Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Raising Forage and Bait Tilapia are still at it!!!!!

I meant to post this observation last weekend......but CRS set in!

I noticed two fairly large Tilapia inhaling and exhaling another crop of younguns in my pond shallows. Still producing forage up to the end of September. I am constantly impressed by this species.

Tell me if this isn't impressive. I have what I call my tilapia pond that is actually a small hole to catch the overflow for a dairy lagoon(Dad is scared of the EPA). It is about 70'X40'X5' and since the lagoon hasn't run over in the first ten years of its life, I decided to put two feet of water in it for tilapia. This year the lagoon ran over again and again. The pond was about half full of rain water to start with but the lagoon water turned it nasty in a hurry. Then the weeds that were submerged rotted and the water turned black. Just a day or two after it filled, my one redear that had grown huge with the tilapia was crusted on the bank. I also had my first batch of pacu in there but I'm sure they're dead. Anyway, the tilapia not only survived but they are thriving! They spawned when the water was still black and now they are fat. The water is still so green that if I don't leave the two minnow traps partially out of the water, the little guys in them will be dead by morning.
When I threw my cast net the other day, I caught about 30 fish at a time that ranged from small to almost the size of my hand.
I can't wait untill I drain the pond in the fall to see how many pounds of tilapia will grow on cow manure.

Brian, tilapia are commonly grown in waters fertilized with chicken manure. They thrive in the stuff where no other self respecting fish would dare. Just keep it in mind the next time you buy a pack of fillets at Walley world.

There are some chicken farms around my area and some of them keep tilapia in their runoff lagoons to control the waste and weeds. Duck hunting in those ponds are also supposed to be really good.