Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Feeding Tilapia feeding yet?

Hi,
I haven't seen my tilapia since adding them this spring. If there are any in there, when should I expect to see them weakening due to cold?

I think there are 2 other PB members in SE michigan who have tilapia, do you mind posting when you notice your tilapia nearing the end this year?

We have a warm rain, probably an inch or more this morning with air temps 70 degrees but cool front coming through and day time temps will struggle to hit 45 later today and tomorrow. That should cool the pond down quickly. I daytime aerated earlier this week when we had 70 degree sunny days but now shut it off again.

If I have some surviving adult tilapia, I'd love to put them in the grease but have heard from other PB members that they are very hard to catch on hook and line. Any ideas?

If I do find them belly up in the next few weeks, I understand they represent a big nutrient 'sink' that is helpful to remove from the pond, how do others gather them or net them to remove them or do some sink back to the bottom? I don't imagine any flying predators will grab a dead one, maybe if they are struggling a kingfisher might grab one?

You will typically see Tilapia up basking in the sun when water temps are in the low 60's to upper 40's. Many nighttime scavengers grab the Tilapia; raccoons, opossums, and I've seen crows removing them during the daytime. But it's rare that you see them dead. Turtles also remove them.

I'll snag them when they are up basking in the sun. I removed eight five gallon buckets full of them a few years ago from the 40# that I stocked in my pond.

Wet cold and rainy all weekend so probably won't see any for a while. I think my FA will keep them away from the shore and more out in the open water so not sure I'll be able to snag any in a bucket.

I think something would have to fly out to get them unless a possum or raccoon will swim for them?

I think turtles will probably clean them up too.

Do you eat the ones you harvested (8 x 5 gallons?)

I filleted a lot of them, and the neighbors also cleaned a lot of fish!