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View Full Version : Blue Nile Tilapia pricing



Eleven11
01-16-2012, 01:43 PM
A local grower is selling some Blue Nile Tilapia which are currently between 7 to 9 inches long.

I'm a bit new and wondering what would be a fair price for them.

I was looking to get about 5 to 10 of them for a 240 gallon tank and get more after seeing how well they do. The water temp stays mostly around 73F.

stucco
01-16-2012, 03:24 PM
There is a guy here selling them for $3.99 a pound.

Eleven11
01-16-2012, 07:17 PM
Thanks for the feedback.

Heh heh, reading your sig... I had that exact same fortune cookie saying and kept it in my tool box for the longest time.

JCO
01-22-2012, 11:35 AM
If they are that big, you probably wouldn't want more than 10 at the most for a 240 gal. They are really dirty fish and can crap up a tank in no time unless you have awesome water movement and filtration. They eat like pigs and just like pigs, they make a mud hole of where they live. If you lived in FL. I'd be glad to give you 10...I could use the space. :mrgreen:

urbanfarmer
01-22-2012, 12:07 PM
I would say $3 to $4 for the whole fish live, but that's just my area. Once you have a few fish, you can breed them yourself.

Eleven11
01-22-2012, 08:47 PM
Thanks guys. I went ahead and picked them up today. The car ride went pretty smooth and no casualties. I had to use a 20 gallon tote lined with a garbage bag then I put the lid on and pulled the garbage bag around the lid so no leaks. Finally buckled the tote in the back seat. I bought a battery operated air pump that seemed to work pretty well.

I put them in the tank and so far they seem ok. I also built a little Fish Hotel out of 4" drain line pieces cut to 12" lengths and zip tied together to form pyramid shape. The guy I bought them from had one and the fish seemed to really like it.

JCO - I didn't realize they were such a dirty fish. The water movement is excellent. I put in an AP 20 Danner air pump and the output is a 1/2 inch air line running 5 small air stones and one 12 inch air stone. The tank looks a bit like a jacuzzi. My filtering is a bit light but I'll look into something more substantial... Maybe a swirl filter with a bottom tap. For now, I'm relying on my SLO and filter at the end of the drain line. Too bad I don't live if Fla, I'd be glad to help ya out with your space problem. :)

UF - We settled on $6 each. The largest is about 10 inches and the smallest around 7. The guy I bought them from says they'll breed ok once I raise the water temp up to 85F.

Eleven11
01-23-2012, 06:32 PM
Here's a video clip I took just after adding them to the tank:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wt1QGk7F ... e=youtu.be (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wt1QGk7F-y0&feature=youtu.be)

foodchain
01-24-2012, 04:29 AM
That's a good price. And yes they breed like crazy. Fatten them up on higher protein foods before breeding, and you will get larger spawnings. At this size, they probably have already been breeding last season. So just feed em well, keep the water clean and ease up the temp. Mine spawn at about 77-78 on the low side.
I think hours of light have something to do with it too, but haven't found a way to test this out yet.

Eleven11
01-24-2012, 06:29 AM
What do you feed yours? I am ordering some aquamax 4000 today but in the mean time, I have some omega one cichlid pellets from Petsmart that have high protien and there is a good amount of algae growing on the bottom. I haven't added any food yet since putting them in Sunday. I was going to give them some romaine leaves first today.

keith_r
01-24-2012, 07:37 AM
i think with tilapia you should use lower protein food.. isn't aquamax in the 40's?
i'm pretty sure for tilapia you want protein in the 30's

Eleven11
01-24-2012, 08:29 AM
Here's a chart... looks like the protein is 36 for the 4000

http://www.fishchow.com/aquamaxfishdiets.htm


i think with tilapia you should use lower protein food.. isn't aquamax in the 40's?
i'm pretty sure for tilapia you want protein in the 30's

keith_r
01-24-2012, 12:45 PM
10-4

foodchain
01-25-2012, 05:16 AM
Why would you use lower protein food? I am finding it hard to keep my protein levels high enough...in comparison to fatty acids, etc. Seems I get one or the other.
Anyway, when trying to force growth and breeding conditioning, I am always straining for the higher percentages.

Eleven11
01-25-2012, 06:57 AM
What are you feeding your tilapia?


Why would you use lower protein food? I am finding it hard to keep my protein levels high enough...in comparison to fatty acids, etc. Seems I get one or the other.
Anyway, when trying to force growth and breeding conditioning, I am always straining for the higher percentages.

foodchain
01-25-2012, 07:03 AM
Depends on age, size, and intended results.
Typically I use live food, commercial pellet, and a homemade recipe. The auto feeders get the pellets. But the fry/fingerlings get either live food or cultures and the larger fingerlings and breeders get the home made recipes. And for my biggest ones I am experimenting with pinkies.

