Tilapia Oreochromis nicloticus, Drawing from Trewavas, 1983

Common name: Scientific name: Production potential: Marketing potential:

Tilapia Oreochromis nicloticus, O. aurea, O. mossambicus, O. hornorum Tilapia rendalli, tilapia zilli Easy except tilapia grow slowly at temperatures lower than 70 F and die when temperatures drop into the 50 F range Potential: High Size: 1.25-2.0 lbs Market: Food

Temperature requirements: Growing: 80-87 F Spawning: Greater than 72 Lethal: 55 F Feed requirements: Spawning requirements: Protein: 25-30% Fat: 6-8% Maternal mouth brooders, spawn twice a month, 2,500 eggs/lb body weight, eggs hatch in 5 to 7 days. All male hybrids can be produced by crossing female O. niloticus and maleO. aurea.Or by crossing female O. niloticus and male O. hornorum. Stocking ratios for fingerling production is three females to each male. For food fish estimate at 1500-3,000 lbs. per acre. For food fish production in cages stock 8-15 lbs. per cubic food. Stocking densities in recycle systems depends on the quaility of the filtration used. However at harverst a goal of from 0.5-1.5 lbs pounds per gallon is desired.

Most common production systems:

Practical diagnosis and advice

Most tropical fish, including Tilapia, grow best above 80'F. If they need heat, and the water filter needs a UV stage, why not add a solar water heater to do both? Tilapia can live in fresh or salt water... That might allow us to raise the temp by making the pond a solar salt pond. In an ordinary pond, the suns rays heat the water and the heated water from within the pond rises and reaches the top but loses the heat into the atmosphere.

The net result is that the pond water remains at the atmospheric temperature. The solar pond restricts this tendency by dissolving salt in the bottom layer of the pond making it too heavy to rise. Another suggestion (thanks bbob) is just covering the pond with a clear material (like plastic or glass) to retain heat. In a high activity (read: kids) area, glass might be broken, but bbobs idea of just floating bubble wrap on it is pure brilliance! And it will keep a little air on the surface of the water under the plastic. I will start with just the pond and wrap over it to raise the temp, and then move on to the wind pump and the solar panels if I need more. Studies 1 with some species of tilapia show that "monoculture" (male only) ponds do not produce significantly higher yields than "mixed" (male and female) ponds. Since "everyone knows" that female tilapia grow slower than male tilapia, scientists came up with a method of treating all of the tilapia fingerlings with male hormones so those fish that would have been female now turn out to be male. Then all of the fish in the growing tanks or ponds will be male, and the average growth rate will be higher than it would have been with half males and half females. Now even the US government supports the use of reversal techniques by allowing all of the tilapia hatcheries who wish it to participate in what is known as an INAD. This basically means they have the right to put chemicals into the food of the fish that are not yet cleared as being safe, as long as they send results in to the government. Almost every tilapia grower now uses hormone-treated fingerling tilapia. This basically reduces the time it takes to get the tilapia through the growing stage and hopefully allows for slightly higher profits from the sale of the fish since a farmer can grow more each year. The truth is, however, that the only tilapias that grow faster if they are treated with methyl testosterone are the "pure line" species. These are produced by breeding, say, males of tilapia nilotica to female tilapia nilotica. If hybrids are produced using t. nilotica and T. aurea or T. mozambique and T. hornorum, any females that are produced will tend to grow as fast as the original male tilapia in the pure line species.

Short Guide to Cultured Tilapia Species

There are many tilapia species but only a few are cultured widely around the world today. The following list broadly groups important tilapia species into mouth-brooders and substrate spawners.

I. Mouth-brooders
A. Oreochromis aureus biology and culture. a. Reproduction: Female incubates eggs in her mouth. Optimum temperature 23 to 28 degrees centigrade. Spawn 3 or more times per year with 1500 to 4300 eggs produced per year. Eggs hatch in 3 to 5 days and female guards fry for an additional 8 to 10 days after hatching.

b. Food: Fry eat zooplankton. Adults eat zooplankton and phytoplankton, and graze on bottom organisms. They also eat manufactured food.

c. Culture: Prefers temperatures of 25 to 30 degrees centigrade. Low temperature tolerance 8 to 9 degrees centigrade. Grows well up to salinities of 16 to 20 parts per thousand. B. Oreochromis mossambicus biology and culture. a. Reproduction: Female incubates eggs in her mouth. Optimum temperature 23 to 28 degrees centigrade. Can breed 6 to 12 times per year with 2000 to 10,000 eggs produced per year. Eggs hatch in 2 to 5 days and the female guards the young for an additional 8 to 10 days.

b. Food: Fry eat zooplankton. Adults eat zooplankton, phytoplankton and manufactured food. c. Culture: Optimum temperature is 25 to 30 degrees centigrade. Low temperature tolerance is 10 to 12 degrees centigrade. Spawn and grow well in full strength sea water. C. Oreochromis niloticus biology and culture. a. Reproduction: Female incubates eggs in her mouth. Optimum temperature 25 to 29 degrees centigrade. Average of three spawns per year with about 750 to 6000 eggs produced per year. Eggs hatch in 3 to 5 days and female guards young for 8 to 10 days after hatching.

b. Food: Fry eat zooplankton. Adults eat phytoplankton, zooplankton, insects and other bottom organisms. They also eat manufactured food. c. Culture: Optimum temperature is 25 to 30 degrees centigrade. Lower temperature tolerance is 11 degrees centigrade. Grow well in water up to 20 parts per thousand salinity.

