stress of the fish could be a problem if they develop some kind of virus and transfer it to other fish..... due to the stress factor... that would be more my concern then just a few HSB dying.
RC
Never considered that
RC51. I wonder if my tilapia get stressed as they die off every year and could spread a virus to other species...or would the cold water mostly discourage that?
Mark, a great many (I'd estimate 15-25%) tilapia will die due to an infection before your water reaches a lethal temperature, if the water temp drops steadily over 2-3 weeks AND if not eaten before death! The immune system of tilapia is very hardy until water temps drop to about 10 degrees above the lethal temperature. For the Texas Mozzies and hybrids, that Lethal temp is 52-55, so at 62-65, the immune system starts becoming compromised. At around 55-58, the immune system is almost completely shut down and even losing a single scale can cause a fungal infection to kill the injured fish. Those bacterial, viral, and fungal dangers are present all the time, and otherwise healthy fish will remain healthy.