Eleven11
01-25-2012, 07:39 PM
Homemade food... anything like this guy's food?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12qCQDNc00E

foodchain
01-26-2012, 04:33 AM
I have a couple different recipies...havent' seen this one before.
I got into making my own food from cichlids, and marine reefs.
There are hundreds of recipies out there though. Some good, some not so good. Do your homework on what you are putting into your system.

lursa26
04-17-2012, 06:23 AM
eleven11 would you be able to tell me the name of the local grower that sold you the fish? I live in Canada and Maryland is much closer to me then alot of other growers in the US. I am looking to purchase Blue Niles. Thank you

Eleven11
04-17-2012, 07:19 AM
I could but he isn't selling any more fish. He switched over to a fish-less system.

foodchain
04-17-2012, 07:47 AM
Isn't a fishless system just Hydroponics?

Anyway...GREAT news. I have my first baby fish in the outdoor ponds spotted this week. Bright orange at 1/4 of an inch.

Eleven11
04-17-2012, 12:04 PM
Well... he calls it bio-ponics which means pee-ponics for the most part.

Your first baby fish and no pictures? :cry:

urbanfarmer
04-17-2012, 03:04 PM
Isn't a fishless system just Hydroponics?

Anyway...GREAT news. I have my first baby fish in the outdoor ponds spotted this week. Bright orange at 1/4 of an inch.
Congrats you're a father! :mrgreen:

Well, of course it would be hydroponics. Technically, the systems we have are recirculating aquaculture systems with a hydroponic component.

foodchain
04-18-2012, 06:50 AM
Careful. UF I made that statement in another thread on here and got crucified for it. But yes you are right. The very foundation of this addiction was based on eliminating excess nutrient/waste build up in closed loop aquaculture. But lets not confuse anyone with facts :)

No pics of baby fish. I have been extremely busy trying to get bee hives built for nucs arriving this weekend. Hate to have bees and no hives. I have more orders than I have hands to run the table saw finger joint jigs(which always seem to have issues) and the foundation I ordered is a 1/4 inch narrower than last years. So now my frames have sloppy foundation. Can fix it, but another set back as all pieces need to be modified now. IF only doing a few no big deal. But I have 100 frames to crank out. Need to find me a true woodworking nazi that can school me on some shortcuts.
Excuses excuses I get it....I will see what I can do about the pics.
Damn koi are eating my lilly pads too, and Tilapia are trying to swim up the waterfall like salmon up a stream. Odd behaviour, never seen them do this before. But it's only the 3" range ones doing it. Possibly the catfish are chasing them. Ha, social darwinism in aquaponics.

foodchain
04-18-2012, 06:53 AM
Clarification. This isn't my first baby tilapia. Just the first baby for this season. Rotating stock outdoors for the year usually induces spawning fairly quickly. Not sure due to being in bigger body of water, better food, the lunar cycles, etc. But being outside seems to make them grow faster and breed more. Possibly due to insects, etc supplementing feed sources?
Have noticed it with the prawns as well. Outside always seems to grow faster.

Eleven11
04-18-2012, 07:41 AM
Being outside, do you keep the tank shielded from sunlight?

keith_r
04-18-2012, 07:57 AM
you need to make a jig (or two) for the frames..

commander
04-18-2012, 09:25 AM
You and I need to talk. I have a cabinet shop ion my backyard left over from a previous incarnation BA (Before Aquaponics). Send me some drawings and I will take a look at them and see if I can make any suggestions on speeding up/simplifying your build

foodchain
04-18-2012, 10:57 AM
No tanks. Fish(tilapia, rest stay oustide year round) only go inside for winter, in IBC 330 gallon tanks with tops cut off....winter here is about 5-6 weeks. The rest of the time they are in outdoor ponds. I used to own a company installing water gardens, had some parts I had left over from a variety of jobs and started digging. Not pretty, as built with NO budget and from remnants. Never seem to be able to afford one of the ponds I put in other people's yards @ 10K+.
But....I get off topic. It's utilitarian. But works, and produces fish like a factory.
Koi, fancy goldfish, catfish, prawns, tilapia, green back minnows, and bull frogs(big enough they are eating doves now...I put an aluminum pie plate on the water and add birdseed to coax the doves down. Find if I don't keep them fed I lose fish. Not very nice. But fish are worth more than doves). It's a multi tiered pond with 2 waterfalls at the moment. This produces lots of water plants and still has enough nutrients to pump into another 330 tank I use as a staging tank. From there into gutters I use as growbeds.....then back to pond.

foodchain
04-18-2012, 10:59 AM
Commander, I PM'd you. The box joint jig for a standard 10" 2 horse table saw is kicking my butt.
I have a router which is supposed to be able to do them too, but I have no idea how to use it. Not proud of it, but at this point it is what it is. Lumber is too expensive to make too many Oops's with.

foodchain
04-18-2012, 11:08 AM
No shielding from sunlight. I am breeding for an orange tilapia. So I WANT the sunlight on them.

