Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Several species are generally called tilapia. There are also some hybrids.

There is some info and links posted earlier in this thread.

For those who are interested in other things to do with Tilapia, have a look on this site for a competition!

Wow... didn't realize Tilapia were actually lose in the Ross River.... damn that's not good

they are everywhere

So are they likely to go seaward with the floodwaters and establish in the other river systems??.... they're pretty well salt tolerant aren't they??

no idea ROZ I got the email from work. I don't know that much specific info about tilapia around here, just that they are definitely in the area

I figure if they were in the river ... after that much rain they would have ended up out to sea... I'm fairly certain they are extremely salt hardy...

and with all the fresh pushing out to sea it would seem possible there could be enough brackish water around for a while...

long enough for the buggers to find another river system I'd say....

Bugger.... wonder who the moron was that let them loose in the first place???

On the bright side I guess it might mean a revision in the rules regarding their keeping sometime in the future

well, current surveys show that the only rivers in Qld where there are no tilapia are the Gulf of Carpentaria waterways


from here

Fines of up to $150,000 for possession of a fish

Jezz !!!! ya want fries with that LOL

Have to say that's one good thing I like about the fisheries guys up QLD and NT way... no stuffing around with penalties.... just wham...

Saw some blokes sneek into the Arnhem Land reserve when I was fishing the Roper River NT....

Rangers grabbed them... got them for ...

illegal entry without permit....
taking alcohol and cigarettes onto the reserve....
taking firearms onto the reserve....
illegal netting of barramundi....

Confiscated ...

their boat (had all the latest gear) ....
their Range Rover....
their fishing gear....
their camping gear...
phones and radios...
the fish...
alcohol and cigarettes...
rifles....

.... and fined them $25,000 each.....

Bet they didn't do it again.!!!

Tilapia are very salt-resistant. Certain strains can live in full seawater. Sorry to hear they've gotten into another river. I like the contest!

You know thats sad that the government can be so inpractical. Texas protects its waters because of the hundreds of lakes only 1 is natural and sport fishing is big and so is the income from fishing licenses.. In my state only mozambique tilapia are legal without a permit. However it is possable (they say) to get permits for others. However, the fish hatcheries will not sell any tilapia to you unless you have a permit.. That seems to be a trend here in texas; people are so scared of the government that they will not take any risk. Which I understand, its their livelihood. Speaking of livelihood, the way I see it I have the right to protect my livelihood as well by stocking fish that will feed my family and noone has a right to invite themselves onto my property to see what Im doing and thats what happens when you get a permit.. They come check you out. Then depending on the outlook and mood of the inspector you are forced to do things; not based on law but opinion.. Being 4 miles from any body of water or stream I know that a fish is not going to hike that far; so my conscience is clear.

How long will my breeders last?

I dont know how I will find non related fish if my source goes away.

Ideally you would have a separate tank which you can put a few few breeding pairs, as you find them. Take out all the babies so they don't get eaten, put them into a grow-tank, feed them heaps to grow them to tank size. You will find that you may have more babies than you can handle. What you can do from there is to only release the males sp? into the big tank that way they will grow faster without the temptations.

Feed up the biggest 100-150 each season to replace the eating stock.

You can replace the breeding stock every now and again to replenish them. Also you can inter breed for about 2 or 3 generations if you see a trait which is particularly desirable. Ie. If you get a group which grow alot fast than normal you could breed within siblings to capture this trait.

There is heaps you can do...

I don't know what the lifespan of a tilapia is. I'll have to cross that bridge when I come to it.

If it comes to it, we can all trade around fish, but the problem is the shipping charge. I did ship some fish to another member on this forum, but it was pricey! The guy on eBay can obviously ship cheaper with his special bags. I have no idea what those are--never seen them.