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Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 2,213 Likes: 514
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OP
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 2,213 Likes: 514 |
I'm curious about a couple of things I've found on how Tilapia may affect sport fish in a small pond. I've found some material that suggests Tilapia will clean house on all fry they come across including some of their own. If Tilapia are being used as algae control tools more than food production, I'd like to hear some educated opinions here on what the potential effects can be. I'm wondering if I made a mistake in stocking these.
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 15,112 Likes: 478
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 15,112 Likes: 478 |
I think tilapia are primarily vegetarians. As long as filamentous algae and narrow leaf delicate submerged plants are present / common fish fry would be a small or very small percent of tilapia daily diet. Tilapia will also eat fish pellets so this will also reduce predation of fry by tilapia. Most sport fish ponds have sunfish and LMB as the main species. These fish species usually provide parental care of their fry until the fry are pretty good swimmers and more likely to avoid predation from tilapia who are not known as aggressive swimmers - predators. IMO the feeding habits of tilapia would be classified or described as grazers that are not adapted to catching small fish.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine - America's Journal of Pond Management
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Joined: Oct 2018
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Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 2,213 Likes: 514 |
That's interesting. That's also another part I'm having a hard time with.. Tilapia do best with no pellet feed. I find they are showing up and taking a big part of my supplemental feeding which leads me to believe they will not work nearly as hard on the veggies. I'm struggling with this I guess. I know I'm sure tired of removing boat loads of FA only to see it shooting back up in 3-4 days, the nutrient load must be outrageous and as for summer run-off, I've had near zero so far. Maybe I didn't stock enough??
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Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,861 Likes: 298
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Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,861 Likes: 298 |
If there is little else for them, TP will eat small fish. Sadly, I proved that, as they chowed down on the FHM in my BOW before the LMB were stocked.
Last edited by anthropic; 07/31/19 05:57 AM.
7ac 2015 CNBG RES FHM 2016 TP FLMB 2017 NLMB GSH L 2018 TP & 70 HSB PK 2019 TP RBT 2020 TFS TP 25 HSB 250 F1,L,RBT -206 2021 TFS TP GSH L,-312 2022 GSH TP CR TFS RBT -234, 2023 BG TP TFS NLMB, -160
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 3,668 Likes: 57
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 3,668 Likes: 57 |
My Tp became feeder hogs the first year I stocked them. They also produced a lot of Tp that year. My lmb numbers were low and not able to control the numbers. So, from my experience I would not add Tp until my lmb numbers were up. Unless you like to catch and eat Tp. Tp can produce a lot of Tp. I know that for sure. I have seen it. And now that I have lmb and hsb I am not sure I have enough Tp lol.
Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.
Tracy
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Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 3,952 Likes: 184
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Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 3,952 Likes: 184 |
Tracy it’s hard to dump a grand or two to control the FA per year. To get control of FA 20# per acre of tilapia probably would do it. I put in just ten pounds this year and haven’t seen them since their first spawn several weeks after they were released..... they are to conservative to compete with my CNBG for pellets
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Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 2,213 Likes: 514
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OP
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 2,213 Likes: 514 |
Wow, Pat.. My Tilapia take over at feed time and are aggressive takers. I see a few BG, YP and a few SMB but Tilapia have slowly taken over the bulk of feed consumed. Slowing down daily amounts and see if they pick up natural feeding.
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Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 2,213 Likes: 514
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Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 2,213 Likes: 514 |
Just for figurative purposes, I'm at about 12% coverage of FA with sago pondweed as my main veggie and has FA growing on it. If I had no FA, I'd say I have 7-8% sago. I hate to slow feed rates down. I spent a lot of time feed training YP this year and now my YOY SMB are tearing up the Jr.. Hate to kill that off.
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