Not sure why, but UV light seems to make them more orange. Like I said, may not be the light...maybe just cause they are outside, who knows. But outside is better. Light is better...and the lilly pads don't bloom without good light. Worst thing that happens is a little green water, and who cares? The tilapia have gill scrubbers and this just adds to their food.

Eleven11
04-18-2012, 11:09 AM
Sounds like an amazing setup.

foodchain
04-18-2012, 11:09 AM
Just a lot of work. Headache according to my wife.
She wants the prestine paradise....and I am too utilitarian.

David - WI
04-18-2012, 11:12 AM
Commander, I PM'd you. The box joint jig for a standard 10" 2 horse table saw is kicking my butt.
I have a router which is supposed to be able to do them too, but I have no idea how to use it. Not proud of it, but at this point it is what it is. Lumber is too expensive to make too many Oops's with.
Don't feel bad... I have two routers; a small handheld one and a huge table router.

The little one is for wrecking things that are too clumsy to wreck with the big one. :oops:

foodchain
04-18-2012, 11:19 AM
HA!!! perfect. The little one I believe is a plunge router. Meant for starting in the middle of a board so that you can cut out a recessed area. Where the big one, destructo maximus, is meant for edging and such. While I understand it, application is a whole nother issue.

David - WI
04-18-2012, 11:39 AM
HA!!! perfect. The little one I believe is a plunge router. Meant for starting in the middle of a board so that you can cut out a recessed area. Where the big one, destructo maximus, is meant for edging and such. While I understand it, application is a whole nother issue.
Exactly. The table router is (I think) 2hp and will definitely shoot a 7' long, 2" thick oak board more than 20' through the air at a speed faster than you can follow with your eyes. It hit the wall at almost the same height that it left the table. LOL

It was almost too scary to look down and see if my fingers were gone or not; all I could feel was the burning from the board being ripped out of them.

(Note to self - once you start routing the board; don't stop!!!!!!!)

foodchain
04-18-2012, 11:49 AM
Soooo, where do we go to um...edumacated on this stuff? Don't tell me wood shop. Been there, done that. And didn't learn what I need now.

David - WI
04-18-2012, 12:03 PM
I don't know... I never really liked woodworking and we don't make those parts in-house any more.

I didn't mean to hi-jack this thread - sorry.

commander
04-18-2012, 01:02 PM
You really need to go to work for a hard drinking, sailor cussing, grizzly old guy who knows more about wood than trees. Do this when you are about 16 years old. Not only will you learn about wood, woodworking tools, joinery, cabinet making and house framing, you will also learn how to drink whiskey, cuss, spit, and generally become a hard drinking, sailor cussing, grizzly old guy when you grow up!

foodchain
04-18-2012, 02:50 PM
Well, quality dado blade is $200-300 bucks. So now how to do these joints without a dado....hmmm.

commander
04-18-2012, 03:00 PM
Router

foodchain
04-18-2012, 03:38 PM
That's the "destructo maximus" previously discussed.
I just broke the bank putting two new garage doors up after years of them being broken in down position.
Wife will kill me I punch a whole in them.

commander
04-18-2012, 05:41 PM
If you are gonna buy a dado bade, buy a stacked set (Freud is a good brand). Don't buy the wobble kind.

jackalope
03-07-2013, 11:50 AM
We always raised our Tilapia on a High-Protein/High Fat diet - worked for us!!


We feed this food to our fish from fry to breeders. There are five sizes available for each stage of growth, so we have been seeing phenomenal results since starting our Tilapia on the AquaFarms feeding program. This fish food has the highest protein, highest fat content that we've ever seen, and it will work for all members of the family Cichlidae, of which Tilapia are a very important part. As well, it is used by the aquaculture community for Salmon, Trout, Bass, Perch, Crappie, Crayfish, Shrimp, Prawns, Carp (Goldfish) and on and on the list goes ..... any fish that requires a high-protein, high-fat diet!

Our fry have gone from fry to juveniles in a matter of two weeks, our fingerlings have grown so fast it's almost as if you can see them get bigger and bigger as you watch them day-by-day. If you are culturing fish for your family and friends and want to avoid the drugs, steroids, hormones, and GMO'ed foods, then you need to check out this fish food!

From one of my two old websites-
Jims Fish and AquaFarms Fish Food
NOTE: I sold out and to my knowledge, he's not in business anymore
- not an advertisement, just pointing you to some info on feeding, etc.
Clik ;) (http://jimsfish.webs.com/feedingprogram.htm)