Tilapia: Taxonomy, Biology and

Reproduction, Feeding behavior and

Environmental requirements

Jitendra Kumar
DFK 1303
Dept of FRM
TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION

“Tilapia” is the generic name of a group of cichlids

endemic to Africa.

 Phylum: Chordata
 Subphylum:
Vertebrata
 Class: Osteichthyes
 Order: Perciformes
 Family: Cichlidae
Introduction

 Tilapia is one of the most widely cultured fish in the

world.

 Currently, farmed tilapia represents more than 75% of

world tilapia production (FAO, 2009),

 Several factors have contributed to the rapid global growth

of tilapia.

 Tilapia are easily cultured and highly adaptable to a wide

range of environmental conditions.
 Genus Tilapia: Includes those species which
are substrate spawners and do not keep the
eggs in the mouth for incubation

 Genus Sarotherodon: Includes those species

which are mostly paternal mouth brooders and
sometimes eggs and hatched larvae.

 Genus Oreochromis: Includes those species

which are exclusively maternal mouth brooders.
In this group the males construct and defend a
mating territory in an arena with other males in
adjacent terrirories, and females come to find
spawning partners, e.g. O. niloticus, O. aureus,
O. mossambicus.
 A total of about 70 species of tilapia have
been so far listed as native to Africa.

 Only a few species are suitable and

popular for farming in ponds and other
culture systems, which include-:

 Nile tilapia(Oreochromis niloticus)

 Mozambique tilapia (O. mossambicus)
 Blue tilapia (O. aureus)
 three spotted tilapia (O. andersonii) etc..
There are also some genetically improved strains such as Genetically
Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT), red tilapia strains and hybrids.
Mozambique tilapia,
Oreochromis
mossambicus
  Oreochromis mossambicus is native to Malawi,
Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe and
South Africa.

Mozambique Tilapia in Aquacultures

 Oreochromis mossambicus is a popular fish among

fish farmers since it is hardy and easy to grow.

 The fish is a popular food fish with white, mild flesh.

It is however far from the most common tilapia
species in aquacultures;

 roughly 4 percent of the total global tilapia

aquaculture production is made up by Oreochromis
mossambicus.
Mozambique Tilapia in Aquariums

 Mozambique tilapia can be kept in

aquariums but only if you have a big
aquarium since it can exceed 40 cm (16
inches) in length as an adult.

 It grows really fast, so you will need that

large aquarium fairly soon even if you
purchase small juvenile specimens.

 The Mozambique tilapia is a hardy species,

Conservation Status for Oreochromis Mossambicus

The Mozambique tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus, is listed

as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species.

This is a problem, since this two species readily mates with

each other which leads to hybridization.

According to IUCN, the Mozambique tilapia is likely to

become locally extinct in those systems.

Hybridization is not the only problem; competition can also

pose a threat to the Mozambique tilapia.
Nile tilapia, Oreochromis
niloticus
Morphology

 Caudal fin with regular dark vertical stripes

 Dorsal fin with dark margin
 Red coloration on head and lower part of
the body in breeding males
 Variable coloration in females dependent
on subspecies- some may show coloration
similar to males during breeding season
Behaviour
 During the day fish may form large
schools that break up during the night
and reform at dawn
Diet
Juveniles
Diurnal feeding pattern
Omnivorous as fry consuming primarily copepods,
and insects
By 6 cm TL, diet becomes primarily phytoplankton
Adults
Diurnal feeding pattern
Primarily utilize phytoplankton (blue-green algae and
diatoms) but may also consume macrophytes
when phytoplankton densities are low
 Life
Cycle
 Maximum size of 64 mm TL
 Typically obtain a total length of 25 cm
by second year

Maturity
 first sexual maturity 9 to 15 cm TL

 Age at maturity occurs in first year between 5

and 10 months of age
Habitat Characteristics
 Prefers temperatures between 28 –30
deg C depending on acclimation
temperature

 Can tolerate low dissolved oxygen

(0.1ppm)
Genetically Improved Farmed
Tilapia (GIFT) strain.

