Temperature Effects on the Growth of Blue Tilapia in Intensive Aquaculture

Abstract Blue tilapias (Oreochromis aureus) were grown at 20, 25, and 30°C in closed aquaculture systems to develop a growth model for flowing-water husbandry of this species. Blue tilapias required 0.69 ± 0.05 temperature units (TU) per millimeter of growth in length (mean ± 95% confidence level; 1 TU = 1°C above 17.8°C maintained for 30 d). This requirement was verified in a second experiment in which blue tilapias were grown at 28°C on feed rations calculated from anticipated growth. The daily length increment (▵L, mm) of blue tilapias grown at constant temperature (T, °C) within the range 20–30°C can be predicted from the equation ▵L = 0.048T – 0.853.