Overwintering tilapia in the house at 62F will be IMO tricky. I tried that in a greenhouse with 100 YOY blues where the water temp especially at night was at 57F-60F and all were dead by Christmas (Oct to Dec). Rex and I think the continually cooler water lead to stress problems which lead to fungal problems, which lead to them gradually dying.
Whereas another local guy I know, the same year kept YOY blue tilapia in his basement in two 30 gal aquariums. He lost about 2-4 fish total. This is where I got my stock for the above killing spree. His blues were not eating and growing much at 70F so he added a heater, boosted the water temp to 80F, and feeding and growth dramatically increased. At 80F, the fish were always ready to eat. Water fouling rate increased. He aerated and did water changes once every two weeks and then as the fish got to Apr-May water changes each week. This will be the third winter that he has overwintered some tilapia. By time to restock in late May, he can get them to 4"-8" depending on starting size, crowding, and sex of the fish.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 08/17/12 10:04 AM.
