Department of Agriculture

BUREAU OF FISHERIES & AQUATIC RESOURCES

Regional Office No. 5
San Agustin, Pili, Cam. Sur
Tel. Nos. (054) 361-2326 / 477-3948

I. TILAPIA GROW-OUT CULTURE IN POND

INTRODUCTION

Tilapia in the Philippines is the most

prominent commodity being cultured next to
milkfish contributing 122,316 MT in 2002
(Philippine Fisheries Profile 2002).The contribution
of Bicol Region were 183 MT from freshwater
fishpond and 4,366 MT from freshwater fish cages
totaling to 4,5459 MT consequently 3.7%
contribution to the natural production. (Philippine
Fisheries Profile 2002)
High quality tilapia has a ready local market
and with great potential in foreign markets. It
provides a readily available supply of table fish for
both rural and urban families. It is one source of
cheap protein for the Bicolano and Filipino as well.
There are many methods of growing tilapia to marketable size in our region. Among
these are: earthen pond, cage culture, fish pen, tanks, hapas and raceways. However, the most
common method used in our region is earthen pond & cage culture.
This manual will provide & discuss the general principles and management procedures
to be undertaken when growing tilapia in fishpond.

II. SITE SELECTION

1. Topography – the ideal area for fishpond development should be generally flat and less
vegetated for less cost of development.

2. Type of soil – the good quality of soil for pond development is from clay to clay-loam.
This kind of soil has high water holding capacity which is very important
in fishpond preparation for less cost of operation especially to those
ponds using pump in water supply.

3. Source of water – the source of water can be spring, irrigation, canals, rivers, creeks,
dams and deep well. The major consideration on this aspect should be
the source of water must be free from pollution and must be year round
supply of water.

4. Freedom from flood – the area must be secured/free from flood to prevent escape of
the stocks and recruit of predatory stocks.

5. Accessibility - The area must be accessible to any type of vehicle to minimize and ease
transportation of farm inputs and others.

6. Availability of skilled workers – The area should have available skilled workers for
fishpond development to prevent delays in the constructions.

7. Availability of quality fingerlings –the area must have quality supply of fingerlings that
would give good growth performance and high survival rate.

8. Nearness to market – site must be strategically located near local markets.

9. Peace and order situation – The area must have good peace and order situation.

III. POND DESIGN/CONSTRUCTION.

 1. Ideal size of pond
7 ranges from 100 – 1000 m2 – for backyard operation
1,000 – 10,000 m2 – for commercial operation

2. Size of gates, canals and dikes 1m

a. Primary dikes (main)
Base – 3 m
Crown – 1.0 m 1.5 m
Height – 1.5 m

b. Secondary dikes
Base – 2.5m
Crown – 0.8 m
Height – 1.3 m 1.3 m

2.5 m
3. Others

IV. CULTURE METHOD

1. Extensive
a. Pond preparation

Before stocking, pond preparation is necessary especially in old ponds. This involves the
following procedures:

1. Total draining of fishpond - to eliminate old stocks, predators and unwanted species.

2. Pond poisoning or pesticide application - to be sure that all predators and unwanted
species are eliminated; it is recommended to poison the pond. Poison or pesticides are
applied by spraying it all over the pond bottom with at least 0.5 – 1.0 foot water. It is
advised not to spray poison to a totally drained pond because, when the poison stick to
the soil, it is difficult to wash the pond.

3. Pond washing - pond washing is done by letting filtered water come in and out of the
pond. The effect of poison will be gone easier by pond washing.

4. Leveling of pond bottom - pond bottom is sloped towards the drainage gate to
facilitate draining of pond especially during harvest.

5. Sun drying of pond bottom - in old ponds, it is better to expose the pond bottom to
sunlight and allow the soil to crack. The toxic gasses evaporate and eliminate faster in
a sun-dried pond bottom.

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 6. Application of lime - if the pond becomes acidic, application of lime is recommended.
The recommended rate is 100g/m2 or 1,000 kg/ha.

7. Screening of water inlet and outlet - before filling in of water, fine mesh screen is
installed in water inlet to avoid entrance of unwanted species and to water outlet to
prevent escape of fish after stocking.

8. Filling-in of water - pond is ready to be filled up with water to the favorable depth of
1.0-2.0 meters after all the inlets and outlets are installed with screen. The different
water sources that can be used are; irrigation water, deep well, rain water/run off,
springs, rivers and reservoirs/dams.

