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  1. #1
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    Blue Tilapia Breeding help please!

    Hello all!

    First post, but I've been reviewing as a guest and registered user for awhile now and appreciate the wide array of information available! I'm fairly new to tilapia and ap in general.. bred many different kinds of fish in the "pet" market, but besides seeing "accidental" breeding of cichlids, i'm a newbie!

    Background... 2 55gal lined drums with 30 gal? tupperware gb's with bell siphons... one fully planted w/ pea gravel, other "open" using a few rubber tree plants and misc seedlings to help with nit. removal... i've setup a 20 gal tank for breeding... yes, very small, but i'm doing what i can with what i have as we all know, this isn't a cheap "hobby" to dive head first into... tonight while feeding my breeders.. (random fish not conventally sexed or "breeders" bought - figured by observation i could sex them to see who is building beds(males), and who's getting pestered by those building beds (females)... and one of my smaller "test" breeders, dumped what i believe are eggs... off white roundish and about the size of a onion seed.... which almost immediately -dispite her? attempt at guarding them- were devoured by the others in the tank.... i have some shale and misc aqua decor from tanks of past that i hoped would provide structure, sanctuary, and protection - i guess aren't doing the job....

    few questions:
    1. were these eggs as I'm assuming?
    2. besides buying ceramic pots or (more!) pvc piping - any "household" items you've had success with providing bedding cave... and protection? i thought about the infamous "red solo cups" weighted... but would prefer to leave as much man made materials out as possible..
    4. I've see a few of them protecting "beds" although there's not any depression in the gravel, and more or less looks like them being more protective of a 'territory' (pretty sure at this point i need to take out several of the fish i assume are males to get back to a 1male to 2+ female ratio...)
    3. tips for spotting female before she shoots eggs out unexpectedly? (they are rather young yet... i have a few 6"+ but my breeders are around 4" - and just curious if these were eggs - if it was just because it was her first batch and inexperienced?)

    as everything i do, i weigh many options, then jump in head first and learn as i go... but would love your input and prefer not to "waste" and eggs... (although that was surely a tasty protein rich treat for the co-inhabitants)

    Thank you very much for all the knowledge I've gotten here and any input y'all are able to provide!!!

  2. #2
    Members Apollo's Avatar
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    Re: Blue Tilapia Breeding help please!

    Welcome, cgindiana, glad that you have joined us. May your journey bring you the knowledge that you seek, put a smile up on your face, create hours of pleasure to stimulate your mind, an a healthier life style for your heart...from Apollo__Phoenix, Arizona.

    My pink tilapia's are still to young to breed, so not a lot of help in that area. But I found my breeding pots at Savers or Goodwill paid about $3 apiece for them.

    If you want to view my set up from start to now, check out “Fire Pit … AP” then “Pipe Siphon by Apollo” and ending with "Got Vertigrow?".

    ____________________________________
    I HAVE NOT FAILED. I'VE JUST FOUND 10,000 WAYS THAT WON'T WORK. Thomas A Edison

  3. #3
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    Re: Blue Tilapia Breeding help please!

    Thank you sir! And honestly I thought mine were as welll... I got the 2" boogers in dec! But seeing fantastic growth... And after shocking the system with 150 with no "starter" fish, only 6 down so I'm quite proud of myself for that! Thanks for your warm welcome and to what seemed like an Irish blessing to me. May the wind be upon you back and the sun upon your face as you carry aloft to dance with the stars... Also a 'blow' quote from Johnny depp's character.

  4. #4
    Members samtheman's Avatar
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    Re: Blue Tilapia Breeding help please!

    Welcome to the hobby.... My breeding tank with blue tilapias are 20 gallons and I keep 2 females and one male and they are all around 4". I have a small clay pot looking to the side for privacy and that's all. Keep the water warm above 76 degrees ad they start breeding.

  5. #5
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    Re: Blue Tilapia Breeding help please!

    SAmtheman, thanks for your input... I questioned stocking density in the 20 gallon since it does boil down to territorial space. Looks like my slate "two car garage" should work, just need to remove the excess males! Have you observed the males displaying much deeper colors than your females? This is very common in other species but some sources said you can't sex by coloration... Also, it appears the males have faster growth ratios unlike many other species where the female is usually larger and lacking in color...

  6. #6
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    Re: Blue Tilapia Breeding help please!

    Welcome cgindiana!

    I appreciate this thread as I also have bule tilapia that I am looking to breed. I started with fingerlings in April, and now have fish up to almost 12". I stocked aggressively, and since I never separated breeding ones, I believe that this kept them from breeding. I've read that when stocking densities are high, they release a hormone to inhibit reproduction. I have about 55 fish, and have to figure out how to identify males/females to separate the right ones. Then I'll have to wait for temp's to come up a bit - water is around 60F now.

    Since not all my fish are big, have a few runts in the 4" range, I'm thinking of separating these and trying to identify a male and a couple of females.

  7. #7
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    Re: Blue Tilapia Breeding help please!

    Eddiemigue, thanks! I know it's possible to use a dye (I'm thinking food coloring as it's "nontoxic") I've decided to take the extra steps to confirm my hypothesis... I'll post back once I get a chance to test these, get my ratio right, and explain process.

    I would think breeding would still be possible in high density stocking, although the fry survival rate would be slim... The hormones you speak of (I think this is based off internet research which we all know how accurate that can be) is actually introduced hormones to sterilize the fish or switch one sex so all are the same... This is why hybrids are so popular for food fish as they have been selectively bred for hardiness, size, and a common biproduct is 90+% male offspring... Once again I could be very wrong on that as I've read a lot of information and can't trust most internet sources!!

    Very glad I could be of help! I've also heard with the bigger/older breeders you should expect higher offspring numbers!

  8. #8
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    Re: Blue Tilapia Breeding help please!

    Well I *think* I've identifies the males and females... Let me tell you in advance... They will pick up the food coloring more than just their nether regions... My blue tilapia have red streaks on them! One hole male, two holes female... Drop of food coloring... Then.... Make your best guess?! Haha. Well see at least I reduced breeding tank stocking density!

  9. #9
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    Re: Blue Tilapia Breeding help please!

    Well, no signs my testing was correct, know I need to be more patient, just wondering if anyone knows approx cycle time between broods... Thanks in advance!

  10. #10
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    Re: Blue Tilapia Breeding help please!

    Hello cgi, the approx cycle time between broods can be as little as 2 weeks (if the eggs are stripped from the female) to 2 months. That's just from my limited personal experience with the females I have. Hope this helps.

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