Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain gizzard shad vs. tilapia

That is really interesting article. The single sex and growth issues mainly concern people who grow people food, not fish food, like we do.

Texas A&M University has some good information available here: http://srac.tamu.edu - publications 280 to 283 They have been growing Tilapia in the water from their hydroponic houses for years.

I believe only Tilapia Mozambiqua is legal to stock in TX, because they die out in the winter. Several other types would make it through the TX winter. According to this weeks article in Houston Chronicle, there is a thriving population of Tilapia - doesn't say which type - and other imported species in bayous around Houston.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/outdoors/2918238

My water is muddy, so I haven't been able to sight cast like Meadowlark, and I cought - drumroll please - 2 Tilapia in 5 weekends of fishing and netting. One 2lb and one 1lb. This is driving me bonkers, because I really like Tilapia meat and I still have to go buy it.

If there is one negative that I can see, it is that they eat too much vegetation.

My water plants, that provided cover and shade couple of years ago, barely grew few strands this year. Shade is important here for about 3 mo during the summer, when cool night is around 80 Deg. I will try to grow lilypads in pots next year to keep the water cooler in summer. We will see if they make it. They didn't set back the cattails in any way.

I wanted to put bunch of Tilapia in an aquarium this year, to keep over winter. But the males are very territorial and the 2lb one killed the smaller one in 1 night. It tolerates bunch of bluegill just fine. It also reduced my flourishing aquarium plant to bunch of stumps. I feed it algae pellets now.

Meadowlark, I love the way you put it:
"they reproduce like rabbits, clean like a janitor, fight like a banshee, grow like weed, and taste great"

Ed,

Your comment on too much vegatation and my own experience has me considering stocking alternate years instead of every year. What they did to my 50 plus year old, weed chocked, aglae covered, scum mess of a pond was simply amazing...but now that they have cleaned it up, I'm wondering about stocking that pond again next year. Probably will anyway because they are such an interesting fish.

I don't want to give them up either. I am going to try to find some plants that I like and they don't, and I am going to work on catching them reliably.

Hi Meadowlark,
Are you seeing your tilapia, boiling on top of the water right now? My lake is east of Centerville, and I have seen my water go crazy this year. I put tilapia in this spring from Overton and now when I see my surface churning I cast in there and always pull 1 to 5 bass that will go over 5 pounds. Never had this happen in last 3 years.
Thanks, Bob

12 ac 22ft deep

We raise mozambique tilapia at our farm for stocking. They start to die at 55. We've seen as low as 42 degrees here already in central texas.

On the issue of wiping out bass: tilapia are numerous in trophy mexico bass lakes...hear any negatives there? The fact is, if tilapia overwinter they can outcompete bass for nesting sites early in the year. This does not occur assuming winter dieoff and restocking after bass spawning season. Also, with the need for bass harvest in most ponds and lakes, why is there an idealistic sympathy for their successful spawn. The fact is, you'll grow larger fish if bass spawning is restricted.

On the issue of pond bottom clean up, we've seen them vaccum organic debris like nothing else. In a pond with some types of clay bottoms, they could cause muddy water, but we haven't seen that problem on the farm yet. As a matter of fact, tilapia contribute to a good plankton bloom. Our fertilized tilapia ponds cleared up after tilapia died off this year.

On the issue of fertilization. Sometimes fertilizing a pond will cause byproduct vegetation problems, not a bloom. With the stocking of grass carp and tilapia, you can ensure that your fertilizer won't grow coontail, bushy pondweed, or filamentous algae. It will...in fact grow fish all the way up the food chain.

On the price of tilapia....$10 per lb is cheap when compared with $/lb prices of bluegill, about the same as fathead minnows, and much cheaper than threadfins and gizzard shad. Also, the price will go down in 2005, guaranteed.......

Hey Todd, I guess the bass or what ever ate my tilapia over the last 3 weeks. I never saw any floating on on the banks. My place is 10 miles east of yours and this was the best year ever for fishing. I just got back today and fished before the front hit yesterday afternoon and caught about 28 bass 4 went over 4 pounds and 1 went over 8.6 pounds. Let me know when to place my order for spring stocking, I want to do tilapia again and put some pure strain bass this spring. Thanks, Bob

This may sound dumb, after reading posts on tilapias, was thinking at the $10# price, would these fish survive summer in central indiana.
Reasons I ask
1.Would not be spending $ on fighting filamentous all summer.
2.No chemicals in water.
3.Would provide great eating all summer.
4.Would die out and not over populate.
5.Would really help feed bass.
6.Price is very cheap.
7.Also is it legal in Indiana to stock them,if so where can purchase them,could a person drive and haul them in own tank. (legally)
Reason for asking is I see nothing negative about these fish, and at price seems worth try.
THANKS PO

I'm not sure of the legalty of stocking tilapia in IN. Cecil could help us on this point.

