Having the indoor tank of our first 19 mature Tilapia was overcrowded, and overwhelming; I was relieved when the extra 14 fish were sold to a fellow aquaponics enthusiast.
At that point, the indoor tank was modified slightly (mostly involving adding gravel and lots of plants and a broken terra cotta pot to allow sufficient hiding places for egg carrying females) to accommodate our core breeding colony of 5 fish: 1 male, 4 females.
Gradually, we noticed there was definitely too much humidity, and a distinct fish tank odor, which was beginning to permeate the entire lower floor of our home. Not attractive.
I thought over WHY I wanted raise our own Tilapia: to have a source of clean fish to feed my family. We don't eat a lot of fish, but with all the GMO/hormone and chemical fed fish that are either currently in, or soon to hit the market, I feel that raising our own is a NEED, not a WANT. Therefore, instead of scrapping the project entirely, I modified it. A LOT.
We will still convert 2 IBC totes into aquaponics systems, and raise Tilapia in them, but instead of keeping the indoor breeding colony year round and raising our own from fry, I will purchase about 20 fingerlings (1"-2" fish), put 10 in each of the tanks, and grow them out from around March until September, when they will be (hopefully) big enough to process and add to our freezer to be eaten that winter and the following year.