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#339140 06/13/13 03:46 PM
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I ordered 30 tilapia from Rainman Rex. He shipped 40 from St. Louis on Tuesday evening. They arrived FEDEX ground early this afternoon (Thursday). No morts when I opened the box, although I did end up losing two. Not sure why, but still that is pretty darn good. They are all about 2 inches, although the morts were probably the two smallest, at maybe 1-1/2 inches.

I've now got 19 each in two 10 gallon aquariums that I filled with pond water last night. I also added "pure" non-iodized table salt. Both have filters and large airstones suitable for 40 gallon aquariums.

I plan to let them grow a little in the aquariums, then I'll probably put them either in a cage or in the aquaponics tank till they are big enough to safely release in the ponds.

I ground up some pellets, which they didn't care for. But, then I put some whole pellets in, and they went nuts -- sucking them in like little vacuum cleaners. The pellets barely fit in through their lips. I figure they'll grow pretty fast if they continue to eat like that.


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Be sure to do water changes as the bio-filtration might not be built up yet since you just filed the tanks. The nitrates/nitrites could spike and poison them. Using pond water might help jump start that as it probably had some beneficial bacteria in it but usually you want to age a filtration system a little before loading it with fish. Especially if you are feeding a lot.


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Cat....I fed them 5D04 (AQ400)...switch to 5D09 (dense4000) at about 5 inches.

They are intentionally kept nearly starved here and are about 5-6 months old...bump up water temp to 84, feed as often and much as possible and growth will be explosive...probably in excess of 1.5 inch per week.

You will quickly get used to how aggressively they feed and if you see any sign of disinterest in food....change all your water at least once...twice is better. You can kill them 4-5 times before it sticks!

PS..I guess I can't count...thought I sent 42...lol

Last edited by Rainman; 06/13/13 04:24 PM.


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Originally Posted By: BobbyRice
Be sure to do water changes as the bio-filtration might not be built up yet since you just filed the tanks. The nitrates/nitrites could spike and poison them. Using pond water might help jump start that as it probably had some beneficial bacteria in it but usually you want to age a filtration system a little before loading it with fish. Especially if you are feeding a lot.


I think Ken knows about that. He's been there done that right Ken? grin


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Rex -- I too could have easily miscounted. I just know you sent me more than the 30 that I ordered. Trying to count them is harder than counting my chickens and guineas. Even when transferring using a small aquarium net, it is hard to tell if there are 4,5, or 6 fish in the net. I don't ever touch the fish or the net when I move small fish -- except for fatheads and creek chubs that get used for catfish bait. That makes it easier to miscount.

I figure I'll keep them in the aquariums for the next several days. I went down to the barn and found that I've got several rolls of good plastic netting with 1/2 inch octagonal holes. Normally I wouldn't use this for fish cages because it closes up with algae too quickly. But, I think I'll build two small cages with it, and get the tilapia into them early next week before I head out of town for a few days.

If the fish grow anywhere close to the 1.5 inches a week you mentioned, I'm going to be really happy. Heck, I'll be happy with even a half-inch per week. Right now, I'm using 38% protein "Lil Strike" 1/8-inch pellets. Once they soften just a little bit in the water, even the smaller tilapia are able to suck the pellets in.

Bobby -- In the meantime, I plan to change out 1/3 of the water each morning with pond water. I'll also be be checking aquarium nitrites/nitrates and pH late every afternoon. While in the aquariums, I'll probably only feed once a day.

A few years back I started using pond or stream water in my aquaponics tank and in my bait minnow tank. That pretty much eliminates "cycling." I started up my IBC aquaculture tank several weeks ago, filling it with 275 gallons of stream water with my trash pump. I also added a shovel full of fresh chicken manure. The water was near perfect, so I added bluegill and fatheads the next day. The water came it with a pH of 6.7-6.8, and within a day of adding the fish, it stabilized at 7.0, where it has remained. There has not been an ammonia spike. The fish are thriving. I put in tomato, pepper, cucumber, squash, lettuce, and spinach plants from my hoop house when I added the fish. The plants are growing like crazy. I'm now just checking the water once a week.


Cecil -- Hopefully, I won't make any stupid mistakes. If they make it, I need to re-read all your RAS stuff in Pond Boss and here on the site so I can bring some in for the winter.

(Last week, when I found my HBG were having lots of babies in my year-old, put-and-take pond, I read and re-read Cody's Pond Boss series about raising smallmouth bass in ponds like mine. It certainly makes me glad I found this site and the Magazine many years ago.)

Thanks all,
Ken


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An inch-and-a-half PER WEEK?


"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
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Ken:

I now why they died. When you opened the box, they saw you and your reputation for eating all sorts of things had circulated around. They figured they were toast anyway, so they ended things quickly.


