Comment

Comment by Dr. George B. Brooks, Jr. on August 31, 2012 at 8:25pm

Greeting Bob. Can't explain that. Try cutting and pasting the link to your browser. Its just a quick jpg of a zillii however, taken of the web. Probably easier just to Google Tilapia zillii images. BTW now that I think about it, you can also have a pure strain of a species. For example, if you get wild fish fish from a particular known population of a particular species, that could be considered a pure strain of a pure species. Kind of gives you headaches and scientists are always fighting over classifications. 

Comment by Bob Campbell on August 31, 2012 at 7:46pm

@Dr. George B. Brooks, Jr. - This is what your link goes to when I click on it.

Comment by Zach Moler on August 31, 2012 at 7:26pm

So deciding to dig a 8x5x4 pit in august for the new fish tank may have been a bad idea in august, but its done, going to line it with block carpet then my hdpe liner and ill finally be done... till making the raft beds

 

Comment by Dr. George B. Brooks, Jr. on August 31, 2012 at 6:47pm

The link on zillii was just a photo. ;-) However the link you provide Bob is an excellent description of the species.

Comment by Bob Campbell on August 31, 2012 at 6:41pm

Dr Brooks' link did not work for me, but this link about Tilapia Zillii seemed pretty informative

Comment by Scott Bloom on August 31, 2012 at 6:27pm

My bacteria came along quite quickly, it took 7 days for nitrites to show and an additional 5 days for nitrates to show up.  Have not added any fish yet, with the info below I will allow the bacteria to grow for a while longer.  Did sow some seeds though, Home Depot generic seed packs, just for fun.

Comment by Dr. George B. Brooks, Jr. on August 31, 2012 at 6:26pm

And yes, it is very difficult to find pure anything.

Comment by Dr. George B. Brooks, Jr. on August 31, 2012 at 6:22pm

1. You get what you pay for usually though there is a lot of ........ out there. Buyer Beware. I like local sources that I can watch for a while or just get a few fish so I can try them.

2. Species vs strain an excellent question. All fish within a species are not the same. A population of nile tilapia adapted to conditions in north Africa will be different from a population in south Africa. Also within a population of one species different characteristics are spread out along the bell shaped curve. A strain is created when a grower does a lot of selective breeding of fish from different populations and or fish with the desired characteristics from the same population to create a fish that within natural variation looks, tastes and grows the way they want. So a pure strain and pure species are NOT the same and have little relation to each other.

Comment by Nathanael on August 31, 2012 at 6:09pm

Just out of curiosity, isn't there a big difference between a pure species vs. a pure strain?

So, example, if going through a certified fish farm and you ask for pure Blue (Oreochromis Aureus) you really receive a pure strain vs a pure species? Or even in regards to strains it is near impossible to find pure?

I guess really my hope is to settle on one that will be great for Phoenix climate, the family and friends dinner table, and allow opportunity for reproduction.

Dr. Brooks, If this be a fair question and you had to lean in a direction knowing that so many factors come into play, where would you find your loyalties generally lying with the different Tilapia Strain. 

is it better to find a local person you trust or to pay the extra shipping to go through a reputable Fish Farm such as "White Brook"

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my question be they silly or naive. 

Comment by Dr. George B. Brooks, Jr. on August 31, 2012 at 5:38pm

A quick note: 1. There are only 5 actual species legal in Arizona. Only 4 are suitable for aquaculture.

Oreochromis mossambicus

O. niloticus

O. aureus

O. urolepis hornorum.

the 5th species is Tilapia zillii. Never use them. Their breeding strategy is different from the others so they will get out of control fast! They are great for weed control in canals though

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/stats/misc_pics/tilapia_zilli1_md.jpg

Though many may disagree IMHO it is almost impossible to find pure bred tilapia. Most if not all tilapia in Arizona (and California too no matter what the seller said) are  hybrids of some kind. Most common are O. aureus x O. niloticus (blue/nile) and O. mossambicus x O. u. hornorum (the famous Golden tilapia). Beyond that for the past 40 years from these initial combination, breeders have been trying to create the perfect fish. In some cases some have indeed come up with some really great ones. The Colorado white for example. However all life responds to the conditions where where it is grown. So the best fish for me may not be the best for for you. So this will be a matter of trial and error. Have fun.

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