So it does not sound like you had much of a Bio Filter for you setups. Nice to see you were able to keep them alive and plant them in ponds.
Have you seen or caught any of them this year?
Do you happen to know what type of Tilapia they were?
I have 6 in a 10 gallon tank (that range from 2"-5") I am trying to keep alive for next year as well, I would have put them in the ponds this year had I known it was going to stay 80+ degrees through October.
I am feeding them a combo of GFC, Goldfish Flakes, Beta Pellets and Cichlid Pellets. (Anyone know if all these foods are ok, or which would be best)
It looks like I have at least one dominant male that keeps spreading out the gravel, but have not witnessed any type of mating activity, then again I have not had much luck trying to sex the fish.