That's right! Home Tilapia farming offers a solution to the ever-more-difficult problem of finding a fish at the store that is fresh, clean, affordable, and virtually organic.
With home-grown Tilapia, you will have intimate knowledge of its whereabouts from its birth to your dinner table!
Can you say that about that tasteless, overdone salmon fillet you had at that franchise restaurant last time? how about that tuna salad from a can! (I've always wondered how they get a tuna to fit in such a small can. Hmmm.)
The key to Tilapia farming at home is the "breeder colony".
Our breeder colonies consists of 6 pure breed orange Mossambica females and 1 pure breed Hornorum male. You can easily breed them in a home aquarium!
And in this website I'll show you how you can turn your backyard into a Tilapia farm!
This is a breeder colony. They are quite young but already breeding! The gray O. Hornorum male in this picture is about five inches long. Notice his improved body form, which in his offspring, will yield more usable meat per fish.
The orange ones are O. Mossambica females. See the regular Tilapia shape?
This is the end result. This hybrid is only a pound or so, he has some weight to put on still. He is all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed eh? (by the way, he is still alive in this picture! say duckweed!)
And these are some of his brothers and cousins!! (just before dinner)
PERFECT FOR AQUAPONIC SYSTEMS!
The number one issue in aquaponics is the uncontrolled reproduction of Tilapia in the system, which eventually leads to overcrowding and stunted growth. Additionally, if newborn fry somehow get in the grow trays they will start eating the roots of the plants relentlessly and will not stop until the plants are dead.
Due to the natural genetic makeup of each individual pure breed, our breeder colonies made up of Hornorum males and Mossambica females will produce fry that are almost all male naturally; not treated with sex-reversal hormones as is the current industry accepted practice.
No females, no hanky-panky in your tanks, life is good.
Almost? I have never seen a female hybrid. According to my teacher, however, there is a 2% chance that a female hybrid can occur. These females, should they happen, stand a very slim to none chance of ever reaching breeding size.
The hybrid males, in the mean time, will grow faster and bigger than either of their parents and will inherit some of the male's "improved body form".
This combined with Tilapia's natural resistance to disease and ability to thrive in much less than perfect water conditions makes them the ideal fish for aquaponic systems.
It is also a great business opportunity besides selling table-ready Tilapia!
By purchasing your own breeder colonies you can market all-male fingerlings to other aquaponic system enthusiasts!
IT IS VERY EASY!
If you have ever had an aquarium and actually kept your fish alive for longer than a month, you are already half way there! If you have not had one, I would suggest purchasing a small 15 to 29 gallon one and buying some "feeder goldfish" to learn the basics. I started out with one goldfish and a one gallon aquarium (I'm a slow learner). Then just click on the "how you can do it" button on the left.
Whether you are a beginner or a pro, one thing you will find useful here is that I do not use industrial strength Aquaculture language, and what I suggest you do is what has worked for me after the customary "trial and error" routine. Which means: if you know better, let me know, I'm always looking for the "EBW". (Easier Better Way)
Anyway, here's the latest. I went to Whole Foods Supermarket. They have the closest thing to my hybrids (offspring from my breeder colonies) out there: no sex reversal hormones, no antibiotics or preservatives, and fed good quality food. They still have to import them from Costa Rica and Ecuador and go for $9.99 a pound for fillets! Growing your own does pay! Even the best commercial fillets can't be as fresh as your own!
Now. If you are the type who says: "Geeez, if I want fish I'll just go to the supermarket and get it", think again. What would you do if for A, B, C, or "D" reason there isn't any available anywhere at any price? or any other kind of meat for that matter?
Famous words: "To those who prepare for the worst, the worst never seems to happen. To those who prepare for the best, the worst always seems to happen".
Protein Independence: an idea whose time has come. See "about us" to find out how I achieved it, then, go for it!
"technical support"
I care about the fish I sell. I want to do whatever I can to help them achieve their "programming", that is, to grow and reproduce, and reproduce, reproduce, repr....so, I offer unlimited e-mail help. If you purchase a breeder colony or fingerlings from me, you can e-mail me any comments, questions, etc.(about the fish please), I'll be your Dr. Laura and Dear Abby all in one.
Please note: I try to answer all emails but must give prority to clients. "unlimited technical support" applies to clients.
Who am I you say?
My name is Edgar F. Sanchez formerly of Orlando, Florida. That's where I built my first facility pictured here.Tilapia farmer since 2005. Owner of Tilapia Vita Farms, a Florida Dept of Agriculture Certified Aquaculture Facility now located in Brooksville, Florida. I'm in the process of moving and improving the farm by adding aquaponic systems to it and will update this website shortly. Please stay tuned.