Food Habits of Florida Red Tilapia Fry in Manured Seawater Pools in the Bahamas

Abstract

Abstract Florida red tilapia fry (hybrids of Oreochromis urolepis ♀ × O. mossambicus ♂) were grown on Lee Stocking Island, Exuma Cays, Bahamas, in two seawater pools that were intensively enriched with chicken manure (105 kg/hectare daily). Despite identical management during the conditioning period, the pools developed substantially different food resources. Diets of red tilapias were monitored for 20 d. In a pool where primary production was dominated by macroalgae, the diet consisted largely of macroalgae. In the other pool, where phytoplankton was dominant, phytoplankton and particulate organic matter made up the bulk of the diet. A comparison of diet with available zooplankton indicated that copepods were selectively ingested in both pools, and rotifers were nearly randomly ingested in one pool.