Fish · Florida · by region

Fish for Florida aquaponics

North Florida freezes most winters and South Florida is tropical, so the right fish depends on where you are and whether you can heat or shade a tank. Each species page gives the temperature limits, Florida's possession and sale rules, how it breeds, and where growers get fingerlings, with every fact cited. 13 species so far.

At a glance

Species	Group	North FL	Central FL	South FL	Florida rules	Optimal water
Blue tilapiaOreochromis aureus	Tilapia	no	with care	yes	FWC lists Oreochromis aureus (Blue tilapia) on its "Conditional Nonnative Species List", a…	85 to 88 (SRAC 283, tilapia in general); 81 to 84 (SRAC 282, tilapia in general) °F
Mozambique tilapiaOreochromis mossambicus	Tilapia	no	with care	yes	FWC lists Oreochromis mossambicus (Mozambique tilapia) on its "Conditional Nonnative Speci…	85 to 88 (SRAC 283, tilapia in general) °F
Nile tilapiaOreochromis niloticus	Tilapia	no	with care	yes	FWC lists Oreochromis niloticus (Nile tilapia) on its "Conditional Nonnative Species List"…	85 to 88 (SRAC 283, tilapia in general); 81 to 84 (SRAC 282, tilapia in general) °F
Red tilapia hybridsOreochromis hybrids (parentage varies by strain)	Tilapia	no	with care	yes	Neither FWC nor FDACS lists "red tilapia" by name. The rules are set by parent species. FW…	28 to 32 C for optimum growth (converted: 82 to 90 F); 77 to 90 preferred for intensive culture (CIR1051, hybrid tilapia) °F
Channel catfishIctalurus punctatus	Catfish	with care	yes	yes	FWC's species profile lists channel catfish as "Species Status Native" and says they are "…	about 85 °F
BluegillLepomis macrochirus	Sunfish and bass	with care	yes	yes	FWC's species profile lists bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) as "Species Status Native" and …	68 to 86 °F
Largemouth bass (Florida bass)Micropterus salmoides	Sunfish and bass	with care	with care	with care	FWC's species profile, titled "Florida Bass/Largemouth Bass" (Micropterus salmoides), list…	?
GoldfishCarassius auratus	Ornamental fish	yes	with care	with care	SRAC 7201 says goldfish are native to central Asia, China and Japan, so they are not nativ…	65 to 75 °F
KoiCyprinus carpio	Ornamental fish	yes	with care	with care	Koi are an ornamental variety of the common carp, which SRAC 7201 says is native to Eurasi…	65 to 75 °F
Australian red claw crayfishCherax quadricarinatus	Crayfish	no	with care	yes	On FWC's "Conditional Nonnative Species List" as "Cherax quadricarinatus (Australian red c…	75 to 85 °F
Florida crayfishProcambarus alleni	Crayfish	?	?	?	FWC's "Aquaponics Licenses & Permits" page lists "Florida crayfish (Procambarus alleni)" a…	?
Red swamp crayfishProcambarus clarkii	Crayfish	?	?	?	On FWC's "Conditional Nonnative Species List" under Crayfish as "Procambarus clarkii (Red …	?
Freshwater prawnMacrobrachium rosenbergii	Freshwater prawns	no	with care	with care	FWC's "Aquaponics Licenses & Permits" page lists "Malaysian prawn (Macrobrachium rosenberg…	28 to 31 C (converted: 82 to 88 F) °F

"Yes", "with care" and "no" are our reading of each species' temperature limits against the three regions; the species page gives the figures and the source. "?" means the sources read do not say.

Tilapia

Blue tilapia: Blue tilapia is an African mouthbrooding fish that is now wild across much of Florida, and it is one of the few tilapias Florida lets home growers keep without a permit. It is the hardiest of the farmed tilapias in cold water, which is why hybrid stocks often carry its genes, but it still stops eating in cool water and dies in the high 40s F. Cold winters are the usual problem, and so is location: in FWC's Northwest region (the panhandle counties from Escambia east to Jefferson) a different permit rule applies.
Mozambique tilapia: Mozambique tilapia is a hardy, very salt-tolerant tilapia that breeds younger and smaller than blue or Nile tilapia, and it is a parent of several red and gold color strains. In Florida it is not a home aquaponics fish: FWC and FDACS both say they will not permit it in backyard systems, and only certified commercial farms holding a Restricted Species Authorization may raise it. The most common mistake is buying a red or gold tilapia without knowing it carries Mozambique parentage.
Nile tilapia: Nile tilapia is by far the most farmed tilapia outside Africa and the fish behind the best-known aquaponics trials, where it grew fast and almost all survived. Florida treats it like blue tilapia: home growers need no permit in four of FWC's five regions, but the Northwest region (the panhandle from Escambia east to Jefferson) is different. It handles cold less well than blue tilapia, so winter water temperature is the main thing to plan for.
Red tilapia hybrids: Red tilapia are crosses, not a species: the color came from mutant fish, and the strains have since been bred with other tilapias until, SRAC says, most red tilapia in the Americas are of uncertain origin. They sell well because they look like red snapper, and they grew well in the best-known aquaponics trials. In Florida the legal question depends on the parent species, and red stock is often sold without documented parentage, so settle that with the seller and FDACS before buying.

