Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Tilapia

For the guys that have or are wintering tilapia, do you have any problems with fish becoming aggressive or cannibalistic at a certain size? What are the biggest issues with raising them indoors?

Thanks.

We overwintered Tilapia last year and were very successful at preventing loss. We were able to spread Tilapia out in 8 large concrete vats and keep them warm using space heaters. One thing we did, since we had room, was spread them out, in other words we seperated size classes to prevent large fish from being in the same vat as smaller Tilapia. Also we fed them using Purina Gamefish Chow. This may help discourage cannabilistic behaivors.

I would say your biggest issues are keeping fresh water on them, keeping them warm, and keeping them fed.

The top two biggest issues are water quality and temperature. If someone was overwintering for the first time I would recommend the following: Start out with the size fish you want to stock or just slightly smaller. Make sure the room and/or water temperature can be reliably maintained. Stock at a low lb/gallon ratio and feed them meager rations just to maintain their weight. Do not use any materials in the tank that encourage spawning. Less fish=less feed=less polutants. This will reduce water quality problems and lessen the need for water changes.