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Originally Posted By: catmandoo


Bobby -- In the meantime, I plan to change out 1/3 of the water each morning with pond water. I'll also be be checking aquarium nitrites/nitrates and pH late every afternoon. While in the aquariums, I'll probably only feed once a day.



I figured adding established water would help a lot....
Just thought I would put that out there just in case...I have killed lots of fish that way over the years..

I Once owned a seafood market and had a lobster tank. when I set it up I went to the beach and got the water instead of making new water. never cycled it and never had an issue.


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Originally Posted By: sprkplug
An inch-and-a-half PER WEEK?


Tony -- I'm not going to rule it out. These things seem to be more food vicious than HBG. Even at two inches, if these were fish with teeth like piranha, I'd never stick a finger in the aquariums.


Originally Posted By: esshup
Ken:

I now why they died. When you opened the box, they saw you and your reputation for eating all sorts of things had circulated around. They figured they were toast anyway, so they ended things quickly.


Scott - Yeah, you are probably right -- or, it could just be my bearded appearance in bib overalls. But, come mid-to-late September I hope to invite many of them for a nice dinner.

I still don't know much about tilapia, but I recently read that some spawn every 21 days. Yeesh, that is a lot of babies.

I'm really looking forward to these things.

HYBRID STRIPED BASS from Rex. Several years ago I got some monstrous 18-20 inch rainbow trout, and some 6-7 inch hybrid striped bass from Rex. The trout did fantastic. Only a few HSB seemed to survive. I'm not sure how many survived, but there are at least three, and probably five, in my 0.7 acre pond. In the last couple of weeks I've hooked two of what I believe are HSB that have become humongous. It happened when I've been bluegill fishing with small jigs on an ultralight with 4# test. All I see is a big white/silver streak that strips line off my reel until it gets tangled in heavy structure, when my only choice is to break my line.

If it weren't for Pond Boss, I'm not sure I'd ever have known about HBG, HSB, tilapia, and many other fun and wonderful things.


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Originally Posted By: BobbyRice
Originally Posted By: catmandoo


Bobby -- In the meantime, I plan to change out 1/3 of the water each morning with pond water. I'll also be be checking aquarium nitrites/nitrates and pH late every afternoon. While in the aquariums, I'll probably only feed once a day.



I figured adding established water would help a lot....
Just thought I would put that out there just in case...I have killed lots of fish that way over the years..

I Once owned a seafood market and had a lobster tank. when I set it up I went to the beach and got the water instead of making new water. never cycled it and never had an issue.



Thanks Bobby,

I can't remember who regularly says that you can't be successful until you kill thousands of fish -- Lusk, Cecil, or some other Pond Boss friend?

Unfortunately, I think I too have be pretty darn successful! cry


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^^^Pond Boss is an awesome tool^^^!!!

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Originally Posted By: catmandoo
Rex -- I too could have easily miscounted. I just know you sent me more than the 30 that I ordered. Trying to count them is harder than counting my chickens and guineas. Even when transferring using a small aquarium net, it is hard to tell if there are 4,5, or 6 fish in the net. I don't ever touch the fish or the net when I move small fish -- except for fatheads and creek chubs that get used for catfish bait. That makes it easier to miscount.

I figure I'll keep them in the aquariums for the next several days. I went down to the barn and found that I've got several rolls of good plastic netting with 1/2 inch octagonal holes. Normally I wouldn't use this for fish cages because it closes up with algae too quickly. But, I think I'll build two small cages with it, and get the tilapia into them early next week before I head out of town for a few days.

If the fish grow anywhere close to the 1.5 inches a week you mentioned, I'm going to be really happy. Heck, I'll be happy with even a half-inch per week. Right now, I'm using 38% protein "Lil Strike" 1/8-inch pellets. Once they soften just a little bit in the water, even the smaller tilapia are able to suck the pellets in.

Bobby -- In the meantime, I plan to change out 1/3 of the water each morning with pond water. I'll also be be checking aquarium nitrites/nitrates and pH late every afternoon. While in the aquariums, I'll probably only feed once a day.

A few years back I started using pond or stream water in my aquaponics tank and in my bait minnow tank. That pretty much eliminates "cycling." I started up my IBC aquaculture tank several weeks ago, filling it with 275 gallons of stream water with my trash pump. I also added a shovel full of fresh chicken manure. The water was near perfect, so I added bluegill and fatheads the next day. The water came it with a pH of 6.7-6.8, and within a day of adding the fish, it stabilized at 7.0, where it has remained. There has not been an ammonia spike. The fish are thriving. I put in tomato, pepper, cucumber, squash, lettuce, and spinach plants from my hoop house when I added the fish. The plants are growing like crazy. I'm now just checking the water once a week.


