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Hawaiian Gold Mozambique Tilapia Pure Blue Tilapia
Red Nile Tilapia White Nile Tilapia
Black Nile Tilapia Flaming Nile Tilapia

blue tilapiaWe offer the best varieties of tilapia for the home aquaponic gardener!

PLUS,
when you order your fish from The Aquaponic Source here is what you can expect ...

  • You can establish a sustainable, reproducing tilapia colony (approximately 50/50 male/female), and be sure that the stock we provide are raised in controlled, contained and secure facilities free from disease risk. We start aquaponic gardeners out with the best possible source of fish in every way possible, and for this price, that's pretty hard to beat.
  • Our fish are all hormone  and GMO free.
  • Small tilapia fingerlings range in size from .5-1.5 inches (typically average about 1 inch)
  • Guaranteed live arrival of your fish.
  • The hatchery carefully packs your fish for shipping in a special shipping container with just the right amount of water and pure oxygen. There is no extra materials or handling charge for this box (some vendors add an extra box fee or handling charge at checkout)
  • During the winter months, when temperatures are on the low side, they also place a special heat pack in the container just to make sure your fish travel as safely and comfortably as possible.
  • You will typically receive some extra fish to take care of that extremely rare occasion when a few of them don't make the trip alive.  Usually this just means you get a few extra free fish as they rarely experience mortalities in transit.

What varieties do you offer?

How do I choose?

  • The tilapia most commonly grown for food, and sold in the U.S., are in the Oreochromis genus, which refers to tillipine cichlids native to Africa.  This is the "O." in the beginning of the Latin name of the three major tilapia strains
    • Mozambique varieties (O. mossambicus strain) are known for their fast growth and easy breeding.  Hawaiian Golds are an especially easy fish  to raise and they make up about 60% of the commercial tilapia production in Hawaii today.
    • Nile varieties (White, Red, Black and Flaming O. niloticus strain) are the fastest growing strain and are what is used in most of the world's tilapia farming today.  They can withstand cooler water temperatures than Mozambiques and come into sexual maturity later (at 5 - 6 months vs. 2 - 3 months).  This gives more time for the fish to grow to full size before you need to worry about dealing with babies.
    • Pure Blue tilapia ( O. aureus strain) can take the coolest temperature of all.  And while all tilapia that are raised well and eaten fresh taste fantastic, these fish are widely considered the best tasting tilapia.
  • You need to understand what variety of tilapia you can legally own in your state.  Some states, California and Texas, for example, only allow Mozambique varieties of tilapia so there you will be restricted to the Hawaiian Golds.  

How much will shipping be?

  • Pure Blue Tilapia ship via USPS Priority Mail for arrival on Thursday of the week following any order placed by Sunday night of the previous week - Shipping is a flat rate of $49 for all quantities up to 100 fish.
  • All other tilapia ship overnight via UPS Next Day.  Shipping for up to 100 fish is $69, 200 is $85, 500 is $140, 1000 is $200.
  • The hatchery carefully packs your fish in a special shipping container with just the right amount of water and pure oxygen and ships them to you.

When will my fish arrive?

  • Pure Blues
    • Orders in by Sunday at midnight will deliver that same week on Thursday.
    • Orders in after Sunday midnight will deliver the following Thursday.
  • All other tilapia ship the day after your order is placed (as long as they are available) and will arrive the following day

What if my state doesn't allow tilapia to be imported?

You are responsible for understanding the fish import regulations for your state. If there is any question as to whether tilapia can be legally shipped over your state borders please contact your fish and game department to learn more before ordering.

Our friend, Edgar Sanchez of Tilapia Farming at Home, has created a web page with terrific information about tilapia regulations in various states that you might find useful in your research. Click here to view.

We do know that we can only ship Pure Blue Tilapia within the state of Florida unless you have a restricted species licence.  

Please note that we only ship to the 48 contiguous United States.

What do I feed them once they arrive?

Tell me more about the live arrival guarantee

  • We will replace fish or provide a refund for any shortages due to mortalities in transit. 
  • We do however reserve the right to decide which (refund or replacement) is most appropriate/feasible for each situation. 
  • Shipping costs are non-refundable, and buyer will be responsible for paying shipping costs for any replacement fish. 
  • We may require you to ship dead fish back to the hatchery or provide photographic proof of dead fish before we will approve a refund or replacement.  
  • You must be present at the delivery location and physically receive the container of fish at the time of delivery as well as promptly place them in a suitable container (fish tank, aquarium, etc.) to qualify for refund or replacement. 
  • If your fish package arrives damaged please be sure to make a notification upon receipt.
  • Please note, we can't be responsible for fish left on front porches or similar areas.  Sometimes fish will appear to be dead when in the bag when in fact they are not (they could just be stunned from the handling in transit), so regardless of what they look like in the bag, float the bag in your tank of warm (80-84 degree), aerated, conditioned and chlorine free water for 15 minutes and then release them into the tank.
  • Please note that you must report any losses within 4 hours of receiving your fish.  Official receipt time is considered to be the time and date stamp recorded by the shipping provider at time of delivery.