Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Tilapia Survival Success

We have had an exceptionally warm winter in North Florida. The pond temperature normally dips into the 40's during the winter. The bream have been lethargic eaters in past years. This year the lowest temperature has only been 60 degrees. The bream are eating as they would in July all winter.

I have stocked pure Blue Tilapia the three past years. I very rarely see one, only the positive effects they have had on the pond. Certainly the small tilapia have become Bass dinner.

How do you suppose the larger breeding Tilapia faired? A best guess for their survival rate? I wonder if I will need to stock again in the Spring?

Rainman is the expert here but from the literature I've read 60 degrees is survivable for them. I'm sure once your water gets warmer they will become more active.

PURE Blue tilapia can survive to 45* but begin having a compromised immune system at 60* and begin getting lethargic at 55*. Since a "Pure" strain is extremely rare, hybridized tilapia will die, become lethargic and lose immunity at a temp of 7-12 degrees higher.

Assuming the fish you have are pure, there will be some comprised immune system in all but the healthiest and only a 70% loss would be considered good over a winter in a predator filled pond...any hybridized fish and you would be lucky if any at all survive a northern Florida winter.

Im in South Carolina and my tilapia have survived in droves... the larger ones that is, and I dont have the same species of tilapia. That being said, im sure you've had warmer weather in florida so I think you may get a break on restocking this year as well. Ive seen around half of last years stock now well above 12" long in the last couple weeks. Im not a biologist, so you'll have to take my opinion for what its worth. I made a post titled 'tilapia surving the winter' and got a few good replies if you can locate it.

I have been watching a small area of the pond where I feed the BG. I noticed a strange swimming fish (10-12 inches) & realized that it was a male tilapia returning to his spawning bed. He seems to forage for females every so often, leaving the spawning bed looking for a mate. I have not seen him react with a female but I did see him face off another male that enter his territory. They looked each other over for 15 seconds & then the intruder retreated.

I have had tilapia for more than 3 years, this is the first time I have been able to observe their behavior. I had only seen a fleeting glimpse of an adult at the end of the season in years past.

I have yet to see a LMB or BG on a spawning bed. This same area was alive with spawning beds last year. This has been STRANGE YEAR so far.

How well do tilapia survive in northern ponds. We're in northern Indiana. Wondering if I add tilapia for FA control will I need to add them every spring?

On a related but slightly off track question....how do tilapia do in a swimming pond? I noticed in one of these threads a comment that male tilapia are agressive against each other...what about people?

Tilapia are an annual stocking tool for clearing ponds in your climate Drogo. Year round Tilapia survival is rarely a good thing in a pond. Dying is one of their biggest contributions to the other pond species when they get eaten.

For those of you with a few years experience with the Tilapia in your ponds every year how would you rate the aquatic vegetation control you are getting from the Tilapia? Is it clearly noticeable?

Zep, IMO Mozambique tilapia is highly over rated for aquatic vegetation control - I have never experienced any noticeable effect.

As far as FA control, Tilapia stocked at appropriate rates is a magic bullet -100% positive control for ~8+ years usage in high nutrient ponds.

Sorry George but what is the difference in
"aquatic vegetation" and "FA"?

Zep, FA is Filamentous algae, or “pond slime”.
Aquatic vegetation in my case means bushy pond weed and water primrose - a PITA…

I’ll defer the scientific definition to the biologists ...

Thanks George....

Glad to hear Tilapia are good at the "pond scum".

My spinnerbaits and crank-baits hate the stuff!

I did an informal survey with the canoe. The tilapia spawning beds are easy to see because of the abundace of weeds on the bottom. I only have 6 males. Never saw a female or small school of medium size tilapia that might have escaped predation.



Interesting to watch the males. The beds are about 30 ft apart. I have seen one invade the others territory & be chased back. They then squared off at the imaginary dividing line. They displayed & slowly backed up, finally returning to their own beds. They came off their beds to challenge? or investigate the canoe?

I have decided to order more tilapia.

Plenty of them in Huagonot park in JAX BEACH....