Blue versus nile tilapia (aureus vs. nilotica) - Aquaponic Gardening2024-03-28T18:00:27Zhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/forum/topics/blue-versus-nile-tilapia?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A15796&feed=yes&xn_auth=noInteresting ... do you know a…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2011-03-16:4778851:Comment:651292011-03-16T00:27:30.113ZKate Minkhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/KateMink
<p>Interesting ... do you know anywhere could we get Hawaiian Golds in Hawaii? Here on Kauai we have some wild golden tilapia, I have had them in my system,a nd they aren't as hardy or as fast-growing as the blacks.<br></br> <cite>Kellen Weissenbach said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://aquaponicscommunity.com/forum/topics/blue-versus-nile-tilapia?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A65017&xg_source=msg_com_forum#4778851Comment65017"><div><p>We raise 4 different tilapia strains. White Brook White…</p>
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<p>Interesting ... do you know anywhere could we get Hawaiian Golds in Hawaii? Here on Kauai we have some wild golden tilapia, I have had them in my system,a nd they aren't as hardy or as fast-growing as the blacks.<br/> <cite>Kellen Weissenbach said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://aquaponicscommunity.com/forum/topics/blue-versus-nile-tilapia?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A65017&xg_source=msg_com_forum#4778851Comment65017"><div><p>We raise 4 different tilapia strains. White Brook White Niles (O. niloticus based strain), Red Niles (O. niloticus based strain), A pure Blue (O. aureus based strain) and Hawaiian Golds (O. mossambicus based strain). They are all fairly similar in most aspects, but they do have their differences.</p>
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<p>The White Brook White Niles and Red Niles are the fastest growing and have the best body conformation for maximum fillet yield. They also tolerate low temperatures rivaling that of Blues. The Blues are the most cold tolerant, but really only by a degree or two. They are a fast growing fish, but not as fast as the Niles. The Hawaiian Golds are the least cold tolerant, at around 56F degrees, but they are extremely easy to breed (males and females can be ID'd without vent examination quite accurately and easily) and have amazingly striking orange/gold color. For a Mozambique strain, they are impressively fast growers as well, and make an excellent choice for growers who have a temperature controlled system.</p>
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<p>Depending on the application, there are situations where one strain is better suited than another. Typically, for most growers, a fast growth rate is the single most important characteristic. Cold tolerance is less important than most people consider it to be. If a fish can reach harvest size within 5-6 months, you don't have to worry much about cold tolerance as long as you are maintaining an indoor breeder colony over the winter months or purchase your fish annually. Frankly, those are the two primary options for the bulk of growers in the US.</p>
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<p>Sylvia sells the White Brook White Nile and Pure Blue Tilapia on her website in small quantities.</p>
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</blockquote> We raise 4 different tilapia…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2011-03-15:4778851:Comment:650172011-03-15T21:42:02.370ZKellen Weissenbachhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/KellenWeissenbach
<p>We raise 4 different tilapia strains. White Brook White Niles (O. niloticus based strain), Red Niles (O. niloticus based strain), A pure Blue (O. aureus based strain) and Hawaiian Golds (O. mossambicus based strain). They are all fairly similar in most aspects, but they do have their differences.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The White Brook White Niles and Red Niles are the fastest growing and have the best body conformation for maximum fillet yield. They also tolerate low temperatures rivaling that…</p>
