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badflash
02-15-2009, 01:50 PM
This is one of the few tilapia species that can be owned in California legally. They are a smaller species, but are prolific fry producers and will start reproducing at only 3 months old. Wild varieties are very dark in color. They are salt tolerant and can live in hyper saline water.

These are one of the main fish that hybrids are made from. Most of the orange varieties of hybrids come from this species as it readily produces orange morphs.
This is a poor photo, but shows what a wild mossie and an orange morph that is nearly wild:
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c70/badflash/tilapia/PA230004.jpg
The male is in full breeding colors, with a white throat and dark coloration.

These are not tolerant to cold and should be kept at around 85F. Below 60F they die quickly.

Here is a female holding eggs:
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c70/badflash/tilapia/holding.jpg

Here is a hatch from a single young female only 6" long:

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c70/badflash/tilapia/fry1.jpg

This is a genetically improved orange morph from Mike Sipe's gene line:
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c70/badflash/tilapia/P6070031.jpg

jackalope
04-29-2009, 03:23 PM
Just a little info here:

The native range of the Mozambique tilapia is the eastward-flowing rivers of Africa, from the lower Zambezi and Shire systems in Mozambique southward in coastal drainages to Algoa Bay in South Africa. The Mozambique tilapia and the Wami tilapia (Tilapia urolepis) are closely related, similar in appearance, and hybridize readily. Trewavas (1968) first recognized them as distinct species.

badflash
04-29-2009, 08:36 PM
Genetic tests are showing some interesting things. Outwardly, it is nearly impossible to tell the Wami (AKO O. horonorum or O. hororum) from O. mossambica. Genetic tests show that they O. auria and O. horonorum are more closely related and share a similar sex determionation. O. niloticus uses the common XX, XY sex gentics. O. auria and O. horonorum use ZZ, WZ. This is why interspecies crosses can produce all male hybrids.

Unfortunately, nearly all the aurea or horonorum available are no longer pure enough to produce all male fish.

Cris Gaston
01-04-2010, 10:20 PM
Hi badflash. Thanks for directing me to this forum. I would be interested in the "black tilapia" that you mentioned in another forum. If I quess right, it would be O.hornorum X O.mossambicus. A few years ago, there was an outfit here producing such a hybrid but the quality deteriorated after some time. Apparently, the genetic integrity of the breeders was not properly maintained. It's a pity because the hybrids were initially all male and needed no hormones for sex reversal and they were highly tolerant to saline environment. Thanks again.

badflash
01-05-2010, 07:34 AM
My blacks are pure O. mossambica. I have male T. hornorum. They are diluted and no longer produce all male fish, but the females end up as big as the males so it isn't and issue in cage culture. Ponds are a problem as the fish reproduce.

Cris Gaston
01-05-2010, 04:04 PM
Oh, ok. We have lots of O. mossambica here in the wild. They were originally brought into the Philippines sometime in the late 1950's by a researcher in a batch of a dozen specimen. Obviously, they somehow got loose into and it would be reasonable to assume that all tilapia here in the wild all came from the dozen fish. So, they don't grow big or fast enough for commercial growing.

badflash
01-06-2010, 09:09 AM
Yes, but the hybrids DO!

Of course the advantage for the aquaponics farmer is that they can be propogated as a pure strain and still get reasonable fillets after a year.

GreenPhoenix
05-06-2010, 06:50 AM
Ok so this is an old thread, but I figured that this might be the best place for me to place this question....

Is there anyone who might be able to send me some Mossambica fingerlings to raise in the system for my class.... The only source that I can find for them locally is about 3 hrs away (one-way), and I cannot justify that for 10 - 15 fish.....

I will pay, I just cannot find a source relatively local to Dallas, TX.

Phoenix

badflash
05-06-2010, 08:18 AM
PM sent.

urbanrunoff
05-06-2010, 01:12 PM
yep that's what i got.
also tilapia Mama insists very strongly that the water has to remain around 80 degrees to avoid disease and so on....

catfish
07-20-2010, 11:56 AM
So how do these compare to the Blue and Nile?

Are they good to eat?

Are they any easier to raise?

badflash
07-20-2010, 01:17 PM
They taste the same, but grow slower and don't get quite as big. They get to around 1.25 punds in a year, but the males and females reach the same size as long as the females are not given a chance to breed. This means keeping them in cages with the bottom of the cage off the bottom of the tank.

They are as easy, if not easier to raise. The big advantage for a home grower is that it is child's play to breed them.

urbanfarmer
10-14-2010, 08:23 PM
TAXONOMY:
http://www.uniprot.org/taxonomy/8127

tem1160
10-26-2010, 05:23 PM
Does anyone have Mosies for sale? I live in south texas and the nearest tilapia farm is 7 hours away. I found some guys that will ship but it is extremely expensive. Don't know if it is any cheaper for anyone else but thought I might try. I don't mind fry if it is cheaper to ship. Any help would be appreciated.

urbanfarmer
10-26-2010, 09:25 PM
Does anyone have Mosies for sale? I live in south texas and the nearest tilapia farm is 7 hours away. I found some guys that will ship but it is extremely expensive. Don't know if it is any cheaper for anyone else but thought I might try. I don't mind fry if it is cheaper to ship. Any help would be appreciated.
PM badflash. He has reasonable prices and I believe he has purebred mossies.

tem1160
10-27-2010, 06:08 PM
Tried to PM him but it stays in my outbox and never goes through. Or he hasn't had a chance to reply.

davidstcldfl
10-27-2010, 06:22 PM
Hi...I think a copy stays in your outbox.....there should be a place showing the 'sent' time and date (?)

urbanfarmer
10-28-2010, 09:35 AM
Tried to PM him but it stays in my outbox and never goes through. Or he hasn't had a chance to reply.
I don't know anyone offhand that sells these besides a local fish farm where I live. I can try to see if they ship and I will send you the info when I get it. It usually costs a few hundred dollars because of the shipping, but sometimes with fry they can work out cheaper options.