9. Basal fertilization - to have a ready food for fish upon stocking, growth of natural food
(plankton) in the pond is produced through basal fertilization. Organic fertilizer
(chicken manure) is applied by broadcast method all over the pond bottom at the rate of
2,000-3,000 kg/ha. In combination to chicken manure, inorganic fertilizer, 16-20-0
(Ammonium phosphate) is also applied at the rate 100-200 kg/ha by hanging or
platform method. This recommended rate maybe increased or reduced depending on
the natural productivity of the pond. The presence of natural food in the pond, thus,
completes the pond preparation.

b. Stocking
1 – 3 pcs/m2 or 10,000 – 3,000 pcs/ha

c. Feeding

During the 1st – 3rd month of the culture period the source of diet/food of the stocks is
the natural food produced in pond through fertilization. In the 4th month, supplemental
feeding is advisable at the rate of 1-3% of the ABW of the stocks.

How to compute:

DF = (Total no. of stocks) (ABW) X (Rate of feeding)

= (Total no. of stocks) (ABW) X (Rate of feeding)
2
DF – daily feeding

d. Pond routine management

1. Fertilization/Dressing

To maintain the fertility of the pond, weekly application of fertilizers should be

observed. Organic fertilizer (chicken manure) is applied at the rate of 500 to
750kg/ha/week while inorganic fertilizer (16-20-0) is applied at the rate of 25 to
50kg/ha/twice a month. The method of application is similar to basal fertilization, chicken
manure is applied by broadcast method all over the pond bottom and 16-20-0 is applied by
hanging or platform method. The above rate may be increased or reduced depending on
the natural productivity of the pond. The greenish coloring of the water indicates the
presence of natural food and fertility of water in the pond.

2. Weed control

Growth of higher aquatic weeds in ponds affects the photosynthetic activity, thereby,
reducing production. It also hampers harvesting. Heavy fertilization during pond
preparation discouraged the growth of aquatic weeds. Manual removal of weeds as they
appear will minimize weed problem. Some fishpond operators are using grass carps to
control weeds.

3. Water quality monitoring

Maintaining of water quality through daily monitoring is important especially in

intensive culture. The heavy fertilization and intensive feeding at high stocking density may
produce an aerobic pond condition particularly at nighttime resulting to poor water quality.
Although tilapia may survive under poor water quality, growth will be affected. Therefore,
water quality should be suitable and favorable for fish life and growth. Some important
water parameters to be monitored are;

a) Water level/depth - ideally, the water level in the pond should be maintained at 1.0-
2.0 meters. Water freshening should be made if problems are suspected to exist.

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 b) Dissolved oxygen - all living things need oxygen to survive. Lack of oxygen would
result in poor growth, outbreak of disease or mortality. Most warm water species
would need dissolved oxygen in a level of about 3 PPM above. Although tilapia can
still grow at 1 to 3 PPM dissolved oxygen, the most ideal level is at 5 PPM.
c) pH - indicates the Hydrogen ion concentration, which determines the acidity or
alkalinity of the water. The pH has the following effects on fish;
pH range Effects
4 and below Fish die because water is acidic
4 to 5 No reproduction
5 to 6.5 Slow growth because of low food production
6.5 to 9.0 Fish thrive well and grow fast
above 9.0 Fish die because the water is alkaline

d) Temperature - fish grows faster at higher temperature but within the optimum
requirement, which varies according to species. The optimum temperature favorable
for growth of tilapia is 25-38oC.
e) Record keeping
Recording the daily activities in pond is a must to keep track of the success and
failure of the project. Among the important data to be recorded are: daily pond
activities, operating cost which include pond inputs, quantity and cost (fertilizer,
fingerlings, pesticides, etc.), production data, stocking and recovery and daily water
parameter. Causes of failure and success can be traced from the records

e. Harvesting

Harvesting of stocks is usually done after three to four months culture period. However,
other operators depend their harvesting on the size of fish that depends also in the size
preference of the target market. Others hold their harvesting if the prevailing market price is
low.
1. Selective harvesting - is the
traditional way of harvesting tilapia.
It is usually done in undrainable
ponds using a gill net, cast net and
seine net. The gear and mesh of the
net is selective, such that the
smaller fish passes through and
retained in the pond. In this
particular situation, stocking can be
done only once and after four
months, selective harvesting started.
Repeated harvesting every two to
three weeks can be made.

2. Total harvesting - in drainable ponds, total harvesting of fish stocks after three to
four months is done. Ponds are totally drained and fish are confined in the catch basin
where the fish are caught by seine net. Fish left in some parts of the pond are picked up
manually. In some cases, ponds are partially seined first before total draining such that
total harvesting by draining is easier.

f. Post-harvest/marketing

*************
2. Semi-intensive
a. Pond preparation (same with extensive method)
b. Stocking (same with extensive method)
= 4 – 8 pcs/m2 or 40,000 – 80,000 pcs/ha
c. Feeding
Semi-intensive method uses supplemental feed on the second month up to
marketable size of the fish

Kind of feed % ABW

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 2nd month Starter crumble 5-10%
3rd month grower 2-5%
4th up to harvest finisher 1-2%

How to compute:
DF = (Total no. of stocks) (ABW) X (% ABW)
2
DF – daily feeding

d. Pond routine management (same as extensive method)

1. Fertilization/Dressing
2. Weed control
3. Water quality monitoring
3.a. Water level/depth
3.b. Dissolved oxygen
3.c. pH
3.d. Temperature
3.e. Record keeping

e. Harvesting (same as extensive method)

V. COST AND RETURN ANALYSIS

Flow chart showing the points in a production system where different methods for tilapia population
control are used in obtaining marketable fish.

