La Cienega Project
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Ask anybody who has ever tried to keep fish in an aquarium, and they will tell you that keeping the water "balanced" is very important and sometimes tricky. All fish have limitations on the kinds of water they can live in. Some fish, like trout, require very cold water. Other fish can only live in saltwater.

We test the water at Quitobaquito for temperature, pH, and Dissoved Oxygen on a regular basis, about three times a year. However in La Cienega, because our water source is not going to be a natural spring, we need to test the water for some other things as well, including Chlorine. We also need to treat our new pond like an aquarium and test for Nitrogen cycling, Salinity, and Turbidity.

Quitobaquito pupfish are pretty tough, but you need to help us set some water quality parameters to make sure that La Cienega is maintained at water quality that is healthy.

When you go out on your field visit to Quitobaquito, you will be testing the water for all of the things listed above. Using your data and the data we have been collecting for years, you need to recommend certain water quality limits for La Cienega.

Below are some links to some past data from Quitobaquito. Notice how the temperature, dissolved oxygen and pH stay fairly constant at the spring, but they change dramatically out in the pond. When you visit Quitobaquito, pay attention to where you are seeing the most fish. It might be a sign as to what kind of water the fish prefer.

Links to historic data

Temperature
pH
Dissolve Oxygen

If you would like more information on any of the water quality tests we will be doing, check out the resource page. You will find lots of good links to good water quality information.