytime
pH ( > 8.5) as well. High pH increases the proportion of toxic unionized ammonia,
NH3. To reduce stress in shrimps, some farms routinely apply a carbon source such as
molasses to increase the carbon/nitrogen ratio and encourage its decomposition by
heterotrophic bacteria (McGraw, 2002). As the bacteria proliferate, more NH3 is
assimilated and production of the end product, carbon dioxide, an acid, helps to
stabilize pH.

Secchi disk readings are more meaningful when the conditions for measurements are
standardized to facilitate comparisons. The following guidelines are useful (Cole,
1979 and Boyd, 1979):

• The same person should be taking the reading since sharpness of vision varies
from person to person.
• The reading should be taken at the same location, such as at the sluice gate or
at the feeding pier.
• Readings should be taken between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on calm, clear days
when the sun is not behind clouds.
• The disk should be viewed from directly above, with the sun behind the
observer.
Occasionally, when it’s critical to check a pond’s water clarity, a Secchi disk is
nowhere to be found. Well, we can always use our arm and hand instead. The
principle is the same. Our arm becomes the meter stick and the upturned palm of our
hand becomes the disk. Just be prepared to get wet!

References:

Boyd, C.E. 1979. Water Quality in warmwater fish ponds. Auburn University
Agricultural Experiment Station. Craftmaster Printers, Opelika, Alabama, 359 pp

Boyd, C.E. 1990. Water Quality in Ponds for Aquaculture. Alabama Agricultural
Experiment Station, Auburn University, Alabama 36849. Birmingham Publishing
Co., Birmingham, Alabama, 482 pp.

Cole, G.A. 1979. Textbook of Limnology.. Department of Zoology, Arizona State

University, Tempe, Arizona. 2nd edition. The C.V. Mosby Company, St. Louis,
Missouri 63141. 426 pp.

McGraw, W.J. 2002. Utilization of Autotrophic and Heterotrophic Bacteria in

Aquaculture. Global Aquaculture Advocate, Dec. 2002.