Stardew Valley’s Tilapia: Where to Catch, Uses, and More
Stardew Valley’s Tilapia is a rather large ocean fish that has many uses, though it can be somewhat tricky to catch. Here, we’ll explore how and where to catch one for yourself, what you should use it for, and more.
Where to Catch a Tilapia
Tilapia are found only in Pelican Town’s oceans between 6 AM and 2 PM during the Summer and Fall. They can be caught in any kind of weather.
Additionally, Tilapia can also be found on Ginger Island’s shores.
How to Catch a Tilapia
Tilapia are rather large, ranging in size from 11 to 31 inches. They are also rather unpredictable and difficult to catch, meaning you’ll likely need to level up your Fishing skill a bit for best results.
While Tilapia can be caught with any type of fishing rod, it is highly recommended to use an Iridium Rod with either the Cork Bobber or the Trap Bobber.
The Cork Bobber will make the green fishing bar slightly larger, which makes fish like the Tilapia slightly easier to catch. The Trap Bobber, on the other hand, makes the catching bar move 33% slower, meaning fish will escape a bit more slowly whenever you’re not actively reeling them in. Both bobbers are quite useful, and the one you use will mostly depend on your preference.
Using Bait and Wild Bait will also make the Tilapia (and most other fish in general) easier to catch, as they will bite more frequently. With the Iridium Rod, you’ll be able to use Bobbers and Bait simultaneously.
Uses: Tilapia
The Tilapia, like most fish in Stardew Valley, is quite versatile and has a wide range of uses.
Gifting
You can give Tilapia by itself to villagers as a gift, but this is not recommended, as all of them are either neutral towards the fish or outright dislike or hate it. The only villagers who are neutral towards Tilapia are Demetrius, Elliot, Linus, Pam, Sebastian, Willy, and later, Leo.
Selling
Tilapia sells for a base price of 75 gold at standard quality. Silver Quality Tilapia sells at 93 gold, Gold Quality Tilapia sells for 112 gold, and Iridium Quality Tilapia sells for 150 gold.
The Fisher and Angler perks will boost the sale price of Tilapia (and all other fish) by 25% and 50%, respectively.
Quests
Tilapia is used in only one quest: Aquatic Overpopulation. Once you have unlocked the Special Orders board outside of Lewis’ house, Demetrius may randomly request 10 Tilapia during the Summer.
The reward for completing the quest is the amount of gold the player would normally receive for selling them along with the recipe for the Farm Computer.
Recipes
There are no recipes that call for Tilapia specifically. However, there are three recipes in which Tilapia can be used, as they all call for a fish of any kind.
The recipes are the Maki Roll, Quality Fertilizer, and Sashimi; all of these recipes call for a single fish.
Community Center Bundles
If you opt to complete the Community Center bundles, you will need a single Tilapia for the Ocean Fish bundle in front of the Fish Tank.
Tailoring
Once you’ve unlocked the Sewing Machine at Emily and Haley’s house, you can use Tilapia in the machine’s spool along with a piece of Cloth to create the dyeable version of the Sailor Shirt.
Fish Pond
You can also put Tilapia in your Fish Pond. They will reproduce every two days, and they also yield grey Tilapia Roe.
