BIOTOPE: Fedric Island, West Bengal

BIOTOPE: Fedric Island, West Bengal

Description: This is a very serene island south of West Bengal, India.  Fishing is the primary occupation of the people all around because the salinity of the environment saps the fertility of the land. The island is a little out of bounds to the common tourists primarily due to its to the muddy mangrove forests. According to Census 2011 information the location code or village code of Fedric Island village is 335320. 

Fedric Island village is located in Namkhana Block of South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal, India. It is situated 26.5km away from sub-district headquarter Namkhana and 119km away from district headquarter Alipore. The total population of this area is 21 of which 12 male and 9 female.

Kakdwip is nearest town to Fedric Island which is approximately 40km away.

Lodging: There is no hotel as such to stay there one can Hotels or Lodges near Bakkhali. Or contact the local people to stay in someone's house. which is very much appreciated by the locals.

BIOTOPE INFORMATION

WATER :

pH: 7.3-8.0,

15-25 dH,

75-86 F (24-30 C)

Brackish water specific gravity of 1.005 to 1.008 is good [Pure water has a sp. gr of 1.000, while seawater typically has around 1.025].

FLORA :

Very limited. Pretty much all mangrove seedlings grow above water - Phoenix paludosa, Excoecaria agallocha, Heritiera fomes, Bruguiera parviflora. Plants like Excoecaria agallocha can also be used in the land area in case of big aquariums.

TANK : The tank should have a sandy or clayey substrate. Use wood to recreate the mangrove roots of the swamp.

Use an efficient filtering system, because brackish water fish are heavy eaters, yet sensitive to water pollutants. One popular brackish-water set-up is to leave the tank only half full with water (i.e. paludarium type setup). A silty land area is constructed and potted mangrove seedlings grow above the water surface. Such a set-up allows an aquariast to observe unusual behaviour from brackish species such as mudskippers and certain crabs.

FAUNA:
A lot of fishes specially of the gobiidae family are native to place. Also eels and certain oddballs are also open as an option. Fishes like Indian-dwarf mudskipper (Periopthalmus novemradiatus), Duckbill sleeper (Butis butis), Ocellated pufferfish(Tetraodon cutcutia), Indian mottled eel (Anguila bengalensis), Tank goby (Glossogobius giuris), Bleeding Heart Goby (Gobiopterus chuno),  Neon Spot Goby (Amoya brevirostris), etc.

Also shrimps as Ghost shrimp (Palaemonetes sp.), Macrobrachium rude, and blue striped hermit crab (Clibanarius longitarsus), and Orange-striped hermit crab (Clibanarius infraspinatus) are pretty much common.