It wasn't hard raising Tilapia in Michigan. I stared them as babies in my garage. My daughter bought me one hundred from a fish farm in Kansas. I had them in a ibc. Built a bio filter to filter the nitrates out the water. I built a cage out of pvc and plastic screen with wheels on it. When they got big enough and the temp got warm enough I transferred them to the pond. When they got big enough I turned them loose. Getting them back out before the temp drop is the problem. You have to hold some back. Hope this helps.