How to raise and raise tilapia
If you are raising your tilapia in a pond that has algae and other aquatic plants, you will need to provide them with little or no food. They will feed on all kinds of aquatic plants, insects, larvae and anything else they can get into their mouths. But for those looking to raise tilapia in a recirculating or aquaponic system, you’ll need to pay close attention to your food sources to maximize your money. There are many fish feeds on the market. Some are okay, while others are really good, but expensive. If you are trying to raise fish for personal consumption, the cost of feed may not be as important. However, if you are looking to farm your fish for sale in the market, then we need to look at other avenues to feed your fish.
Duckweed. If you have ever gone fishing in late summer in a small pond, you will have noticed that little green plant that makes fishing almost impossible. Well, that’s duckweed. This little aquatic plant is a powerhouse of protein, and your Tilapia will thrive on it. However, you will want to be careful. You don’t want to go down to the local farm pond and pull out a bucket and feed it to your fish. Chances are you’re adding some really bad bacteria to your system. I would recommend buying a small bag on eBay from a reputable dealer and growing your own. It will cost you about 5 dollars. Duckweed grows like wildfire and will double in mass over a 24 hour period. Also known as bay root, this tiny floating aquatic plant has more protein than soybeans. Humans in some parts of the world eat duckweed, which is cited as an important food source.
Duckweed likes sunlight and very slow moving water. You can grow your own in your backyard. Simply make a bowl of water and add the duckweed. Nature will take care of the rest.
Caution: mosquitoes love standing water, so you’ll need to buy some mosquito fish. These are small tropical fish that you can find both locally and online. These little guys love to eat mosquito larvae and will keep your garden free from those pesky bloodsuckers.
PELLETS:
This is most likely their main food source due to its easy availability. The food you will use depends entirely on the size of your fish. The larger the fish, the easier it will be to feed larger pellets. I like to go to pet stores where they will sometimes have end of summer sales on their Koi fish food. You want to get the largest bags possible as it will save you the price per pound. I like to stick to around 0.70 cents a pound for commercial fish food. You will find food for your fry and the fry will cost you more as you need to buy special food for the little ones. Your fry and fry are hungry for protein and will try to eat anything you put in their mouths. If you don’t feed your fish enough, they will turn on each other for that protein source. You want a good source of powdered fry food that offers 50% protein to provide rapid growth in that first month.
If you live in rural areas, you most likely have a farm feed store where local farmers buy their fertilizers and other types of animal feed. If so, they are most likely Purina brand Catfish or Trout Chow. It is very cost effective and will only cost you around 0.40 cents a pound. If you want to grow your Tilapia to a size that will produce 1 pound in 9 months, you will need to feed these fish 3-5 times a day. Local food stores sell it for 50 lbs. bag.
If you want to learn more about how to raise and breed Tilapia, check out the link below.