Some pictures of White Nile Tilapia fry

[kellenw]

Here are a few pics I took of some fry that just hatched a couple of days ago. There are about 1500-2000 total in this nursery tank.

I really need to get a better camera. This one just can't handle macro shots very well. At any rate, here are a few pics. It was difficult getting a lot of them in a shot because the second I would get the camera close to the tank they would scatter. Sorry so many are blurry. I tried manual settings to correct issues, and I still couldn't get it to where I would like. Some look like they have missing or odd tails, but this is just an illusion due to the rapid movement and the slow exposure.

These are 2 day old White Nile Tilapia fry. I linked them rather than include them as embedded images because of their size.


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[nwestwood]

I am so jealous, I can't even have the little beasties in my state, let alone hatch them. Way to go!

[kellenw]

Neal,
I've actually read some of your posts about tilapia being banned and your search for a source of Silver Perch.

There are a lot of other African Cichlids that get quite large and grow pretty fast. Have you tried looking for another alternative omnivorous Cichlid selection? I wonder if Spotted Tilapia (very illegal in Australia, but legal in most states in the US) would work. They grow very fast to about 8 inches, and then slow down quite a bit, so harvest size would be smaller than would be typical for Niles. They are omnivores, giving you the same options for feeding as Niles would. They are monogamous substrate spawners, so breeding them would be quite different compared to Niles. I wonder if this could also be a big advantage for growing them out though. It would seem they would be far less likely to spawn in a high density fish tank and even less likely to have any notable recruitment. For maintaining your own stock, a few small breeder tanks with paired breeders should give you all the fry you need. One female produces up to 1,800 eggs in a single spawn.

I've heard people have had some luck with Giant Gouramis also, but I don't really know anything about them. They are a common food fish in parts of Southeast Asia, but I believe some people regard them as a trash fish.

What about Pacu? They can make fantastic AP fish, but are rarely used. They look like piranha (they're closely related) and have some nasty looking teeth, but they are omnivores, preferring plants and seeds over fish if given a choice. They can be dangerous though. Fingers in a tank could end up as lunch. They grow extremely fast and can tilt the scales at up to 50-60 pounds. They are considered to be excellent tasting food fish. Even Theodore Roosevelt called them "delicious eating".

[nwestwood]

No such luck, all those species are on Utah's prohibited list. I can go for a Variance and will if I get a bigger system and go semi-commercial, but for now, the 6 month process and up front fees involved are not worth the effort for a home system. I am having fun with my Blue Gill, Hybrid Striped Bass, and Rainbow Trout.

[kellenw]

You might want to take a look at coppernose bluegill. They are a southern subspecies. They grow quite a bit faster and larger than standard/northern BG, but they do require slightly higher temps.

[nwestwood]

There is also a hybrid blue gill that grows much faster. I'll see how it goes with this crop, then look around. My challenge is that Hybrid Striped Bass fingerling's are only available in June. Trout I can get a lot of the year, but only want to run in the cooler months. So I'm stuck with Blue Gill, which I can get any time, any size. It works for my hobby system, but I would have to come up with something else for a commercial operation.

[kellenw]

I'm not a fan of hybrid bluegill. They really don't grow much faster than standard bluegill, and in my opinion, CNBG (coppernose) grow the fastest. If you try to breed HBG (hybrids), you'll get some unpredictable results and typically poor quality fish. It is tough to breed HBG anyway, because about 70-80% are males.... which is why most people believe they grow faster (less energy into spawning, less competition from young of year). In a pond, this is probably the case, but in AP probably not.

I'm actually considering giving pure White Bass (one of the parents in the hybrid striped bass) a shot in a small system. I'll likely have to artificially breed my own though. I can't find a hatchery that will do orders under 2,000 fish anywhere!

[Cecil]

I'm not a fan of hybrid bluegill. They really don't grow much faster than standard bluegill, and in my opinion, CNBG (coppernose) grow the fastest.

You got that right! I've found bluegill growth (not hybrids) depends on selective breeding also. Not many people selectively breeding bluegills.

[Cecil]

There is also a hybrid blue gill that grows much faster.

Hopefully you're not talking about the hybrid that is promoted by a particular southern producer. I won't go into more detail as I don't want to cause trouble for the site or myself, but as far as I'm concerned it's all hype.

[kellenw]

Not many people selectively breeding bluegills.

We know a few though, don't we Cecil?