Excel Tilapia

[nemo]

Tilapia is the second most important fish cultured in the Philippines next to milkfish. In 2002 of the total fisheries production (3,368,519 MT), tilapia contributed 122,417 MT or 3.6%. Increased tilapia production is eminent over the last five years. The continuous study on the development of tilapia species and the use of a number of different culture technologies contributed to this steady increase in tilapia production.

The government developed and launched a new tilapia strain, the GET EXCEL Tilapia. This is expected to further increase tilapia production in the country, increase income and provide livelihood opportunities among local fisherfolks. The establishment of central hatcheries in strategic areas nationwide assured the success of this intervention.

For more of this story click the link http://bfar.da.gov.ph/programs/commodity_rdmap/tilapia.htm

[mikey]

Tilapia Raising / Farming
By pinoyfarmer | July 9, 2007






One of the most important cultured fish in the country is the freshwater tilapia. It grows in the inlands. This fish can be sold readily in the local market and has a good chance for the foreign market. It gives ready supply for both the rural and urban families.

There are many ways to raise the tilapia. It can be through the earthen pond culture, cage culture, in barricades, fish pens, tanks, an hapas. But the most commonly used culture is the earthen pond culture.

The success of your tilapia business lies on the quality of your stock, how the market market demands for your fish, and management. A huge determinant of whether it will succeed or not, is on how you managed.
Everybody wants his tilapia business to succeed; therefore, you must choose quality stock. Below are hatchery methods.

Open Pond method:

a. Fingerling collection method - pond serves as spawning and rearing ground. The breeders are left in the pond so they can spawn naturally. The fingerlings are collected on the 30th day after stocking up to the 45th day.

b. Fry collection method - this uses shallower pond. Collection starts after the 10th day of stocking up to the 21st day. Collected fry are stocked in a pond where they are taken care off until they become fingerlings. Put 1-6 breeder /sq meter at 3:1 to 5:1 female to male ratio.

Hapa Method:

This is the most commonly used method for fry or fingerling production. It is usually done in ponds, lakes, or along riverbanks with slow moving water. Put 4-5 breeders per sq m and sex ratio at 3:1 to 7:1. Breeders are fed with commercial or formulated diet at 3-5% of their total body weight. Start fry collection after 2 weeks of stocking. They will be later put into tanks or hapas until they become fingerlings.

Tank method:

Tilapia are spawned in tanks. But, you should provide dissolved oxygen (agitators, blower and a compressor), and maintain clean water. Put in 7-14 breeders/sq m from 3:1 to 7:1 sex ratio of female to male. Water should be 50cm to 70cm deep. Collection of fry and the fingerlings is the same the Hapa method’s.

Tilapia can be raised in ponds, or in cages:

Types of cages:

1. Floating type - is made up of synthetic nets. It has a framework to hold the cage in place and it is also where the farmer walks through when feeding. Put floats to keep the cage in the surface.
2. Submerge type - the cage is in the water and is held by poles. Its top is covered by nets to prevent fishes from jumping out.
3. Fixed type - this cage stays in place, that looks like an inverted mosquito net with all sides tied to the water bottom.

PONDS

Pond Preparation.

1. Drain the pond totally. This is to remove old stock and other unwanted organisms.

2. Apply pesticides or poison the pond. This is to totally kill unwanted species. Spray poison or pesticide with water that is 0.5 to 1 foot deep. Don’t spray on the soil without water because the poison might stick to the soil.

3. Wash the pond by letting water flow in and out. This will wash away the poison and pecticides.

4. Level the bottom of the pond. Level the pond to remove excess mud and dirt.

5. Sun-dry the bottom and allow it to crack.

6. Apply lime if the pond becomes acidic. The recommended rate is 100g/sq m.

7. Put screen in the water inlets and outlets to avoid unwanted species to enter the pond.

8. Fill-in water to the pond up to 1-2 meters after all in and outlets have been screened. Your water sources can be the irrigation water, deep-well, rain water/run-off, springs, rivers, or reservoirs.

9. Basal fertilization. To have a ready food for your tilapia after stocking, grow lab-lab, or natural plankton in the pond through basal fertilization, and chicken manure.

Management:

1. Maintain richness of the pond by applying chicken manure weekly at 500 kg/week. This will help produce natural food, like planktons, and lumot, for the fishes.
2. Give food supplements to the fishes for a faster growth.
3. Pull out weeds from the pond. Weeds hampers production and harvesting.
4. Maintain a good water quality. Feeding and applying fertilizer may later affect the water quality. Also, be on the look out for the following:

a. maintain water level at 1-2 meters.
the fishes need dissolved oxygen to live, just like any other living things.
maintain a normal pH (acidity) level.
b. the good temperature for tilapia growth is between 25C-38C.
c. the natural food (planktons), and the fish wastes can make the water murky. Although the fish benefit from the plankton, they may die if the water turns murky because of the wastes materials from the fishes.
d. water current help in making dissolved oxygen available.

5. Keep a record of the activities in the pond so you can track down reasons of success, or failure your tilapia business.

Harvesting

Harvesting is usually done after 3-4 months. However, some postpone their harvesting when prices in the market are low.

a. Selective harvesting.This way, you do not drain your pond. What you do is use nets to harvest the fish you desire t market. The holes of the net are big enough so smaller fishes which should stay longer in the pond stays behind.

b. Total harvesting.You drain your pond totally, and harvest all the fishes using a catch basin where the fishes are caught by a seine net. You can pick up by hand fishes that are left in some parts of the pond.
Source:
Tilapia Hatchery Management by Enrique Marquez, Fishpond Grow-out Management of Tilapia by Evelyn Zatra, Paggawa ng Tinapang Isda leaflet by BFAR-NIFTDC.

