TILAPIA CULTURE

Ideal Species for culture

Can be bred in any type of waterbody (prolific breeder) Omnivorous feeding habit, eats almost anything hence termed as Aquatic chicken Can tolerate low D.O

Hardy in nature (can be reared in any waterbody) Good growth rate Relished by people

Disadvantage

However its early maturation (10 cm / 30gms body weight) and frequent reproduction causes overpopulation in the fish ponds. Overpopulation results in competition for food between stocked fishes and newly recruited ones, finally resulting in reduced growth rate resulting in many small sized tilapias at harvest.

Growth rate of male is higher than females, hence mono-culture/mono-sex culture is carried out.

Tilapia are native to Africa, Israel and Jordan

Water Temperatures for:

Best growth- above 250C

Spawning - above 200C

Death- 10 to 120C

80 species have been described, 3-4 principal species are used for culture

Classified into 3 groups

Oreochromis sp (Maternal mouthbreeders) Sarotherodon sp (Biparental mouthbreeders) Tilapia sp (Substrate spawner)

Popular Cultured Tilapias

Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Presently, Nile tilapia is the most popular tilapia for culture because of its fast growth.

Popular Cultured Tilapias

Red Tilapia

The red tilapia variety is popular because consumers are attracted to its pleasing color and some red tilapia strains can be cultured in full strength sea water. (The red coloration is a genetic mutation found in Nile, Mozambique and Blue tilapia.)

Popular Cultured Tilapias

Blue Tilapia (Oreochromis aureus)

The blue tilapia is native to Israel and is more tolerant to cold water temperatures than most tilapia.

Popular Cultured Tilapias

Mozambique Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus)

Mozambique tilapia was the first and most widely distributed tilapia species outside of Africa and is present in most Asian countries. However, its slow growth and dark colour have reduced its importance as a culture fish.

Most tilapia are cultured in fresh water. However, as fresh water is limited, more farmers are trying to culture tilapia in brackish and sea water. The Mozambique tilapia and red tilapia can be grown in full strength sea water. Nile tilapia and Blue tilapia will grow well in water up to 15 ppt saltwater. All species of tilapia reproduce best in fresh water or salt water with salinities lower than 10 ppt.

Major Tilapia Producing nations

China Egypt Thailand Philippines Indonesia

NATURAL BREEDING

Males dig and defend a nest

Males and females reach sexual maturity when they are 3 to 5 months of age. Males dig a bowl shaped nest in soft bottom substrates located in shallow water. The male defends his nest territory from invasion by other males. Females ready to spawn enter a nest and after a short courtship, lay their eggs on the nest bottom. The male quickly fertilizes the eggs. The female picks up the fertilized eggs in her mouth for incubation. The female leaves the nest area to care for her eggs.

Females incubates eggs in mouth

The female will incubate the eggs in her mouth for 5 to 6 days before they hatch. The female will continue to care for the yolksac fry (8 to 10 mm long) in her mouth. Fry that are free-swimming and leave the females mouth to feed are still cared for by the female. At any sign of danger, the female signals the fry and they swim back into her mouth for protection. The female cares for the eggs and fry for 2 to 3 weeks. During this time, she does not eat. Females can spawn 4 to 6 times a year where water temperature permit. Females spawn about 1 to 2 eggs per gram body weight. A 400 g female can spawn between 400 to 800 eggs. Tilapia egg fecundity per spawn is low but egg and fry survival are high because of parental care.

Females defend the fry

Tilapia spawn naturally in a variety of containers. a) Ponds b) Cages (hapas) c) Tanks PONDS:
Cultured tilapia are mostly spawned in small earthen ponds. Normal stocking density in earthen ponds is 1 brooder per m2 and a ratio of 1 male for every 2 to 3 females. Fry and small fingerlings are periodically harvested from the ponds with a seine net.

Seed production

Ponds

Cages & Tanks

Tilapia can also be spawned in small mesh cages (hapas) or in concrete or fiberglass tanks. Tilapia do not need a soft substrate to spawn. Males, though unable to dig a nest, still defend a territory and females lay their eggs on the hard bottom.

Cages ( hapas )

Stocking density in cages or tanks is 3 to 5 brooders per m2 and a ratio of 1 male to 1 female.

Tanks

Fry can be harvested:

1. 18 days after stocking brood fish
- Higher numbers of fry per female - Lower survival due to handling stress

2. 40 days after stocking brood fish

- Increased survival / No handling stress - Cannibalism of large fry on small fry lowers the number of fry harvested per female

3. Harvesting
- Both partial/complete harvesting can be done

Eggs can be removed from females:

Yolk-sac tilapia fry Incubating Tilapia eggs

Tilapia Culture

Different culture systems employed

Earthen pond, Concrete tank, Raceway, Cage Extensive, Semi-intensive, Intensive, Monoculture, Polyculture, Monosex culture, Mixed sex culture

Different management strategy employed

System and strategy employed depends on farmers resources, site characteristics, environmental conditions, socio-economic factors, technological knowhow and market demand.

Tilapia can be cultured as:

1.Mixed sexes
Males and females together

2. Mono-sex Only males

Mixed-sex Culture
Advantages: 1. Technically easy Disadvantages: 1. Small harvest weight 2. Mixed sizes at harvest

Stocking a predacious fish with mixed-sex tilapia will control tilapia density and increase final harvest weight.
Asian Sea Bass

Notopterus spp

Mono-sex culture

Advantages: 1. Large harvest weight 2. Uniform size at harvest

Disadvantages: 1. Technically difficult

Mono-sex male tilapia populations can be produced by:

1. Visual selection
2. Hybridization 3. Sex-reversal
Male Populations

4. Genetic manipulation

Visual Selection of the Genital Papilla

Female papilla with oviduct anus

Male papilla anus

Hybridization
Male Hornorum tilapia

ZZ XZ

XX
Female Nile tilapia
All-male hybrid tilapia

Sex Reversal of Tilapia Fry

During the last 10 to 15 years, the most popular way to produce all-male populations is with hormone sex reversal of tilapia fry. Recently hatched tilapia fry fed a powdered diet containing a male steroid for 20 to 28 days. Fry that would have been females if fed a steroid diet, will be functional males at the end of the hormone treatment. While all-male populations are hard to produce with sex reversal treatment, 95 to 98 % males are commonly produced.

Genetic Manipulation
1)
XXF + XYM estrogen XXF + XYF

2) XYF

x XYM

XXF + 2 XYM + YYM

3) XXF x

YYM

100% XYM

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

cottonseed meal

wheat bran rice bran

floating

Tilapia can be purchased

At supermarkets and fish shops
fresh and frozen fillets

whole on ice

Advantages of Farming Tilapia

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 round the year

Disadvantages of raising 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