The difference between Red, Blue or White Tilapia

[David W. Russell]

I found a place in Florida that was selling, Red, Blue and White tilapia.  Well God Bless the USA!  But then I started thinking, is there a difference between the colors of tilapia? And should I pick one over the other?  Here is the post site in Craiglist.  Why do reds  and whits costs more????  Should I buy a few of each??

 

http://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/grd/2707729531.html

 

 

[TCLynx]

I believe that without an aquaculture permit, here in Florida, only the Blues are Legal to have.  For the other Varieties, whoever is selling them is likely breaking the law if they sell them to anyone without the aquaculture permit and the other special waivers for having restricted species.

 

See the Blues have already naturalized around much of Florida and so they are not bothering to restrict them in most counties anymore.

[David W. Russell]

Thank you for the info.  Do you know if there is any difference in fish other than the color...?  like taste or growth rates ?

TCLynx said:

I believe that without an aquaculture permit, here in Florida, only the Blues are Legal to have.  For the other Varieties, whoever is selling them is likely breaking the law if they sell them to anyone without the aquaculture permit and the other special waivers for having restricted species.

 

See the Blues have already naturalized around much of Florida and so they are not bothering to restrict them in most counties anymore.

[TCLynx]

You would have to find out exactly which species they are selling and then look up info on that species.  The most likely differences will be things like temperature tolerances and maybe a bit of growth rate difference and if his blues or whites are of some improved breed maybe you will see a difference in fillet shape (I know at least one guy was working on a breeding program to get better fillets from his fish) but I doubt the differences would be huge.

 

The Blues are fairly well known for good low temperature tolerance for tilapia but they don't survive water temperatures below 53 F very well.  All tilapia need fairly warm water (above 70 F) for good growth in water below 70 f they are basically hibernating.  (this is the reason that up here in the upland/inland Central Florida, I prefer channel catfish over tilapia for fast growth and so I need not worry about them when we do get our occasional freezes.)

[Bill Moore]

My water is running a pretty steady 63-64 degrees.  My tank is 100 gallon Rubbermaid Ag tank. Anyone have any thoughts on economically heating the water to get it above 70F?  

[David W. Russell]

Bill, I was looking at the same problem with keeping water warm enough.  I did some reasearch on UTube and saw some things that looked like they may help....i.e. 100' of black tube hose that was placed in a sunny location.  A small water pump, $15 to $20 was used to slowley pump the water through the tube and then back into the tank.  One guy torn apart an old water heater, took the tank out and painted it flat black, built a "cold frame around it and lined the insides with foil.  Claimed the water came out at 100+ degrees.  Solar is the way to go.......

Bill Moore said:

My water is running a pretty steady 63-64 degrees.  My tank is 100 gallon Rubbermaid Ag tank. Anyone have any thoughts on economically heating the water to get it above 70F?  

[SW]

HI David,

He mentions in the ad that you must be from out of state or licensed to buy anything other than the blues.

If you do want some blues I have a friend in your area that probably still has some fingerlings available.

Let me know.

Sam

[Gina Cavaliero]

David,  Red, White and Blue, I love it!  Lol.  The reds and whites are definitely hybrids and quite probably O. Mozambiques and O. Honorums.  The advantage of these Hybrid strains is that they are born predominately male, I think approximately 98%.  So if you are looking for optimal growth conversions then you would want all male fish.  However for most backyard systems, the slower growth of the females is typically not an issue, besides you can then repopulate your own system.  I have not heard of any difference in flavor or palettability other than perhaps the whites and reds are "prettier" on the outside anyway.

I think is is safe to say that this seller is Certified as he does indicate that you either need to be out of state or licensed to purchase anything other than the Blues and also has quite the warning about buying from those not licensed.  The RS license he is referring to is a Restricted Species Certificate that is required to either sell or purchase any thing other than a Blue in Florida, however even Blues should be sold by a licensed aquaculturist who have to have both their facility and fish inspected by the Dept of Aquaculture to verify the species.   A breeder friend of mine just told me yesterday that the state is actually tightening up inspections and checking into those advertising Tilapia sales because of the amount of non-verified Blues being sold and distributed around the state however if they are sending them out of the state, there is no concern.   PM me if you want my contact at the Dept of Aquaculture that can provide you with certified aquaculture facilities that have certified Blues.  

As for heating, Rob Nash posted  a great discussion not too long ago on a DIY 2000watt heater he just created.  

[Bill Moore]

2000 watts bit too much for my 130 gal (FT + Sump + Grow Bed) system.  Calculations suggest 300 Watts.  

[Gina Cavaliero]

Hey Bill, true, true, 2000 watts might just make you some fish stew!  Lol.  It was just such an innovative design, it is just surely worth checking out and perhaps can be modified for smaller systems with smaller heaters.  Have you considered a stock tank heater or de-icer?  Tractor Supply has a pretty good selection for both and range from things as small as a bucket and up to large 300gallon stock tanks.      

[Ryan Chatterson]

I say put a 300w heater on a temp controller and call it a day

Bill Moore said:

2000 watts bit too much for my 130 gal (FT + Sump + Grow Bed) system.  Calculations suggest 300 Watts.  

[Mark Sylvain]

I just found out with the Aquatics Division of the Department of Agriculture that only Blue Tilapia are permitted in Florida and only in south Florida. Unless you are commercial which requires a permit($100) a year and copy of your business plan and bi-annual visits to show you are actually in business. 

TCLynx said:

I believe that without an aquaculture permit, here in Florida, only the Blues are Legal to have.  For the other Varieties, whoever is selling them is likely breaking the law if they sell them to anyone without the aquaculture permit and the other special waivers for having restricted species.

 

See the Blues have already naturalized around much of Florida and so they are not bothering to restrict them in most counties anymore.

[Mark Sylvain]

You will have to go with Blue unless you are commercial and want to pay $100 annual for permit.  Will also have bi-annual visit from Dept of Ag and have to provide business plan.