[mr hog]

Doc,mikey I herd catfish is more popular then tilapia nowadays is this true?catfish is very popular in the states

[nemo]

Catfish is popular not because of the market but because it is not a picky eater. You can feed it just anything you could throw on the pond. Especially the african hito. It could grow as huge as an arm and it could grow in not so clean water.

[mikey]

Study Verifies Viability of Duckweeds as Alternative Feed for Tilapia
Tilapia growers can save as much as 50 percent on the cost of, feeds by adding duckweeds in the diet of tilapia.

In a farm trial conducted in the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Agricultural Pilot Center (BFAR-APC) fishfarm in Iguig, Cagayan, researchers found out that tilapia fed with a diet consisting of 50 percent fresh duckweeds and 50 percent commercial feeds had higher growth rate than those fed with commercial feeds only. Each fish weighed about 171 grams in five to six months culture period. The feed conversion ratio was 1.65, meaning that for every kilo of tilapia, 1.65 kilo of the feed combination is needed.


The feed combination also offers the best possible economic return because the production cost of a kilo of duckweeds is just 75 centavos, whereas a kilo of commercial feeds costs P25.

“Finally, we can solve the problem on high price of commercial feeds given the successful result of this research,” says Jovita Ayson, BFAR Region II director.

Duckweeds have been the subject of studies due to its high protein content; these small floating plants contain 40%-45% crude protein. Various literatures cited it also as viable feed for poultry and that carp and tilapia can easily digest it.

To produce duckweeds, seed plants must be transferred to a growing area, which could be tanks, ponds, or any secured body of water. Propagules can be acquired at the BFAR-APC fishfarm for free.

According to Romeo Pizarro, manager of BFAR-APC fishfarm, 5 kg of planting materials is enough for a 1,000-square meter planting area. This is because duckweeds reproduce rapidly and can double its weight in less than two days, hence, harvesting must be done regularly.

When producing duckweeds in ponds, the water must be fertilized at the rate of 100 kg chicken manure and 10 kg ammonium phosphate (16-20-0) per 1,000 square meters per month. Water should be changed also every month.

It can also be produced in the fishpond but this practice is not advisable because any form of mechanical aeration of the water, like paddle wheels and aerators, disturb its growth. Moreover, its photosynthetic activity blocks oxygenation of the water.

About 15,000 kg of duckweeds can be produced in a 1,000-square meter pond per year, enough to supply the partial feed requirement of 3 hectares of fishpond under semi-intensive culture management (five fingerlings per square meter). It can be grown year round provided that the area is protected from strong winds and other weather disturbances and must not be exposed to intense sunlight.

[cil]

saan po ba ako pwede maka-attend ng seminar or training ng tilapia raising,  yung back yard at sa drum nakalagay.  dito po ako sa Cavite.

[meatworks]

Hi nemo, great article you posted here. Could you also post an article regarding catfish? Thanks!

[nemo]

Would try tomorrow to post article about cat fish.

Thank you for visiting my site

[blackrobe]

Doc Nemo...

good morning po.... can you post an article/details para sa pag aalaga ng mga TILAPIA in cage culture... My Father ann I want to star aour backyard Tilapia Farming. May maliit kaming lupa na nasa kalagitnaan ng tubig tabang at tubig dagat. Gusto ko po sa nang ma bigyan ng kunting ma pag kaka libangan ang Papa ko dahil cya ay is retired employee na. Na pag isip namin na mag tayo ng ma liit na Tilapiahan sa lupa namin...

at saka po... baka may article din po kayu para sa CAT FISH(HITO) farming....

Baka may ma itulong po kayu sa amin... Salamat po..

[nemo]

check your mail. i sent you article about hito and tilapia.

[blackrobe]

check your mail. i sent you article about hito and tilapia.

Salamat po.... Received with Thanks...

[breakout]

Hi, Cil

The Business Club (TBC) of Mr. Gerry Geronimo regularly holds tilapia raising seminar in Sucat. Please call 8266564. Look for Wilma.
The have a referral system and advise that Frederick Kiunisala referred you.

Sir Nemo,

Any detailed inputs on raising tilapia in tanks? Above mentioned seminar covers more of fishpond and fishpen setup.

More power

[tes]

gud pm po.  we have a few submerged fish cage in Buhi lake. gusto ko sana maimprove ung harvest namin.. we are taking up to mos. minimum before harvest..tapos kung gusto mo sure k na medyo malaki kita mo i-extend pa up to 1 year! prng ang tagal-tagal.  Ok po ba ung excel tilapia na breed sa condition dun sa Buhi lake na open xa.?  i also read about duckweeds..interested din po ako dun.. pano po kya i-aaply ung technology na un pg submerged cage ang type ng cage namin??  saka ung 45 day delay feeding po..ok po ba un>?? right now po kc we are prepring pra malagyan ng ng fingerling ung mga cage..gusto ko sana this time tamang breed at  pag-aalaga na ang gawin sa mga tilapia naming makukuha kc waist of time, money and effort ang nangyayari pg ndi tama ang mga un...can u send me some info regarding these topics po??tnx po.

[nemo]

Baka po masyado nang congested ang lake nila kaya mahina lumaki ang kanilang animal.
Ok po ang 45 days delay feeding kung maraming lablab sa tubig, pero usually ang pagkakaalam ko ginagawa siya sa inland ponds.

You can try to contact your local BFAR for further info, currently kasi wala akong bagong info about tilapia raising.

[doods]

doc,
   good day po sa kanila,nakabili po kasi ng 5000sqmtrs na lupa at sa ibaba nito ay palayan advisable po ba na mag-alaga ng tilapia sa tabi ng nito?ang inaalala ko lang po kasi baka may mga dalag po dun at ubusin ang mga fingerlings ko..ok po ba ang ganitong set up?thank you po and more power...