Evaluation of three species of tilapia, red tilapia and a hybrid tilapia as culture species in Saudi Arabia

The culture potential of three pure tilapia species, Oreochromis niloticus, O. aureus, O. mossambicus, hybrid tilapia ( O. niloticus X O. aureus) progeny and Taiwanese red tilapia ( O. mossambicus X O. niloticus) was evaluated in 10 m 2 concrete tanks receiving freshwater. Tilapia were compared for growth, survival, yield, and feed conversion ratio. The different lines investigated showed different responses during different growing phases (fry, fingerling, sub-adult and adult). Final mean weights after 392 days rearing were higher for hybrid tilapia (327 g) than those of O. niloticus (293 g), red tilapia (264 g), O. aureus (234 g) and O. mossambicus (168 g). Yield ranged from 6.5 kg m −3 ( O. mossambicus) to 13.0 kg m −3 (hybrid tilapia) and 2.2 to 4.4 kg 1 −1 of water used, respectively. The feeding of tilapia up to satiation within 30 min twice daily gave very good feed conversion ratios; the overall average ranged from 1.24 ( O. niloticus) to 1.63 (red tilapia). Survival after four growing phases was 80% (hybrid tilapia), 74% ( O. niloticus), 72% ( O. aureus), 61% ( O. mossambicus) and 7% (red tilapia). Overall performance, based on fry, fingerling, sub-adult and adult rearing and the ranking based on final mean weight, specific growth rate, survival, and yield proved hybrid tilapia to be the best candidate for intensive tank culture, closely followed by O. niloticus and O. aureus, O. mossambicus showed poor performance and red tilapia gave very low survival during the fry and larval rearing phases.