Tilapia are mainly native to Africa, but have been introduced to many countries, including the US. They are hardy, disease resistant, reproduce easily, eat a wide variety of foods and tolerate low water quality with low dissolved oxygen levels.They eat almost anything and have a real ability to turn out pounds of very good quality meat in a small system. While the information below is a bit technical it is invaluable to those who want to set up a sytem. Start with the right fish and the right setup and you will greatly increase the odds of your success. So for those in the tropics we reccomend Tilapia as the species of choice for sustainable small scale fish farming.

Most species and hybrids will tolerate brackish water and some will adapt to full strength sea water. These characteristics make tilapia suitable for culture in most developing countrys and particularly for subsistence fish farming.

Tilapia are most often grown in ponds, cages, and in rice fields.

SPECIES OF TILAPIA FOR CULTURING

MOUTH BROODERS:

1. OREOCHROMIS aureus The Blue Tilapia, biology and culture,
a. Reproduction : female incubates eggs in her mouth. Optimum temperature is 23-28 degrees centigrade. Spawn 3-4 times a year with 1200 to 4,000 eggs produced per year. Eggs hatch in 3-5 days, female guards fry an additional 8-10 days post hatching.

b. Food : Fry eat zooplankton/'greenwater'. Adults eat zooplankton and phytoplankton and graze on bottom organisms, and will browse roots of floating aquatic plants. Will learn to eat duckweed. Also eat manufactured foods.

c.Culture: prefers temperatures of 25 to 30 degreess centigrade, temperatures under 8 degrees centigrade are lethal. Grows well in salinities of 16 to 20 parts per thousand.

1. Oreochromis mossambicus: Mossambique, tilapia, 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 2,000 to 8,000 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 foods.

c.Culture: optimum temperature is 25 to 30 degrees centigrade, low temperature tolerance is 10-12 degrees Centigrade, temperatures below 10 are lethal. They spawn and grow well in full strength sea water.

3.Oreochromis niloticus: Nile tilapia, biology and culture;
a.Reproduction; female incubates eggs in her mouth, optimum temperature of 25 to 29 degrees centigrade, average of 3 spawns per year with about 750 to 5,000 eggs produced per year. Eggs hatch in 3-5 days and female guards young for 8 to 10 days after hatching.

b. Food: fry eat zooplankton, adults eat phytoplankton and manufactured foods.

c.Culture; optimum temperature is 25 to 30 degrees centigrade, low temperature tolerance of 11 degrees Centigrade, temperatures under 11 Centigrade are lethal. They grow well in water up to 20 parts per thousand salinity.

SUBSTRATE SPAWNERS

1. Tilapia rendalli. biology and culture;
a. both parents dig a nest and incubate the eggs and fry. optimum temperature is 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 limit is 12 to 13 degrees Centigrade, temperature under 11 degrees is lethal. Can tolerate brackish water.

2. 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 6,000 to 40,000 eggs produced per year. Eggs hatch in 3-5 days.

b. Food. Fry eat zooplankton, adults eat phytoplankton, leaves, stems, rooted aquatic vegetation and manufactured foods.

c. Culture. optimum temperature is 28 degrees, lower temperature tolerance is 8-9 degrees Centigrade, lethal under 8 degrees Centigrade. Grows well in full strength sea water.

STRAINS FOR SUBSISTENCE AQUACULTURE

While pure species can be used in Subsistence Aquaculture best results will be had in using one of the commercially stabilized hybrids. These have many proprietary names i.e. "Penny Fish", "Florida Red", "Israeli Red" and others. Locate a reputable breeder and work with their reccommendations. Most breeder farms have a number of strains to work with. A number of the 'Red' strains will have mottled white individuals, and darker ones, this in no way effects the growth of the fish or the tastes. Some breeders have all white strains as well as the natural dary gray original colors. Color in commercial Tilapia is strictly a personal and esthetic preference. Grow what you like. The 'Red' are easy to keep red just by selecting red fish to grow out for breeders.