PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF BINTAN STRAIT WATERS, PENGUJAN VILLAGE, BINTAN REGENCY FOR CANTANG GROUPER CULTIVATION

Abstract

The cultivation of cantang grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus × Epinephelus lanceolatus) in the Bintan Strait using floating net cages (KJA) and fixed net cages (KJT) requires support from water physicochemical parameter data. The study was conducted at five observation points using a purposive sampling approach. Measurements of temperature, salinity, DO, pH, current, and depth were carried out directly (in situ). The observation results showed a temperature range of 27.3–31.8°C, DO > 5 mg/L, and salinity of 29–31 ppt, which are within the standard range for grouper cultivation. The current velocity parameters are moderate at 0.09–0.59 m/s and pH 8.6–8.9, which is slightly higher than the standard. Based on the data, the deepest point depth at low tide is only 3.0–3.4 m, so it is quite limited for KJA but does not affect KJT. Careful consideration is needed to cultivate cantang grouper in the Bintan Strait waters, especially in determining steps to overcome pH and currents that do not meet standard criteria.