Catfish

Channel catfish: Channel catfish are a native Florida fish and the leading farm-raised fish in the United States, so fingerlings, feed and know-how are easy to find. They grow fastest in warm water in the mid-80s F and eat less as the water cools. The thing to watch most closely is oxygen: growth slows below about 4 ppm and fish die near 1 ppm, and do not confuse them with blue catfish, which FWC lists as Conditional.

Sunfish and bass

Bluegill: Bluegill are a native Florida sunfish found statewide, valued as a pan fish and as forage for bass. They take pellets and breed easily, even in tanks, but they grow slowly: reaching an 8 to 12 ounce food size takes about two years, and growers have struggled to raise sunfish to food size in recirculating systems. Be careful with hybrid sunfish, because the usual cross uses green sunfish, which Florida prohibits.
Largemouth bass (Florida bass): The largemouth bass, including the native Florida bass, lives statewide and is one of the species some aquaponic systems have raised. It is harder to grow than tilapia or catfish: fingerlings must be trained to eat pellets, they need a 40 to 48 percent protein feed, and they take about two seasons to reach a pound. In Florida the legal trap is genetics, because northern largemouth bass are Conditional and only genetically documented Florida bass may be farmed for food.

Ornamental fish

Goldfish: Goldfish are a nonnative, coolwater member of the carp family, raised for ponds and aquariums and also as feeder and bait fish. They are hardy, do best at about 65 to 75 F and eat an ordinary 25 to 32 percent protein pellet, so they can run a small system, but no fetched source treats them as a food crop. Two cautions before stocking: FWC's rule wording on nonnative fish and its aquaponics guidance read differently, and goldfish can quietly carry koi herpesvirus to koi.
Koi: Koi are a colored, ornamental form of the common carp: a hardy, nonnative coolwater fish that some aquaponic systems keep for their waste and their looks rather than for food. They do best at about 65 to 75 F, so Florida's long hot season is the main stress, and newly bought koi can bring in koi herpesvirus, so quarantine matters. FWC's general rule on nonnative fish and its aquaponics guidance read differently for a fish like koi; ask FWC before stocking.

Crayfish

Australian red claw crayfish: The Australian red claw is a big tropical crayfish that tolerates crowding, rarely burrows and can reach 2 to 4 ounces in one warm season. In Florida it is a restricted (conditional) species: only certified commercial farms holding an FDACS Restricted Species Authorization may raise it, in tanks inside an enclosed building, and FWC and FDACS do not allow it in backyard systems. In any tank, its talent for climbing out is the problem growers meet first.
Florida crayfish: The Florida crayfish is a native crayfish, and FWC lets you keep it in a home aquaponics system without a permit and collect it locally. Beyond that, no UF/IFAS, FWC or SRAC document on raising it was found, so its temperature, feeding and breeding sections are left blank here. The usual ways to go wrong are selling animals without an FDACS Aquaculture Certificate and collecting a protected crayfish by mistake.
Red swamp crayfish: The red swamp crawfish is the main farmed crawfish of the southern US, raised in Louisiana-style ponds and boiled by the sack. In Florida it is on FWC's Conditional list: pond culture is banned, commercial culture needs FDACS certification and tanks inside a building, and both FWC and FDACS say conditional species cannot be used in backyard aquaponics. The FWC list does let people possess it west of the Apalachicola River, and no fetched page says how that fits with the backyard rule, so ask FWC before keeping it.

Freshwater prawns

Freshwater prawn: The Malaysian or giant freshwater prawn is a tropical, shrimp-like animal from southern Asia, farmed in summer ponds across the southern US and listed by FDACS among the animals common in commercial aquaponics. FWC says no permit is needed to keep it in a personal aquaponics system. Cold is the main limit, since it needs water above 65 F to grow, and breeding is hard at home because the larvae need brackish water, so most growers buy juveniles.

Where to buy fingerlings, breeders, crayfish and prawns in Florida

9 Florida sellers listed by region, each checked on its own website. Finding stock is the hardest part of starting a system here; that page exists for it.