Bobad, Since the Pacu are cheap and will dye out overwinter should be an easy experiment for you this year! I've got Pacu in my pond and my experience is they hardly ever stop eating when a food source is available. In their native range of S.America locals often will not harvest them in the rain season as they are too fatty from being able to eat the limitless flooded grasses. I have a sixteen foot wide band around my pond that floods in the rainy season and have noticed the same about the fish being extra fatty during that time. I have tried planting lotus in my pond a couple of times and am sure it was those damned Pacu that totally destroyed it each time! As Rad had said earlier I have some that are over 12 lbs. ... and the species is no longer on my catch and release list.

Meadowlark,If you have LMB that are surviving the summers in your pond then Pacu will have no problem on the high end range, but it would be unwise to release them before the median temperature reaches 68 degrees. The Tilapia do eat grasses also, but often prefer the decaying parts and a large portion of Tilapia food is filter fed plankton. A nice advantage to the Tilapia though is that they will start spawning in two months and add to the forage.

Rad had a picture posted on his thread a few days ago of his Pacu, they do grow amazingly fast. I vote that you try them Bobad and let us hear your results!

Don