karstopo
Well-known member
I know tilapia, but what type? I say Nile. What say you?
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Ichthyologists, what fish do I have Here?
- Thread starter karstopo
- Start date
In the area you fish I have no clue of what swims there, but I'll give the thread a bump to see who may.
pnc
Well-known member
Go with Nile if it works.
Not trying to be funny. Use to breed cichlids, African cichlids. Tilapia I believe originally came from western African lakes & rivers. In the fifty's tilapia farming spread around the world as a food source. Mans moving around, trying different strains In the same waters to ascertain which fish would acclimate best. This mixing of fish, both at home and in new waters. With fish that easily hybridize. Has led to there being virtually no natural strains anyplace today.
Looked at 50 pages of tilapia pictures. Don't see yours. What looks closer by shape of pectoral fin & tail. Are of the genus , Oreochromis. Once included in the tilapia genus. The rounded tail is prominent in these fish. Not so with tilapia strains.
If you would supply info. Size , water caught in. Anything about colors that camera might not capture. Species are known to change color with mood. Males often different from females. Anything might help narrow it down.
Last club outing & lunch for year starts in an hour. Might sleep for a day before I can get back.
......... pc
Not trying to be funny. Use to breed cichlids, African cichlids. Tilapia I believe originally came from western African lakes & rivers. In the fifty's tilapia farming spread around the world as a food source. Mans moving around, trying different strains In the same waters to ascertain which fish would acclimate best. This mixing of fish, both at home and in new waters. With fish that easily hybridize. Has led to there being virtually no natural strains anyplace today.
Looked at 50 pages of tilapia pictures. Don't see yours. What looks closer by shape of pectoral fin & tail. Are of the genus , Oreochromis. Once included in the tilapia genus. The rounded tail is prominent in these fish. Not so with tilapia strains.
If you would supply info. Size , water caught in. Anything about colors that camera might not capture. Species are known to change color with mood. Males often different from females. Anything might help narrow it down.
Last club outing & lunch for year starts in an hour. Might sleep for a day before I can get back.
......... pc
karstopo
Well-known member
I did read about this hybridization of tilapia. This tilapia was 2-2.5 pounds as measured by my 30# boga grip. Tilapia, and I believe intended to be Mozambique Tilapia, were once, several years ago, stocked in this 77 acre HOA controlled natural oxbow lake as an effort to control algae and/or excess aquatic vegetation. But as I think about it, there are a couple of ways water, and probably fish, from other bodies of water could find there way into this lake during certain events.
What got me thinking about it and what type these fish might be, they are very abundant in the lake, is the recent and ongoing cold weather and depressed water temperatures that goes with these weather events. Each species, from what I have read, seems to have a certain specific cold tolerance. Mozambique are the least tolerant of cold water, then Nile, then Blue.
I’ve been on some tilapia identification pages and counted fin spines and looked at caudal fin stripes and colors of fin margins and have gotten to where I’m clear I may never know what these fish are because there’s been plenty of gene exchange between the species since their introductions into non native waters like here in the USA.
I’m probably going to see some more tomorrow or the next day floating up dead from the water temperature that will be somewhere around 50 degrees. The lake is 12-14 deep at best. It’s supposed to be sunny and about 60 tomorrow and maybe that weather will rescue them for now. Nothing really cold and cloudy weather wise is on the horizon, but this winter thing is just getting started.
What got me thinking about it and what type these fish might be, they are very abundant in the lake, is the recent and ongoing cold weather and depressed water temperatures that goes with these weather events. Each species, from what I have read, seems to have a certain specific cold tolerance. Mozambique are the least tolerant of cold water, then Nile, then Blue.
I’ve been on some tilapia identification pages and counted fin spines and looked at caudal fin stripes and colors of fin margins and have gotten to where I’m clear I may never know what these fish are because there’s been plenty of gene exchange between the species since their introductions into non native waters like here in the USA.