<p>We raise 4 different tilapia strains. White Brook White Niles (O. niloticus based strain), Red Niles (O. niloticus based strain), A pure Blue (O. aureus based strain) and Hawaiian Golds (O. mossambicus based strain). They are all fairly similar in most aspects, but they do have their differences.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The White Brook White Niles and Red Niles are the fastest growing and have the best body conformation for maximum fillet yield. They also tolerate low temperatures rivaling that of Blues. The Blues are the most cold tolerant, but really only by a degree or two. They are a fast growing fish, but not as fast as the Niles. The Hawaiian Golds are the least cold tolerant, at around 56F degrees, but they are extremely easy to breed (males and females can be ID'd without vent examination quite accurately and easily) and have amazingly striking orange/gold color. For a Mozambique strain, they are impressively fast growers as well, and make an excellent choice for growers who have a temperature controlled system.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Depending on the application, there are situations where one strain is better suited than another. Typically, for most growers, a fast growth rate is the single most important characteristic. Cold tolerance is less important than most people consider it to be. If a fish can reach harvest size within 5-6 months, you don't have to worry much about cold tolerance as long as you are maintaining an indoor breeder colony over the winter months or purchase your fish annually. Frankly, those are the two primary options for the bulk of growers in the US.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sylvia sells the White Brook White Nile and Pure Blue Tilapia on her website in small quantities.</p> My first test system sprung a…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2011-03-15:4778851:Comment:647072011-03-15T14:48:16.444ZRachelhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/Rachel
My first test system sprung a small leak in the growbed so I built a new system out of an IBC. The fish are growing, some grew very fast, some are still only a few inches long (Males vs females?). I made an arch over the top of the growbed out of an 8' x 4 piece of concrete reinforcement mesh and covered the whole thing with greenhouse plastic. It got really hot in there during the days (well over 100˚), I thought it would make the lettuce bolt, but the cooler water temps must keep that from…
My first test system sprung a small leak in the growbed so I built a new system out of an IBC. The fish are growing, some grew very fast, some are still only a few inches long (Males vs females?). I made an arch over the top of the growbed out of an 8' x 4 piece of concrete reinforcement mesh and covered the whole thing with greenhouse plastic. It got really hot in there during the days (well over 100˚), I thought it would make the lettuce bolt, but the cooler water temps must keep that from happening. That along with a small aquarium heater rated for 90 gallons (the tank part of my system is probably 175 gallons) kept the fish warm enough even through that 19˚ night. I have since built a 500 gallon pond, but don't have growbeds for it yet, I'm hoping to expand into that this spring/summer. Rachael, It's been a long tim…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2011-03-15:4778851:Comment:646122011-03-15T14:38:02.399ZSheri Schmeckpeperhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/SheriSchmeckpeper
<p>Rachael, It's been a long time since you posted this. How are things going? </p>
<p>I live in the Phx area as well (Gilbert) & we're starting a 200 gal tank with Nile Tilapia. We have it cycled & just added the tilapia. We used chicken poop & goldfish to get it going. Yes, there are risks in doing that, but you go cautiously & it can work. If this goes well we'll expand to a 1500 gal. tank </p>
<p>Since you started in the summer & have made it through the winter, I'm…</p>
<p>Rachael, It's been a long time since you posted this. How are things going? </p>
<p>I live in the Phx area as well (Gilbert) & we're starting a 200 gal tank with Nile Tilapia. We have it cycled & just added the tilapia. We used chicken poop & goldfish to get it going. Yes, there are risks in doing that, but you go cautiously & it can work. If this goes well we'll expand to a 1500 gal. tank </p>
<p>Since you started in the summer & have made it through the winter, I'm wondering how you did through the freezes? We're building a greenhouse which will have a swamp cooler to control the heat. I'd love to find out how your system is progressing. </p> The blues are the only legal…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2010-10-04:4778851:Comment:158602010-10-04T20:42:28.000ZTCLynxhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/TCLynx
The blues are the only legal ones in Florida unless you have an Aquaculture permit.
The blues are the only legal ones in Florida unless you have an Aquaculture permit. Realistically, if you're bran…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2010-10-04:4778851:Comment:157962010-10-04T02:15:06.000ZKate Minkhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/KateMink
Realistically, if you're brand new, what you mainly want is tough, hardy fish. For that, O. mossambicus, the common black tilapia, wins. (They're also very tasty.) I believe that niloticus is more vegetarianin its eating habits than either mossambicus or aureus. Try asking the folks at Friendly Aquaponics, I'm sure they know. Last I knew they were raising blues and also some stunning white tilapia.