II. Substrate Spawners

A. Tilapia rendalli biology and culture. a. Reproduction: Both parents dig a nest and incubate the eggs and fry. Optimum temperature 25 to 30 degrees centigrade. Spawning may occur at 7-week intervals with 12,000 to 20,000 eggs produced per year. Eggs hatch in 5 days.

b. Food: Fry eat zooplankton. Adults eat aquatic weeds, insects, algae and manufactured food. c. Culture: Optimum temperature is 28 degrees centigrade. Low temperature tolerance is 12 to 13 degrees centigrade. Can tolerate brackish water. B. Tilapia zillii biology and culture. a. Reproduction: Both parents dig a nest and guard the eggs and fry. Optimum temperature 22 to 26 degrees centigrade. Six spawnings per year possible with about 6000 to 42,000 eggs produced per year. Eggs hatch in 3 to 5 days.

b. Food: Fry eat zooplankton. Adults eat phytoplankton, leaves, stems, rooted aquatic vegetation and manufactured food. c. Culture: Optimum temperature is 28 degrees. Lower temperature tolerance is 8 to 9 degrees centigrade. Grows well in full strength sea water. Tilapia is a member of the family Cichlidae. Three genera are well-known namely Oreochromis, Tilapia and Sarotherodon, of which nile tilapia belongs to genus Oreochromis. This species is naturally distributed in Palestine, the Nile River as well as most part of African river and lakes. It was introduced in the Philippines in 1972. Its rising popularity is due to their hardness, resistance to diseases, ease in breeding, reasonable growth rate, good taste, and tolerance to a wide range of environmental conditions including temperature and salinities.

Physical Characteristics
Tilapia are shaped much like sunfish or crappie but can be easily identified by an interrupted lateral line characteristic of the Cichlid family of fishes. They are laterally compressed and deep-bodied with long dorsal fins. The forward portion of the dorsal fin is heavily spined. Spines are also found in the pelvis and anal fins. There are usually wide vertical bars down the sides of fry, fingerlings, and sometimes adults.

Toxemic Positions of Tilapia

Most tilapia species of the tribe Tilapiani now being used in aquaculture were grouped initially into one genus, Tilapia. The species within this genus were later classified according to differences in their mode of reproduction (Low McConnel; 1959 Trewawas, 1973, 1978, 1982). Species which evolved as substrate spawner but guard their eggs were retained in the genus tilapia while those which orally rear their clutches were grouped into a new species Sarotherodon. Classification of the three genera Tilapia, Sarotherodon and Oreochromis was based largely on the differences on their reproduction and feeding habits.

Classification of Tilapia Species used in Aquaculture

1. Genus Tilapia (Substrate spawners)
Both parents guard, protect, aerate the breed, and help move clutch to different nest sites. Fry at first feeding are 4-5 mm and show feeble swimming ability. Fry survival relatively low.

2. Genus Sarotherodon (Paternal/biparental)

Both parents stay close to each other. Eggs and fry brooded in oral cavity up until they are ready for release. Brood may not be collected once released. Fry are between 7-9 mm at first breeding, well developed fins for swimming. Fry survival high.

3. Genus Oreochromis (Maternal)

Female solely involve in brood care. After spawning, female leaves nest to rear her clutch in safety. Fry brooded up until free swimming. There is an extended period of care during which fry seek shelter in buccal cavity for safety. First feeders have well-developed fins for swimming. Fry survival high.

Sex Identification
Sex identification of tilapia is relatively simple. The male has two openings just in front of the anal fin. The large opening is the anus and the smaller opening at the tip is the urogenital pore. The female has three openings: the anus, the genital pore, and the urinary pore. The genital papilla is usually smaller in the female. Tilapia can be sexed when it has attained the weight of 15 grams. Application of ink or dark dyes to the papillae may increase the accuracy of sexing and may allow sexing of smaller fish. By rubbing ink along the papillae of the tilapia, sexes can be readily distinguished.

Spawning
The Nile tilapia is a mouth-brooder. The male establishes a territory and builds a round nest in the pond bottom. (Usually the diameter of a nest is 30 to 60 centimeters. The size of the nest is correlated to the size of the male). The female enters the nest and lays the eggs. The eggs are fertilized by the male. The female then collects and incubates the eggs in her mouth. The eggs are yellow in color. Eggs hatch in about five to seven days. After hatching the fry remain in the mouth of the female for another four to seven days. The fry begin to swim freely in schools, but may return to the mouth of the mother when threatened. Females do not feed during incubation or the brooding period. Females spawn every four to six weeks, but may spawn sooner if the eggs are removed. The number of eggs per spawning is related to the size of the female. A female of about 100 grams may produce approximately 100 eggs per spawning while a female of about 100 to 600 grams can produce approximately 1,000 to 1,500 or more eggs per spawning.

Tilapia Sex Reversal

Male tilapia fish grow faster and much bigger than the females. The males normally weigh from 600-800 gms in four months and can even grow bigger, but the females reach only as much as 150 gms within the same period. Because the female tilapia reproduces fast, the over population in the pond retards/slow their growth and causes the death of many. If the males and females would be put together, it is not easy for harvest time because their growth or sizes would be varied. Materials: Seven (7) inverted (mosquito) nets, Formula SRT-95 (hormone).

Method: 1. Place in the inverted nets (in the pond) the newly hatched fingerlings from the mouth of the mother tilapia. 2. Feed them with the formula. 3. Do this in 21 days. A kilo of hormone can feed 6,000 fingerlings.

The percentage of reversal when fed with this hormone is 95-99%. When 10 days are past, the fish will not change sex even when they are fed with the hormones. This was discovered by Dr. Rafael Guerrero of the Central Luzon State University in 1977, based on his doctoral thesis at the Auburn University. He did not keep the information selfishly but shared it with the people that now benefit from it. For this, he was awarded the TOYM award and the S&T IBM Award in 1987.