Tilapia farming is a rewarding and enjoyable process. It can be as easy as 1: Hatching, 2: Growing, and 3: Harvesting. If you read our blog: “Live Tilapia Needs” it will explain how simple it can actually be to give live tilapia what they need. Hatching tilapia can be done by either having a colony or purchasing tilapia fingerlings from a hatchery. Growing live tilapia involves having the correct temperature, pH, and feeding schedule. Harvesting is finding the desired size and getting those live tilapia ready for the table.
Hatching requires extreme care for the breeding colonies and the babies that they provide. You need to have a temperature of 85F and pH of 8.0 to make sure that your colonies are working at top capacity Extreme care is required during this step to avoid disturbing the female tilapia while she is holding her eggs. Failure to do so can result in the female swallowing or spitting out the eggs. You also must be very careful in the process of removing the newly hatched babies from the tank before the other adult tilapia eat them up. This step requires extra caution, as it is the most challenging part of tilapia farming. Once you get the fry past their first 3 weeks of life you are into the next phase.
Growing out your tilapia fingerlings is the easiest part of tilapia farming in my opinion. You need your water temperature to be as close to 85F for optimal growth. The pH of your tank should be at 8.0 to have the best level for your live tilapia. As part of tilapia farming, you need to make sure that you are feeding your tilapia the correct feed during each stage of life. As your tilapia continue to grow, it is also important to make sure that they don’t get over cramped. You should have 3.74 gallons per 1 pound of tilapia you wish to grow out.
When your live tilapia reach the size you desire, it’s time to harvest them. As part of tilapia farming, you will need to select the tilapia you are wanting to harvest, whether it’s all of them or just a select few. You will need to purge them. Purging means that they need to be placed in super clean water and not fed for 24-48 hours. This cleans out their system and helps to reduce the “Fishy” taste that most people don’t like. Then find the most humane way you find fit to dispatch the tilapia.
In summary, tilapia farming has only 3 steps. Hatching the tilapia, whether you have a colony and do it yourself or allow a hatchery do that part for you. The outcome will be the same. Growing out tilapia fingerlings with optimal temperature, pH, and food. And lastly, bringing the tilapia to your table by harvesting them.