TILAPIA CULTURE
Water Temperatures for: Tilapia are native to Africa, Israel and Jordan Best growth- above 25 0 C Spawning - above 20 0 C Death- 10 to 12 0 C
Nile TilapiaMozambique Tilapia Blue TilapiaRed Tilapia Popular Cultured Tilapias
Food Habits Tilapia feed low on the food chain phytoplankton zooplankton
Tilapia can be cultured in fresh and salt water. 1. All tilapia can be grown in fresh water. 2. Mossambique tilapia and red tilapia with Mossambique tilapia genes can be grown in salt water.
Reproduction Males dig and defend a nest Females incubate eggs and defend the fry
Tilapia can be spawned in: 1. ponds 2. cages ( hapas ) 3. tanks
Fry can be harvested: days after stocking brood fish days after stocking brood fish
Fry can be: 1. partial harvested 2. completely harvested
Eggs can be removed from females: Incubating tilapia eggs Yolk-sac tilapia fry
Tilapia can be cultured as: 1. Mixed sexes - males and females together 2. Mono-sex - only males
Advantages: 1. Technically easy Disadvantages: 1. Small harvest weight 2. Mixed sizes at harvest Grow-out: Mixed-sex Culture
Advantages: 1. Large harvest weight 2. Uniform size at harvest Disadvantages: 1. Technically difficult Mono-sex culture
Stocking a predacious fish with mixed-sex tilapia will control tilapia density and increase final harvest weight. Largemouth bass in the U. S. A. Peacock bass in South America
Mono-sex male tilapia populations can be produced by: 1. Visual selection 2. Hybridization 3. Sex-reversal 4. Genetic manipulation Male Populations
Visual Selection of the Genital Papilla Male papilla Female papilla with oviduct anus
Hybridization Male Hornorum tilapia Female Nile tilapia All-male hybrid tilapia ZZ XX XZ
Sex Reversal of Tilapia Fry
Genetic Manipulation 1) XX F + XY M estrogen XX F + XY F 2) XY F x XY M XX F + 2 XY M + YY M 3) XX F x YY M 100% XY M
Tilapia are raised in: Small earthen ponds
Tilapia are raised in: Large earthen ponds Harvested tilapia are held in net enclosures while waiting to be loaded onto trucks for transport to processors.
Tilapia are raised in: Floating cages
Tilapia are raised in: Circular tanks with partial water exchange and mechanical aeration
Tilapia are raised in: Raceways with constant water exchange
Tilapia are raised in: Indoors with water reuse, mechanical aeration and oxygen injection
Tilapia ponds can be fertilized with organic and inorganic fertilizers to increase yield
Tilapia can be fed to increase yield
Tilapia can be fed Agricultural by-products Pelleted feeds sinking floating cottonseed meal wheat bran rice bran
Tilapia can be sold to Neighbors and Friends
Tilapia can be purchased At supermarkets and fish shops whole on ice fresh and frozen fillets
1. Most production is from enclosed, water reuse systems because of cold winter water temperatures. 2. Production costs are high. 3. Most tilapia are sold live or whole iced. 4. Presently, U. S. producers cant compete with producers in tropical climates for processed tilapia. 5. Fresh fillets are imported from Central and South America. 6. Frozen whole tilapia and fillets are imported from Asia. Tilapia farming in the U. S.
1.feeds low on the food chain 2. accepts wide range of feeds 3. resistant to poor water quality, disease and handling 4. good flesh quality 5. fingerlings easy to produce year round Advantages of Farming Tilapia
1.sensitive to low water temperatures 2. reach sexual maturity at a young age 3. males grow faster than females 4. difficult to harvest from earthen ponds with a seine 5. low dressout percentage of fillet Disadvantages of raising tilapia
Over 2.0 million mt of farmed tilapia were harvest world-wide in China>Egypt>Indonesia U. S. tilapia Production 2004: 9,000 MT
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