Tilapia feeding chart and calculator
A tilapia feeding chart gives the daily ration as a percentage of body weight, stepping down as the fish grow. Enter your fish count and average weight to get the daily feed range from the FAO reference table, with feeds per day and pellet size for the band.
- FAO reference rates by weight band
- Daily feed in kg from count and weight
- Feeds per day and pellet size included
- Runs in the browser, no sign-up
Calculate the daily ration
The live count in the pond or tank.
From your latest sampling.
Biomass
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Daily feed (FAO range)
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Feeds per day
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Feed size
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Reference values from the FAO table below. Calculations run in your browser; nothing is sent or stored.
The tilapia feeding table
Reference rates for Nile tilapia on formulated feed in intensive culture, from the FAO feeding table. Within each band the rate steps down as the fish grow toward the top of the band.
| Fish size (g) | Feeding rate (% body weight/day) | Feeds per day | Feed type and size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 - 1 | 30 - 10% | 8 | Powder, 0.2-1 mm |
| 1 - 5 | 10 - 6% | 4 | Crumbs, 1-1.5 mm |
| 5 - 20 | 6 - 4% | 4 | Pellets, 1.5-2 mm |
| 20 - 100 | 4 - 3% | 2 | Pellets, 2 mm |
| 100 - 250 | 3 - 2% | 2 | Pellets, 3 mm |
| over 250 | 2 - 1.5% | 2 | Pellets, 4 mm |
Source: FAO Aquaculture Feed and Fertilizer Resources Information System (AFFRIS), Nile tilapia feeding tables, Table 28. FAO AFFRIS Nile tilapia tables
How the calculation works
Daily feed is biomass multiplied by the feeding rate. Biomass is the fish count times the average weight, and the rate comes from the band the average weight falls in. Ten thousand fish at 50 g are 500 kg of biomass; in the 20-100 g band at 4 to 3 percent, that is 15 to 20 kg of feed per day, split across two feedings.
The count is the input that quietly goes wrong. Every mortality that goes unrecorded leaves the count high, which inflates the biomass, which inflates every ration calculated from it.
The reference table is a starting point, not your table
Real feeding rates move with water temperature, strain, feed brand, and the way each farm actually runs. The FAO figures are the honest starting point, and the farms that beat them do it by adjusting from their own results: sampling, adjusting the rate, and confirming what was actually fed, pond by pond.
That loop is a record before it is a table. The chart on this page tells you what to feed today; only your own records can tell you whether it was right.
Frequently asked questions
How much feed does a tilapia need per day?
It depends on the weight of the fish: from around 30 percent of body weight per day for first-feeding fry down to 1.5 to 2 percent for fish over 250 g, per the FAO reference table for intensively cultured Nile tilapia. In kilograms per pond, multiply the current biomass by the rate for the band.
How many times a day should tilapia be fed?
Per the FAO reference table, fry take up to 8 feedings a day, fingerlings around 4, and fish above 20 g are typically fed twice a day. Smaller fish need the ration split more often because they cannot consume a full day of feed in one meal.
Should the ration be recalculated as the fish grow?
Yes, continuously. Both inputs move: biomass rises as fish grow and falls with mortality, and the rate steps down as average weight crosses band boundaries. Farms typically recalculate after every sampling. Feeding a ration derived from last month to the fish of this month is the most common quiet source of a bad feed conversion ratio.
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