Realistically, if you're brand new, what you mainly want is tough, hardy fish. For that, O. mossambicus, the common black tilapia, wins. (They're also very tasty.) I believe that niloticus is more vegetarianin its eating habits than either mossambicus or aureus. Try asking the folks at Friendly Aquaponics, I'm sure they know. Last I knew they were raising blues and also some stunning white tilapia. Potential world record tilapi…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2010-09-03:4778851:Comment:104832010-09-03T21:39:44.000ZSahib Punjabihttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/SahibPunjabi
<b>Potential world record tilapia caught in St. Lucie River, FL<br />
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<a href="http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2010/sep/01/potential-world-record-tilapia-caught-in-st/" target="_blank">http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2010/sep/01/potential-world-record-tilapia-caught-in-st/</a>
<b>Potential world record tilapia caught in St. Lucie River, FL<br />
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<a href="http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2010/sep/01/potential-world-record-tilapia-caught-in-st/" target="_blank">http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2010/sep/01/potential-world-record-tilapia-caught-in-st/</a> I think you should go with yo…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2010-07-28:4778851:Comment:77642010-07-28T20:08:58.000Zdanohttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/dano
I think you should go with your gut on this one. I like the blues best, but youve picked the best breed of chicken so I'd say you will be fine.
I think you should go with your gut on this one. I like the blues best, but youve picked the best breed of chicken so I'd say you will be fine. Oh yeah, my Niles will take t…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2010-07-05:4778851:Comment:67582010-07-05T16:35:10.000ZNate Storeyhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/NateStorey
Oh yeah, my Niles will take temps down to 55 with little stress, and can handle 55-50 for a day maybe before they start dying (all of my breeding pairs have survived these temps- and most of their offspring have too). This is without any other serious stress factors. My RMWhites will do about the same. Supposedly they survive down to 50 for a bit more extended duration (although I've never tested them seriously). But they stop feeding between 60-55, and their feeding leaves a lot to be desired…
Oh yeah, my Niles will take temps down to 55 with little stress, and can handle 55-50 for a day maybe before they start dying (all of my breeding pairs have survived these temps- and most of their offspring have too). This is without any other serious stress factors. My RMWhites will do about the same. Supposedly they survive down to 50 for a bit more extended duration (although I've never tested them seriously). But they stop feeding between 60-55, and their feeding leaves a lot to be desired in comparison to my RVNiles. So they're pretty worthless at those temps anyway. I'd rather have a fish that dies than one that won't gain weight. The RVNiles I've taken down to 60 several times with no visible ill effects besides slight lethargy. They still feed much more voraciously at these temps than my RMWhites. I wish I could look at cortisol levels, but that's expensive. There's a lot to be said for home aquapons breeding "stress tolerant" fish as opposed to "temperature tolerant" fish. There's a lot of evidence that indicates that this can be done, and is probably being done on a number of informal levels. . . I really think that home breeders will unlock a number of genetic improvements which will hopefully be identified and spread. Hi Rachel,
It seems like folk…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2010-07-05:4778851:Comment:67562010-07-05T16:25:47.000ZNate Storeyhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/NateStorey
Hi Rachel,<br />
It seems like folks have hit on the pertinent differences between the two species. . . Blues will be more tolerant of lower temperatures generally, but honestly I have a healthy pop. of Niles that can handle just as much temp stress as the T. aureus I've played with. I actually like Niles more because their growth rate is generally better. I'm willing to risk temp. stress with fish that will grow almost twice as fast as my aureus hybrids. My all time favorite is Red Varian Nile…
Hi Rachel,<br />
It seems like folks have hit on the pertinent differences between the two species. . . Blues will be more tolerant of lower temperatures generally, but honestly I have a healthy pop. of Niles that can handle just as much temp stress as the T. aureus I've played with. I actually like Niles more because their growth rate is generally better. I'm willing to risk temp. stress with fish that will grow almost twice as fast as my aureus hybrids. My all time favorite is Red Varian Nile tilapia- they're pretty and I've never had fish that put on such gorgeous weight and fillet weight. I've found they always feed (even when pretty stressed) and make my aureus hybrids look like sissies when it comes to weight gain.<br />
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Remember that most species of tilapia in the US are mutts with a pretty impure genetic background. (I read a study that traced all mossabicus in the US (I think) back to 28 breeding pairs imported from Africa, and the same is true for many of the other "pure" strain tilapia varieties, especially "blue" tilapia. most of the tilapia already have some degree of hybridization, so unless you plan on going for a very specific breeding program (and are willing to pay for purebred broodstock) just get as many different tilapia types as you can and see what does the best in your system. I've been breeding now for a couple years and generally Darwin has been my master breeder, and I now have some nice low temp. tolerant Niles, Red Variant Niles and RMWhites (this is what works for me- each system will be different- they're all different little ecosystems with unique requirements).