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Title: GENETICALLY MALE VS. MIXED-SEX NILE TILAPIA PERFORMANCE COMPARED IN RAS

Author
item PERSCHBACHER, PETER - U OF AR, PINE BLUFF
item Pfeiffer, Tim
item WHITE, JEFFREY - U OF AR, PINE BLUFF
item JALALUDDIN, MOHAMMAD - U OF AR, PINE BLUFF

Submitted to: Global Aquaculture Advocate
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/16/2002
Publication Date: 4/20/2002
Citation: Perschbacher, P.W., Pfeiffer, T.J., White, J., Jalaluddin, M. 2002. Genetically male vs. mixed-sex nile tilapia performance compared in ras. Global Aquaculture Advocate. v.5(2).p.72-73.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, is a popular food fish. Small-scale operations are raising Nile tilapia indoors for local markets and sport fishing ponds. Two strains of Nile tilapia were evaluated in a greenhouse recirculating aquaculture system (RAS). The RAS consisted of six polyvinyl circular tanks with a culture volume of 540-L. Water from the culture tanks gravity flowed into a two chamber, 1200-L settling tank. Water from the second chamber of the settling tank was filtered through a 0.06 m3 bubble-wash bead filter at a flow rate of 90 Lpm before returning to the culture tanks. Three of the culture tanks were stocked with mixed-sex Nile tilapia and three tanks were stocked genetically male tilapia (GMT). The initial stocking density in each tank was 100 fish. The average weight of the fish was 38 grams. All tanks were fed with a 32% protein floating catfish pellet and the daily feed rate ranged from 2 to 4% body weight per day. After 73 days of culture the fish were harvested. The average weight of the GMT strain was 172 grams per fish versus an average weight of 156 grams for the mixed-sex tilapia. The GMT strain also displayed better feed conversion rates.