Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I'm looking for the tilapia that is most cold tolerant. Also, if someone has an online source as to where to purchase them, please let me know.

Thanks

Oreochromis aureus, O. mossambicus are suspost to be the most cold tolerant. However, my O. mossambicus were in the middle range. I have a mix of tilapia that cam from all male hybirds, buy managed to breed any way. Now I have Black, white, and orange mix from that batch as well as some pure o. mossambicus. The white fish are shy and stoped eating first as the water temps dropped this winter, next the orange mossambicus as well as the orange offspring from the hybird fish stopped eating. The black fish on the other hand always eat when I throw them food (down to 68F; nibbling at 65). I really have no idea what species they are; I suspect Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus as they are heart eaters, good shape and jump out of the water feet into the air for little reason (unlike the other tilapia).

I have blue tilapia which I think are Oreochromis aureus. They are often concidered to be pretty cold tolerant but I've been told that even if they survive the water dropping below 53 F, they will likely never really recover from it. As in, their immune systems will be weakened and disease likely.

I personally wouldn't really recommend growing tilapia unless you can keep your water up close to 70 F year round. Their growth slows down so much below that. But then again, I think the catfish are just fine eating so that is a personal choice.

Unfortunately, O. aurea are illegal in California, so you need to stick with O. mossambica and you need to get a permit as well.

I have O mossambicus and they do fine without heating in winter here. We have gone as low as -5 degrees C. That would put water temp at about -2 or -3 I would guess. No thermometer in my pond. The fish just don't eat and don't grow.

These have been bred on my farm. From my original buy-in I lost a great deal, because they were raised in heated tanks..... but the survivors proved hardy to the cold and so have the offspring.

My next tank will be painted black to help temps a bit in winter so that the growing season is longer. Might even eventually recycle the water through a solar geyser in time..... during winter...... for further increases. Plenty of sun here .... as I believe is so there too.

Part covering of the pond with a solar blanket is another option I am looking at. I want low-cost solutions in terms of monthly overheads. With this idea reduced water-surface-to-air will probably require increased DO solutions though.

Hope this helps.

Chelle

Discussed this before but WHEN I get the larger system up will be trying a tent of insulnet over the FT, breathes so should be ok for DO exchange, sorry about the ads but part way down the page. http://www.redpathaghort.com/accessorie ... dener.html

That looks like a really neat solution Sleepe. Wonder if I can get something like that here. Going to go looking. At least can see what it looks like. Thanks!

Mine is a big WHEN too! But have to know WHAT to do when WHEN comes around hey!....

Thank you very much, everyone.

Legalities don't bother me. I'll smuggle some fish over the border in my trunk if I have to!! (j/k)

I plan to build a greenhouse with this system anyways, so I'd imagine via solar water heating, the greenhouse and maybe some in tank heaters, I can keep the temps fairly high.

i have a breeding stock of O. mossambicus but they are in a trop tank, next spring ther offspring gone bee put in greenhouse whit no heating ,to see if they can live next whinter

What kind of climatic zone are you in Z-75?

When small they travel through the mail quite well too

My Ag commissioners office says I'm in Z-14

I talked with Fish and Game department today and they said that I don't need any permits and I can raise whatever I want!!!!

So I can do whatever the hell I want

We have Nile tilapia (no, not the most cold tolerant) here in Vancouver, WA in a solar greenhouse. For the winter, we've been keeping them around 65 F (17 C) and will warm them back up later in the season. They seem to be healthy so I know it's doable. We got them from Flaherty's (they will send as "few" as 150) and they came in a box marked "Tropical fish".

The most cold tolerant is T.zilii, with O.aurea close up.

Mossambique are less hardy, as youngsters, but many big breeders can handle surprising cold,

I have often wondered of trying to hybridize Zilii and Aureus and selecting among them for cold hardiness.