Good luck on the search. I called my locals and found that Tilapia is not a legal fish for this area. Nevada that is.

I'm also interested in a source for Tilapia. Close to Washington state would be nice. Internet just as good. I will be building about a 1000 gallon tank.

Eric

tedsfarms - are state legal restrictions usually against any type of possession, or just against possession in outdoor ponds? I am planning on putting them in a completely isolated tank, and assumed there wouldn't be any issues with that. I live in Colorado...

" * Posted by ryangrogers (My Page) on
Tue, Mar 9, 10 at 0:39

tedsfarms - are state legal restrictions usually against any type of possession, or just against possession in outdoor ponds? I am planning on putting them in a completely isolated tank, and assumed there wouldn't be any issues with that. I live in Colorado..."

I called the fish and game dept. They mentioned that tilapia is invasive and is not allowed privately. Not like having to obtain a permit in order to raise pheasant, quail, chucker. (Game birds) But was told no way with the fish. I need to find another viable fish for this area it seems. Good luck on the search

Most states allow them to be grown in closed loop systems. Many even allow them to be stocked in ponds. A few require permits to have them. In my home state of Kansas, I can stock them in my pond or grow them in tanks without a permit.

I use round 8' stock tanks mainly. I produce about 350 pounds of fish from each tank each year. I get enough fish to feed the family and still have plenty surplus to sell. I get $5-7 per pound live weight when I sell them. My cost to grow them out generally runs me $1-1.50 per pound.

In temperate climates it is extremely important to get a tilapia strain that is fast growing. It takes me just 6 months to produce 1.5 pound fish. I use a very highly regarded strain, White Brook Niles. They have proven superior to any other variety I have grown in the past. They grow exceptionally fast, and they are a white color with pink fins. This makes them extremely popular with customers who buy them live or on ice because they look more like a saltwater fish than a freshwater one.

White Brook's website is tilapiasource.com. I also provided the link to White Brook tilapia farm below.

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: White Brook Tilapia Farm

stansharpman,

Thank you for the link.

Once you purchase your initial stock, do you ever have to purchase new stock. I guess my question is, do tilapia breed in 1000 gallon aquaponic tanks. Would the parents just eat them.

Many questions from a apprentice.

Eric

Eric - I buy some stock virtually every year, but this is mainly because I want the genetic diversity, and I'm often a little lazy when it comes to collecting offspring in the fall at times. They will breed in a tank for sure! I overwinter at least 500 tilapia fingerlings in aquariums indoors every year though. If you keep fingerlings over the winter, make sure you only keep small fry in the fall or you'll have some pretty big fish to deal with over the winter, which will take a lot of room and a lot of maintaining. It's best to destroy the early season offspring because they will be too big to overwinter and too small to harvest the same season.

Like I said, the tilapia will definitely breed in the tank. The adults will often eat a large percentage of the fry, but you should be able to get all you need for the next year even under heavy predation. I would suggest introducing some new stock every 2 or 3 years to prevent inbreeding though. Good tilapia breeders maintain numerous lines within their strains of fish to maintain excellent genetic diversity while still improving their strain as a whole. This is beyond the capabilities of most home growers, so it's easiest and less expensive to just "inject" your own colony with new fish from time to time. Just make sure to stay with the same strain because if they hybridize, you may end up with an all male generation and unable to reproduce another one without buying totally new fish and starting from scratch.

Ryan -- did you ever get a definitive answer on raising tilapia in a closed system in Colorado? I can't imagine that the fish and game department would care about what you do in a tank in your back yard...

Stan- as far as you know, is the 350 pounds of fish you produce a year from each tank standard for most 8' round stock tanks? Are there conventional ways to raise the fish that produce this number? I'm conducting a farming study and don't know too much about fish farming.

I realize you posted this almost two years ago, but I was wondering if you could provide me with some confirmation!