Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain Blue Tilapia for 2010

Here's some pics of the fish that I picked up from Rex.
120 qt. cooler











Largest one:


I had 14 fish that were less than 6" long, I put 10 in a cage in the pond, and the other 4 fish in two different stock tanks that I have sunk into the ground by the house. Hopefully I sexed the fish correctly that I put in the tanks and they'll spawn. I was concerned that the LMB in the pond might want a Tilapia <6" for lunch or dinner, that's why those 10 fish went into the cage.

Thank you for the great pictures. The Tilapia look good & healthy. I trust that they will be fruitful and multiply as planned.

Boy I hope so.

I stock my tilapia early thursday afternoon and when I walked around the pond this evening it looked like there were spots were they looked like they were spawning. Is that possible?

esshup, Mine looked about the same. A few dings but I love the power these fish have while transferring.

Now, how do you sex these things? Is there a website to go to?

And I like seeing your Blue Talipia in your signature without a line through it.

Will Talipia survive the winter in Indiana?

No!

Well, yes and no. FRIZ is correct if you leave them in the pond, but of you can bring them indoors somewhere where the water temp will stay warm you can keep them alive. The Blue Tilapia will die once water temps hit 45°, and get pretty stressed and lethargic in the low 50's.

RAH, if tilapia were able to survive in the ponds, their reproduction rates would allow them to over-run a pond and stunt the entire population within 2 years. Their dying in the winter provides a huge nutrient supply for the "normal" fish and is what makes them safe in ponds.

So now that several of us in the midwest have tilopia in our ponds is there a way to harvest some for the dinner plate prior to the cold water kill? Can they be trapped? If using a pole and line what type of bait?

Stubby Steve's pellet lures.

leupy, Thats what is in that little package I gave you.

How do you keep the CC,LMB and BG from them until the tilopia have a chance to get there and where do I get more?

So how long does it take for them to get to that size before you stock them?

Were they over wintered?

How do you sex these fish?

Thanks

leupy, I believe there is ordering info on the package, or you could get hang_loose to give you more/

MRHELLO, I can only answer the last question, as I was told you hold them upside down and look. 1 hole = male; 2 holes = female.

The number of holes are present at what size of fish?

2 inches..

I've always found three holes means a GBH has visited.

That's only because you don't have a permit this year.

If you still had the trout, and a permit, I'll bet there would be more than 3 holes!

Congrats on the fish, Scott. Great pics, though they are frustratingly painful for me since I missed out on these guys this year. I hope you see some great success so that I'll know the wait until next year is worth it! In the meantime, on to chemical considerations for this stinking watermeal that is multiplying exponentially.

Thanks Todd. I've noticed DW in my pond starting about 2 weeks ago. I believe that it has been brought over from the neighbors pond via birds. That pond is only 200' at the most from my pond. I'll have to keep an eye on it.

I chemically treated a good percentage of the algae in the pond per Bill Cody's suggestion. That might give the Tilapia a head start on keeping it in check. They are calling for the next few nights in the high 40's, which will be good for the trout that are in the pond. I haven't fished for any lately, and haven't been around for the evening feeding. I might be out there tomorrow morning to see what shows up.

Hey you guys! I'd love to have a photo of a tilapia caught with SS. I'm trying to work on a photo slide show of fish being caught. hint, hint

Those are beautiful fish!
Stacy

Congratulations Esshup! Looks like Rex delivered great fish as usual! Those fish are going to be monsters by the end of the season.

Jeff,

I wish they were the "great" fish like normal! The weather was way too hot to haul and although Wally World loved me buying almost 2000 pounds of Ice, the fish were hurting by the time I got them to Northern Ohio.

And I was was unable to get to some guys in eastern Ohio at all. If not for Bill Cody willingly becoming an impromptu meeting place, more fish would have become fertilizer!

So did you ever put the Tilapia in the ponds?

Do you still have some in the cage or tank?