In Bangladesh, comparative growth and production potential of GIFT

and existing Nile tilapia strains (O. niloticus) was evaluated both
under on-station and on-farm conditions.

Total yield of the GIFT was significantly higher (57%

more; P<0.05) than that of the existing strain.
GIFT strain for aquaculture

 High yielding
 Excellent breeder
 Efficient converter of organic and
agricultural wastes in to high quality protein
 Resistant to disease
 Very hardy
 Tolerant to over crowding conditions
 Able to grow in either fresh or brackish
water
 Nile tilapia is an important food fish that has been
introduced to many different parts of the world by
man.

 It can today be found on all continents except

Antarctica.

 In several countries, Nile tilapia has become a

problematic invasive species after its introduction.
Tolerance to ecological
conditions
 Water temperatures 12 to 35oC
 pH 6.5 – 8.0
 Dissolve oxygen 2.0 – 8.0 mg/l
 Salinity 3 - 25 ppt
Growth

 Nile tilapia can grow to

 150 – 250 g in 4 to 6 months,
 500 to 800 g in 10 to 12 months and
 2 – 3 kg in 2 years.

Food

 O. niloticus is capable of using a wide

range of food materials from tiny plankton
(phytoplanton and zooplankton) to
macrophytes.

 It grows well on artificial feeds.

Fecundity

 Colour of ripe and fertilized eggs is pale

yellow orange
 size ranges between 1.0-2.0 mm x 1.5-
3.0 mm in diameter,
 and 2.3 – 2.8 mm in length

 The fecundity fluctuates widely from a

few hundred to several thousand eggs,
depending on the size and age of the
female.
O. niloticus embryonic development
there are five easily observed
developmental stages (Hussain
1992)
• Morula stage: 6-8 hrs. after fertilization (a.f.)

• Pigmentation stage: 45-50 hrs. a.f.

• Hatching stage: 70-90 hrs. a.f.

• Yolk sac resorption stage: 6-10 days a.f.

• First feeding stage: 12 – 14 days a.f.

Production and Economics for
Culture of Tilapia in

Semi-intensive System

(Area of Pond :1 Ha Duration : 7-8 months)

 Production and Economics for Culture of Tilapia in Semi-intensive System
Sr. particulars Rate of Unit Quantity Amount
No. Appli.(/ha) price(Rs.) (1ha) (Rs)

1 Dewatering of pond (Diesel) 40 lit. 50/- 40 lit. 2000/-

2 Drying of pond - - - -
3 Ploughing of pond (Tractor) - 300/-per hr. 8 hr. 2400/-
4 Lime application 300 kg 5/- 300 1500/-
5 Fertilizer(Organic) 5000kg o.5/- 4 ton 2000/-
6 Fertilizer( Urea) 25 kg 5/- 25 kg 125/-
7 Fertilizer (SSP) 75 kg 5/- 75 kg 375/-
8 Fertilizer (GOC) 200 kg 20/- 200 kg 4000/-
9 Seed (Fingerling) 2/m2 0.5 20,000 10,000/-
10 Feed (GOC + RB) /A.F.(25-32% protein) 2-3% 18/-/Kg 7000kg 1,26,ooo/-

11 Miscellaneous Expenditure - - - 5,000/-

12 FCR - - 2.0 -
13 Average Growth - - 220 (g) -
14 Survival - - 80% -
15 Production - - 3500 Kg -
16 Sale Price (Rs./kg) - - - Rs 80/kg
17 Total Income (Rs) - - - 2,81,600/-

18 Total Expenditure - - - 1,53,400/-

19 Net Income (Rs) (17 – 18) - - - 1,28,200/-

Conclusions

 Tilapia are a good fish for warm water aquaculture.

 They are easily spawned, use a wide variety of natural

foods as well as artificial feeds, tolerate poor water
quality, and grow rapidly at warm temperatures.

 These attributes, along with relatively low input costs,

have made tilapia the most widely cultured freshwater
fish in tropical and subtropical countries.

 Consumers like tilapia’s firm flesh and mild flavor, so

markets have expanded rapidly in U.S. during the last
10 years, mostly based on foreign imports.
Thank You