In theory I also think it may be a pretty good idea but here are some hurdles.
1. The main problem is getting stockers in your area. Final cost may not be all that cheap esp considering 2nd point.
2. Secondly the stockers would have to be big enough to avoid bass predation based on how big and numerous your bass are.
3. We have a fairly short growing season in our area so initial stockers (May 1) would need to be fairly large to end up with cleanable sized fish (9"-12") by Sept 20-Oct 1 (140 days).
4. To get noticable filamentous algae control I would think you would need to stock at a fairly high rate to allow for mortality; natural, induced from handling, and predatory.

5. If it is legal to stock tilapia in IN, I think a likely source would be some "indoor" fish farmers (recirculating aquaculture farms). There are a couple that raise tilapia in north west central Ohio. I would think that they might be willing to sell some fish that are not quite big enough for market.

Bill, thanks for the reply, you opened my eyes to several negatives for the fish in my area. I will call the indoor fish farmers just to see what they have to offer. I would love to find a natural way to fight that filamentous algae, and just thought this might be ticket. THANKS PO

Tilapia have provided a huge boost to my pond. In my pond they have survivied for two years now and have made it so far this year. My water temp has gotten down to 42 degrees but they stack up at a point where a well flows in. The water temp coming from the well is 88 degrees. In the morning you can see the bass coming in for a feeding frenzy. Bass weights are up. BG and Redears pops are up and everything is doing much better.

Tilipia are also stocked at a power plant lake near San Antonio. They servivie year round there for years. No problems that I have ever hear of there with them.

88 degrees? How can it be that high? Doesn't most well water come out close to 60?

Geothermal heat?
I thought all ground water, at least from signficant depth, was closer to 45 deg F.
Wish I had 88 deg well water- think of the extended growing season!

Ground water temperature equals annual mean air temperature for a specific location. i.e. cooler as you go north in North America.

Lincoln, NE has ground water temperature of 54.8 degrees F.

It isn't abnormal around here from some ground water is that warm. I was at a county water board meeting and there is a chicken farm in the county that has a well where the water is 110 coming out of the ground.

Let's just say that I have seen Tilapia spawning this winter and three bass on beds this week.

Why is the groundwater temp so high? Is there geothermal acitivity?

Texas715, Where is your land?

Bill Cody, thanks again for your reply on the tilipia.I did some checking around like you said and found a place here in town called Inland Aqantics that specialize in all types of fish for aquariums,(very big outfit). Called and talked to Mike at Inland and he said they had tilipa at one time but don't carry them any more. But he did say that if I would like to get some to come in and talk to him and he would order me some this spring when ever I need them, so I think I'll experiment with them here in central Indiana this spring. THANKS PO

PO, keep us updated -- I am in Southern IN and eventually I would like to try them (once my pond is stocked and established).

No problem Little Dog, I'll update everything I find out from how much they cost me, size they get me, and then will post how they are doing in pond after spring is here,sure hope they help on the filamentous algae.
PO

I'm about 30 miles southeast of Seguin. Was out yesterday with all sorts of fry around the dock. cormorants are starting to come more often.

Funny, I've been invaded by water turkeys also in East Texas...hadn't been bad until just the last week...now it is really bad.

Meadowlark, where are you at? I was at my place last week and have no problems with birds except robins by the 100's. They crapped all over the place. I am in Leon county.

My pond is in leon county,texas too, its right on the leon, madison county line.

Guys,

I'm in Polk county. This weekend I had a flock of about 30 water turkeys descend on my pond at the same time. It is absolutely terrible. They were raining from the sky. At about 2 pounds of fish consumed per bird per day, well you figure it out...it won't take long to clean out my ponds. It is an absolute disaster for the pond meister who can't be there 24/7. Why anyone would consider these birds protectable is beyond me.

Watch out guys...these birds make all other pond problems combined minor in comparison. They are devasting.

I lucky I dont have that problem. Mine is the beavers work very hard to stop up my over flow box. I always have about a foot of water comming out my pipe and a 4 foot box with a meatel grate on top of it. They put sticks and pack mud and moss to stop it up. I don't need any more lake. I have about 12 acres and off 831 and 1511. If you copy and paste you should be able to see it off terra sever. http://terraserver-usa.com/usgsentry.aspx?T=1&S=11&Z=15&X=559&Y=8703&W=1&qs=%7cflo%7ctexas%7c