John it would probably be best to test the water as soon as possible then let Weissguy know what you found, he's got the experience with Tilapia.
Tilapia are the easiest and most forgiving fish to raise in "yucky" water. I know a bit about this, but give it to Weissguy.
I would be interested in knowing how long it took the filter setup to kill everything.
Hope that was not too harsh!
Usually takes a couple days plus, to get fish to feed in tanks.
