Tilapia Culture in Geothermal Waters: A Case of Study in a Semi-Arid Region in North-Central Mexico

摘要

The objective of the present study was to implement and evaluate a semi-intensive Nile tilapia culture in a pond of 4, 900 m2 serving with geothermal-water in a semi-arid region in the Central-North Plateau of Mexico. A total of 10,000 masculinized Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ) fingerlings of 3.0±0.5 g of total body weight were introduced into the pond. The culture had duration of 10 months and during this time analysis of water quality, feeding and biometrical samples were realized and at the ending growth performance indicators were calculated. The results indicated that Nile tilapia at the end of the experiment reached a mean of 28 cm of total length and a mean of 360 g in total body weight, with a survival rate of 87%. The total yield obtained was of 6,000 kg/ha. This study demonstrated a high potential of Nile tilapia in semi-intensive culture in geothermal-waters ponds.