Help determining sex of tilapia

[Ryan Garlington]

So- Im wanting to get some breeding over the winter. I have 2 larger Tilapia (one definitely a female) and these six that were born in the same group 5 months ago. I cant really tell from looking at the undersides of these guys what gender they are.

My question-

Can we assume that the gold one is a male since it is the same age but clearly bigger than the others?

[Pam DeLong]

Please view my comments and drawings for what seemed apparent to me with my Blues:

http://community.theaquaponicsource.com/group/tilapia-breeding

Hope that helps.

Is the 'gold' one actually a white Tilapia? My first fish were whites...sometimes they looked goldish, other times pinkish when they were scooping out a nest.

[Ryan Garlington]

Im assuming they are all Mozambique Tilapia. Its the only variety allowed here in Texas, and I bought the first set of fish from a licensed, professional pond stocking service. The gold one has been gold since birth.

Here's the crazy way I found out my biggest one (not in the photo) was a female.

I had to remove and eat a very aggressive fish from the tank. When I was cleaning it, I found egg sacs. I dumped the eggs into the tank to see what would happen. My big white one scooped them up and held them in her mouth about a week. I think she ate them in the end.

Thanks, and Ill look at the page you linked.

[Pam DeLong]

Even when I separated my male & female, she continued to 'nest', lay eggs, and carry them for 3-6 days. I know they're not fertile, and I think she figures that out in due time and 'dispenses' with them.  She goes through that cycle about every 3 weeks.

If you are truly wanted breeding fish, I hope that comes to pass. With mine, I only have a breedable pair...as many babies are the result (200-400+), I barely have room to keep them all!  "Be careful what you wish for!" LOL!

[Ryan Garlington]

Looks like its a female. I noticed a little bump growing on her abdomen, and this morning when I fed all the fish, she didn't eat. I looked closely and saw that she is holding eggs in her mouth this morning.

[Pam DeLong]

Congratulations!
Incubation is roughly 2 weeks. As time goes by, if the eggs are fertile, the skin under her jaw will swell slightly. Then one day you'll see a LOT of tiny fishies! If you have additional tanks, it might be a good idea to remove the adults. I take the male out when I see her mouth full, then take her out after about four days. Or, if you're able, use a fine net to scoop out as many babies as you can to another tank. Unless you have a good supply of algae, you might pick up a couple packs of First Bites.
Good luck!

[FnY Farms]

Thats Great! I have my water set at 72 but I hope mine will breed when it gets warmer.

[Ryan Garlington]

I keep my tank at 85 for breeding. I found a couple of good resources that reccomended that and a pH of 8.0. My pH is about 6.5. Its really slow work, safely changing the pH.