Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Tilapia question

I put my Tilapia in my pond in late April and was seeing them at the top of the water and in the shallows for the first couple of weeks. The past 2 weeks I have not seen any. My pond also has since developed a pretty good FA community with about 30% of the surface covered in brown, foamy FA patches with green FA at the edges of the pond. My water is still a good olive color overall. I have also had a more difficult time catching bass lately. I still see a lot of bluegill and now I am seeing my first bass spawn with quite a few 2 inch bass fry. Did the Tilapia and bass move to deeper water? Should I be concerned about the FA?

Can't help you much. My tilapia are seldom seen except when I feed them, 23 hours a day they are invisible.

Did or have you checked water temperature? Have you seen any fry?

I am having the same problem, when it was cooler they were everywhere, now I rarely see them..I thought my Otter problem had returned

This time of the year I very seldom see our tilapia but see the results of their labor.
Late summer/early fall they are larger and more abundant.

Captain...

Your tilapia should be on the bottom eating your FA. I don't know if they eat it off the top or not. If you haven't seen any floaters, they are probably okay.

I agree with ezylman. When it starts warming up the are seldom seen except for when they spawn and the fingerlings start hanging closer to the shore.

Thank-you gentlemen. To answer an earlier question, the water temperature at the surface is in the low-mid-80's and when I put the Tilapia in in April it was pushing low 70's. I have not seen any fry yet. I talked with Ken Hale from Boatcycle and he said that unitl the first spawn gets larger and then reproduces, that impact on the FA is low. I must say I am relieved to find this is "normal" and that I don't have some problem with my water. I am in the 2nd summer with this new 2 acre pond and I am on pins and needles worried about my investments in my stocked fish! I must say that I was pleased to see the bass fry. I only stocked about 35 10-14 inch bass late last year and early spring so I was pleased to see I had a successful spawn. Bluegill are doing great also.

Have not seen any of my Talapia either but have not been to the pond site in a while , bluegill are great , can't get my hand around some of them .the last trip i caught an 8lb channel full of eggs , put her back . will spend some time there before I see you all at the Big Show .

2.5 acres

Captain 1,
Before I stocked a predator I would see them on the surface in the early evening in large numbers. Now they only show at feeding time and then only the large ones. Your bass are probably having the same influence as my barramundi. You should start seeing fry soon, your temps are good.