First Fruit Tilapia Fry

I could not understand why my fisk had stopped growing, then a few days ago I found the cause of the problem. Even though I baught only males, I now have a whole lot of fry(baby fish). When they start breeding their growth rate drops radically. Female tilapia holdthe eggs in their moth after they are fertilised, so the female basically can not eat until the fry are large enough to swim on their own. The males, even though they are able to eat also seemed to stop growing. This might be something else, but I am sure it is largely due to breeding.

I moved the fry to a sepperate tank(basically a bucket with an airstone) so that they don't become fish food for the larger fish. I don't know if the larger tilapia will eat them. Also there is still one large goldfisk swimming arround which once again I don't know if it will eat the fry or not, but I am not taking any chances.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• tilapia
• aquaponis
• urban fish farming

[origamae]

Hi, I'm curious what your stocking density was when your tilapia reproduced? How many fish? what size were the fish? how big was the tank? did you have hiding shelter put in there or was it an empty tank? Thanks.

[grantmcdonogh]

@origamae

Hi,

I have a 1000 liter tank with 400 liters of water. I have a gew PVC bends 110mm in the tank as well as some PVC offcuts 75mmx270mm also in the tank. I also have about 4 handfulls of 13mm gravel in the one corner of the tank. There were 20 fish in the tank at the time and since I bought sex reversed fish they were all supposed to be male so I can't tell you what the male to female ratio was. The average size was I guess arround 250g or 8-12cm

[ZombieGreaser501]

How are the Tilapia Fry doing?

[grantmcdonogh]

@ZombieGreaser501

The fry are doing well, most of them died and I have about 50 remaining of the origonal +-200. I have changed my setup and I think I lost a lot of them due to shock. Also many died on my current drainage system(I will have to revisit this some time). I have sepperated the male and femal fish so I should not be getting any more fry any time soon. I want to sort out my raising tanks first. I was never supposed to get any fry to start with so I am learning as I go.

[gladmama]

Sorry for the shock of getting fingerlings when not expecting it. I think you have done the right thing, seperate them untill you're ready to start them breeding. To feed them, crush the adult feed or get fingerling feed, when they are little bit bigger give them duck weed.if you have the time you can make their feed, I make mine.