Tilapia at Fish Story

thebiggerthebetter

Senior Curator
Staff member
MFK Member
Dec 31, 2009
16,325
14,518
3,910
Naples, FL, USA

thebiggerthebetter

Senior Curator
Staff member
MFK Member
Dec 31, 2009
16,325
14,518
3,910
Naples, FL, USA
Thank you. You are right, jewel cichlid many others told me. I am cichlid-challenged.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tlindsey

thebiggerthebetter

Senior Curator
Staff member
MFK Member
Dec 31, 2009
16,325
14,518
3,910
Naples, FL, USA
Our 2-foot tilapia (wild colonizers from the pumped down koi pond 2.5 years ago when they were around 1 foot).

First Nile (or hybrid) then Blue 5:15-5:45 min:

 
  • Like
Reactions: Dovii kid

thebiggerthebetter

Senior Curator
Staff member
MFK Member
Dec 31, 2009
16,325
14,518
3,910
Naples, FL, USA
The five smaller blues had gone to a new owner in Ft. Lauderdale about half a year ago.

Lost the big blue. 22". 8" tall. Probably 5-6 yo, but could easiy be 8-9 yo. Collected from the koi pond at 10", at which size it could be 2 years or 5 yo as they don't grow big fast in fierce competition.

Either age (I read they live only 9 years) or the regular harassments by the 2 foot Nile tilapia tank mate (for which purpose I moved out the Nile bully only a few months ago to the neighboring 4500 gal) or the current Microbe-Lift broad spectrum disease treatment (malachite green + formaldehyde), which I have been administering after cleaning the 15,000 gal sump, which caused a mild outbreak of some external pathogen. No other fish has been affected that bad though by the treatment, everyone still feeds, so I am not sure why a bulletproof tilapia would quit.


 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Milingu and BIG-G

thebiggerthebetter

Senior Curator
Staff member
MFK Member
Dec 31, 2009
16,325
14,518
3,910
Naples, FL, USA
Pics of the Blue tilapia from the previous post:


100_9553-1.JPG100_9553-2.JPG100_9553-3.JPG100_9553-4.JPG100_9553-5.JPG


After only 3-4 months the Nile tilapia followed the Blue, reinforcing my suspicion that this is the age and they both lived out their life span. 21" long, 7" tall. As with the Blue, probably 5-6 years old, but could easily be 8-9 years old. Collected from the koi pond at 10" in 2018, at which size it could have been 2 years old or 5 years old as they don't grow big fast in fierce competition.

21" Nile and 22" Blue are close to record sizes in some states.


100_9637.JPG100_9638.JPG100_9640 (2).JPG100_9641.JPG
 

thebiggerthebetter

Senior Curator
Staff member
MFK Member
Dec 31, 2009
16,325
14,518
3,910
Naples, FL, USA
TeeHawk TeeHawk are the pike killifish rare in the trade? I see a lot of them here because they like to be at the surface. IDK for sure but I am guessing they are non-natives.

Unfortunately I don't ship fish, never have, especially international, or I'd try to ship you some.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TeeHawk
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store