Raising Tilapia for Food and Profit

If you have acreage and are looking for a way to raise your own food as well as earn an income, consider raising tilapia. This fish is an excellent source of protein, providing your body with needed omega 3 fatty acids that are good for your joints and reduce inflammation.

Tilapia doesn’t taste fishy like other fish and is popular in many recipes, but when it’s raised on a farm, the fish tend to live in overcrowded conditions and get sick easily, so farmers give them antibiotics that are passed on to you. Raise your own tilapia and provide them with plenty of room and you cut out those unnecessary drugs.

The fish is hardy and can live in various environments, although they need warm water. Plus they thrive in smaller areas, meaning you can raise them either in a small pond or in a tank.

Here are some things you need to raise tilapia for food and profit.

An Aeration System

Not only do your fish need to breathe oxygen through their gills, but the water in your tank needs oxygen as well. When oxygen absorbs water, it releases gases such as carbon dioxide. Without that, the water becomes a murky, unfit environment for your fish. Also, without sufficient oxygen anaerobic bacteria will thrive and grow, creating a condition that’s septic for your fish.

Provide oxygen in your fish’s world by ordering an aeration system from aeration systems installation Florida.

A Sufficiently Large Body of Water

The size of the tank you invest in depends on the amount of tilapia you want to raise. A good rule of thumb is to have three gallons of water for every one pound of tilapia. If you plan on eating tilapia about once a week, then you’ll need a tank that holds approximately 300 gallons of water. If you plan on selling tilapia, those tanks obviously need to be much bigger.

The Right Temperature and Feed

Tilapia thrive in warm water, so you’ll need to keep the water temperature between 68 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit or 20 to 30 degrees Celcius. You can feed your tilapia fish pellets, although they prefer natural plants including duckweed and algae. They also love earthworms. You’ll need to feed your tilapia twice a day.

If you’re looking for an easy way to produce your own food using limited space, raising tilapia might be a good choice for you.