Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Feeding Tilapia Tank - (Feeding Issues)

Ok I have been tinkering with some Tilapia this year and have a few in a tank I am growing out to eat later this fall and try to get them to spawn as well.

I have been feeding them AM 400 and it seems to be working ok, my question is should I continue to feed AM 400 for max growth or go up to AM 500 or AM600?

I have all of them currently as I use them in my feeder at the pond, but want to make sure I get the most out of my Tilapia and feed them what I have to maximize their size.

AM 400 seems like it would be the best due to the higher protein, but that may not be the case and wanted to ask some experts on here what food would be best and how often it should be used.

Thanks

Are they big enough now to eat AM500 or AM600?

If they are I would make the switch.

There are some in the tank that can eat AM500 and AM600. I was thinking I should changed due to the size of the pellet but since AM400 has more protein and I still have some smaller fish in there before I move them to another tank they would benefit from the protein but if the larger pellet is better I would switch.

I'm not a tilapia expert but I wasn't aware tilapia need that much protein, so for me I would up the size.

Rex (Rainman) hopefully will chime in as he has a lot of experience with tilapia.

Since you already have the larger sizes and if fish are 7" you can switch to the 600. If fish are 5"-7" then use 500. I think tilapia will grow well on 32% protein pellets but since you don't have lots of fish then just use the 500 or 600 sizes. You can mix sizes to give them a selection. Let us know how it works.

I was thinking of mixing them together and let the fish decide as well. I am sure they grow fine on 32% but was thinking if the extra protein gave them a boost for the next 3-5 months depending how early winter comes then I would use it since I have it. Otherwise I may just feed them the GFC I have as well.

I figure I would just use what I have already bought for the pond so I would not have to buy anything else. But I am willing to buy what ever food they will grow the best on.

It is actually funny to watch them as they seem to prefer the algae on the side of the tank. At first I thought something was wrong with my fish then I noticed they were sucking the stuff off the sides and when I tried to examine them to be sure nothing was wrong they were gone like a silver bullet.

This shows me they are not sick, but maybe I need to up the feeding.

Thanks for all the advice and I will report back as to what feed they prefer and hope to take some pictures the next time I clean out the tank. I have at least 3-5 different colored fish in there so would love to post and get some feedback as to if they are a variation of the same type or possibly I got a mixed bag of species.

Using the floating AM500 or AM600 pellets should make it much easier to keep your tank clean. It's a lot easier to clean up any uneaten pellets off the surface than the bottom of the tank.

This is true but I usually do not see too much left, and I think they come back and eat it shortly anyway.

Then again I may not be feeding them enough as it is so I could put more in of the floating food and remove what is left after 15 min or so.

I would like to have a feeder hooked up that would just add a little food every hour or so but due to location of tank I think someone would take the feeder.

I was actually going to use a deer feeder and put it just above the water so the food would not get thrown our of the tank, but since this would be in my front yard it would be easy to swipe the tank when I am gone or at night. If we ever move out I will give this a shot though.

I am in the process of adding another type of filter to help clear up the water just have to get some ideas and find some more time to work on it.

how big is your tank? sponge filters have been working well for me in my fry tanks..i've also got an hob filter on a couple tanks..
i got a bag of aquamax dense 4000 for the larger tilapia - this was recommended to me by rex, aquamax 300 for the fingerlings.. grinding silvercup game fish food for fry, and supplementing with bloodworms and scuds

Amen to that!

Use a combination of AM 400 (5D04) and AM900 (5D09 or Dense 4000)

Remember, tilapia are omnivores and AM500/600 are canivorous feeds and do not provide the proper nutrients for larger tilapia...