1. Extensive method
Pond area : 10,000m2
Number of stock/crop : 30,000 pcs
Survival rate : 85%
Culture period : 4 – 5 months
Number of crop/year : 2
Total harvest/crop : 5,100 kg
ABW harvest : 200 gms
Selling price/farm gate : 45.00
Gross income : 459,000.00

Variable cost:

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 Quantity Unit cost Total cost
Cost of fingerlings 60,000 pcs 35 cents P 21,000.00
Fertilizer
Chicken manure 9,000 kg 1.50 P 13,500.00
16-20-0 9 bags 5.50 4,950.00
21-0-0 2 bags 500.00 1,000.00
Lime 10 bags 200.00 2,000.00
P 21,450.00
Feeds (starting 5th month)
Finisher 4,000 kg 22.00 P 88,000.00
Fishing gears and etc
Fish nets 5,000.00
Fish tubs 10 units 350.00 3,500.00
Others (weighing scale, flashlight, raincoat, etc) 6,500.00
P 15,000.00

Supplies & materials 1,000/month P 12,000.00

Salaries
Fishpond & caretaker 3,500.00/month P 42,000.00
Helper 3,000.00/month 36,000.00
P 78,000.00

Miscellaneous expenses 1,000.00/moth P 12,000.00

Harvesting expenses 2% gross sales 9,180.00
Caretakers Incentives 5% gross sales 22,950.00
Repair and maintenance 2% gross sales 9,180.00
P 288,760.00

Depreciation of Development/Equipment cost

Pond, dikes, etc. 189,000.00/10 years P 18,900.00
Equipment 38,000.00/5 years 7,600.00
Caretaker’s house
& storage 23,000.00/5 years 4,600.00
Fishing gears, etc. 15,000.00/3 years 5,167.00
P 36,267.00

Net profit before tax: P 459,000.00

Less: variable cost/operating cost 288,760.00
Depreciation cost 36,267.00
P 133,973.00
ROI Net income .
Operating cost + Depreciation
133,973.00 X 100
288,760.00 + 36,267.00
= 133,973 X 100
325,027
= 41.21%

Payback Period: 2.42 years

2. Semi-Intensive Method
Pond area
Number of stock/crop
Survival rate
Culture period
Number of crop/year
Total harvest/crop
ABW harvest
Selling price/farm gate
Gross income
: 10,000m2
: 50,000 pcs
: 85%
: 4 – 5 months
: 2
: 10,625 kg
: 250 gms
: 60.00
: 637,500.00

Variable cost:
Quantity Unit cost Total cost
Cost of fingerlings 100,000 pcs 0.35 P 35,000.00
Fertilizers
Chicken manure 9,000 kg 1.50 P 13,500.00
16-20-0 9 bags 5.50 4,950.00
21-0-0 4 bags 500.00 2,000.00
Lime 10 bags 200.00 2,000.00

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 P 22,450.00

Feeds (starting 3-5 months)

Grower (3-4 months) P 5,000
Finisher (5 months) P 2,480
P 7,480 x 22 P 164,560.00

Fishing gears and etc

Fish nets P 7,000.00
Fish tubs 20 units 7,000.00
Other (weighing scale, flashlight, etc) 6,500.00
P 20,000.00

Supplies & materials 1,000/month P 12,000.00

Salaries
Fishpond caretaker 2,500.00/month P 42,000.00
Helper 3,000.00/month 36,000.00
P 78,000.00

Miscellaneous expenses 1,000.00/moth P 12,000.00

Harvesting expenses 2% gross sales 12,750.00
Caretakers Incentives 5% gross sales 31,875.00
Repair and maintenance 2% gross sales 12,750.00
P389,885.00

Depreciation of Development/Equipment cost

Pond, dikes, etc. 189,000.00/10 years P 18,900.00
Equipment 38,000.00/5 years 7,600.00
Caretaker’s house & storage 23,000.00/5 years 4,600.00
Fishing gears, etc. 15,000.00/3 years 5,167.00
P 36,267.00

Net Profit before tax:

Gross Sales P 637,500.00
Less: Variable cost/operating cost 389,885.00
Depreciation cost 36,267.00
P 211,348.00

ROI = Net income .

Operating cost + Depreciation
= 211,348.00 X 100
389,885.00 + 36,267.00
= 49.59%

Payback Period: 2.01 years