I’m probably going to see some more tomorrow or the next day floating up dead from the water temperature that will be somewhere around 50 degrees. The lake is 12-14 deep at best. It’s supposed to be sunny and about 60 tomorrow and maybe that weather will rescue them for now. Nothing really cold and cloudy weather wise is on the horizon, but this winter thing is just getting started.
robinfick
Well-known member
I stay in South Africa and had a look through Paul Skelton's book on Fresh Water Fishes of Southern Africa on the various Cichlids and the size of the mouth is too small for a Mozambique Tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus and fin shape also differs. They can also survive in cold and slightly saline water. The closest profile of mouth and fins that I can find are the Green Happy Sargochromis codringtoni and the Nile Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus. The former would not survive cold water but the Nile Tilapia is surviving in waters around Cape Town (transplanted). As stated above, colouration does differ especially around breeding season and hybridization is a problem. Not much help I am afraid.
pnc
Well-known member
When looking at pic mouth does seem on small side. But hard to tell , being open In pic. What would be more telling is the angle of mouth. But again being open makes this hard. The jaw line should drop when viewing from side. Rear or hinged part being lower than front.
The fish are mouth brooders. Females hold eggs in bucal cavity beneath jaw. About 2 weeks, they spit out little fish. Hybridization occurs between fish of different genus. But also with fish of other species that are mouth brooders. Interspecies young grow larger than either parent but are sterile.
The lakes - Malawi, Tanganyika, & Victoria. Where fish are believed to originate from are saltwater lakes. Lakes with a higher percentage of salts than the oceans. But of different kinds of salts than seawater. The fish can live & thrive in freshwater. But not saltwater as we generally know it. How much, saline water they can tolerate would be questionable.
What temperatures are tolerable. Is another question at best. The lakes in Africa are in a tropic zone. Recommended temperatures for aquariums in the 70's as with any tropical fish. However fish being farmed for food or aquariums. Are exposed to winter temps. And especially those in small shallow garden ponds which are exposed to a wider range. Both high and low of temperatures. Live & thrive.
Like said, call it what you want. Speculation is all anyone can do. Including experts on the subject. Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod would scratch his head and tell you the same.
....... pc
The fish are mouth brooders. Females hold eggs in bucal cavity beneath jaw. About 2 weeks, they spit out little fish. Hybridization occurs between fish of different genus. But also with fish of other species that are mouth brooders. Interspecies young grow larger than either parent but are sterile.
The lakes - Malawi, Tanganyika, & Victoria. Where fish are believed to originate from are saltwater lakes. Lakes with a higher percentage of salts than the oceans. But of different kinds of salts than seawater. The fish can live & thrive in freshwater. But not saltwater as we generally know it. How much, saline water they can tolerate would be questionable.
What temperatures are tolerable. Is another question at best. The lakes in Africa are in a tropic zone. Recommended temperatures for aquariums in the 70's as with any tropical fish. However fish being farmed for food or aquariums. Are exposed to winter temps. And especially those in small shallow garden ponds which are exposed to a wider range. Both high and low of temperatures. Live & thrive.
Like said, call it what you want. Speculation is all anyone can do. Including experts on the subject. Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod would scratch his head and tell you the same.
....... pc
karstopo
Well-known member
Tilapia made it through the cold snap. We have another forecasted cold period around Christmas although it was closer to 80 degrees today.
I wouldn’t mind if they got thinned out some. Osprey are doing their part and so are the water turkeys and pelicans. A few days of 50 degree water ought to do a number, but the Christmas forecast doesn’t look like it will get to that.
I want it cold enough to kill lots of tilapia but preserve the nascent snook population. Is that possible?
I wouldn’t mind if they got thinned out some. Osprey are doing their part and so are the water turkeys and pelicans. A few days of 50 degree water ought to do a number, but the Christmas forecast doesn’t look like it will get to that.
I want it cold enough to kill lots of tilapia but preserve the nascent snook population. Is that possible?