Cecil -- Hopefully, I won't make any stupid mistakes. If they make it, I need to re-read all your RAS stuff in Pond Boss and here on the site so I can bring some in for the winter.

(Last week, when I found my HBG were having lots of babies in my year-old, put-and-take pond, I read and re-read Cody's Pond Boss series about raising smallmouth bass in ponds like mine. It certainly makes me glad I found this site and the Magazine many years ago.)

Thanks all,
Ken


Didn't mean you made any stupid mistakes. However I don't understand why you are doing all these water changes, when if you cycle your system with ammonia before you put your fish in, you're good to go. Adding lots of fresh water seems to defeat the purpose of recirculating to me. Or maybe I'm missing something?

I've also never been a fan of adding pond water. All kinds of parasitic critters can be added. My systems are all well water initially.

Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 06/13/13 10:30 PM.

If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.






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It could be the filter system.... Maybe not enough bacteria or water flow?....to many fish in the system?...or even to much food...

Cecil, I agree with the well water system...Pure water but not much oxygen (and cold).

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Rainman! Rainman!


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RES,HBG,YP,HSB,SMB,CC,and FHM. .seasonal trout.
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My HSB and YP are hogs. Thanks again Rex!


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RES,HBG,YP,HSB,SMB,CC,and FHM. .seasonal trout.
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Originally Posted By: hang_loose


Cecil, I agree with the well water system...Pure water but not much oxygen (and cold).



Not system. Just adding well water initially instead of pond or stream water. Easy to aerate and with the small amount of water needed for a very small water change and evaporation it doesn't matter. I'll be using rainwater soon for the aquaponics at least in part by adding a 55 gallon drum to two of my eve spouts.

I.e. I have iron issues but if I do a 10 percent water change very infrequently that drops the 2.5 mg/l iron to .25 mg/l iron. Iron won't be a problem anyway with aquaponics as many operators add iron for the plants.

Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 06/14/13 05:49 AM.

If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.






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Ken, my HSB supplier said that if I knew of any clients or pay lakes that wanted some, he had HSB that were in the 15# range for stocking.......


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Originally Posted By: esshup
Ken, my HSB supplier said that if I knew of any clients or pay lakes that wanted some, he had HSB that were in the 15# range for stocking.......


I don't even wanna think how much $$$ they would be!

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Originally Posted By: CJBS2003
Originally Posted By: esshup
Ken, my HSB supplier said that if I knew of any clients or pay lakes that wanted some, he had HSB that were in the 15# range for stocking.......


I don't even wanna think how much $$$ they would be!


Ain't that the truth.


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I didn't even bother to ask.


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Originally Posted By: Rainman
Cat....I fed them 5D04 (AQ400)...switch to 5D09 (dense4000) at about 5 inches.

They are intentionally kept nearly starved here and are about 5-6 months old...bump up water temp to 84, feed as often and much as possible and growth will be explosive...probably in excess of 1.5 inch per week.

You will quickly get used to how aggressively they feed and if you see any sign of disinterest in food....change all your water at least once...twice is better. You can kill them 4-5 times before it sticks!

PS..I guess I can't count...thought I sent 42...lol




REX,

So what size tank would I need to put these in and how often would they need to be feed to get this sort of growth?

Also since these are already 5-6 months old should they start spawning soon or how long would I have to wait to get the first spawn from them?

Thanks

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spawning is a combination of age, size and conditions...they will spawn quickly if all conditions are acceptable....tank size is directly proportional to your experience, goals, physical and monetary capabilities and filtration capacity.

With Blue Tilapia more than most fish, tank size is far less important than optimum water quality. Tilapia are commercially grown in stocking densities as high as 5 pounds fish per gallon of water using intensive recirc setups with massive, computer controlled filtration/water replacement systems.



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Originally Posted By: sprkplug
An inch-and-a-half PER WEEK?


per week! These things go from egg to 1.5 POUNDS in an average 7 months with good temps, food and water quality.

1# pond stockers are often harvested from ponds in the fall pushing 5#.

Length increase slows and girth increase begins around 6-8 inches...



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Ken...in a "green water" system such as a fertilized IBC, the Tilapia and ammonia balances pretty quickly with the algae being the substrate for beneficial bacteria, however with tank reproduction, fish rarely grow larger than 3/4#.



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I was never a fan of any "partial" water changes as they cause a lot of stress. I change all water when needed. IF there is a water quality issue, I try to eliminate it and not dilute it. Frequent, partial water changes were "suggested" by the aquarium industry to increase chemical sales and promulgated by many because it "seemed" to make sense.



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