Nutritional Considerations for Tilapia in Aquaculture

One of the largest areas of growth in the aquaculture industry is in the production of Tilapia (Wijkstom, 1999). This group of fish includes species from three genera; Tilapia, Sarotherodon and Oreochromis. The purpose of this paper is to compile relevant information relating to the nutritional requirements of tilapia. In the past the nutritional requirements for other species such as rainbow trout, (Oncorhynchus mykiss), channel catfish, (lctalurus punctatus), common carp (Cyprinus carpo) and atlantic salmon (Sa/mo salar) were applied to tilapia. This paper reviews scientific literature in hopes of presenting nutritional information specific to the tilapia species. This paper describes the tilapia species and their natural history, their basic nutrition and feeding, and feeds and feeding techniques