A Finishing System for Large Tilapia

Pond carrying capacity is largely determined by management practices. Earlier work on semiintensive culture of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) using manure or inorganic fertilizers indicated that carrying capacity might reach 2,000 to 3,000 kg/ha (Diana et al. 1991a, b; Knud-Hansen et al. 1991). As stocking density is increased in fertilized ponds, carrying capacity remains largely the same and density-dependent growth occurs (Diana et al. 1991b). Thus, the ultimate size of fish at harvest is largely related to density stocked in fertilized ponds, while biomass at harvest is more consistent regardless of stocking density. Maximum size at harvest for these fertilized ponds is approximately 250 g for fish grown five months.