Management Strategies for Intensive Culture of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) in Tanks Using Drainage Water in Al Hassa Region of Saudi Arabia PDF

Keywords

tilapia, drainage water, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Three experiments during a growing season of 210 days (April- October) in Al Hassa region of Saudi Arabia demonstrated that Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) could be grown from an average weight of 20 g to over 300 g in concrete tanks giving a production of about 20 kg/m3 with a stocking density of 64 fish/m3. Drainage water was flowing through the tanks at the rate of 1 L/min/kg fish biomass, the tanks were uniformly aerated and a commercial fish feed with 34% dietary protein was fed to the fish. To provide 20 g fingerlings for early stocking, the fingerlings should be produced in September- October and overwintered for early stocking in April. The fingerlings produced and stocked in the same growing season will not reach minimum marketable weight of 250 g. The fingerlings (av.wt. 4 g) stocked at a density of 40/m3 in triplicate tanks attained an average weight of 544 g with a corresponding yield of 21.7 kg/m3 in 415 days. Average food conversion ratio was 2.16. In another experiment 64 fish/m3 with an average weight of 19 g were stocked in duplicate tanks and reared for one full growing season. An average weight of 361 g and average yield of 23.1 kg/m3 were obtained. The average food conversion ratio was 2.14. In the third study the fish had an average weight of 40 g and were stocked at a density of 42.6/m3 in duplicate tanks. They attained an average weight of 323 g in 164 days which gave an average yield of 13.4 kg/m3. The food conversion ratio was 1.96