Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Tilapia for algee and vegitation control

We live on an approx, 7-8 acre shallow lake. in NE PA Deepest water is about 5ft. Most of it is about 2-3ft. This lake is 85% covered in Lilly pads in the summer and stringy green algae.

We know there are Blue gills, and cat fish in it. It also has lots and lots of turtles. Painted and snapping.

We would love to add some Tilapia to help eat some of this crap in this lake. But I understand for a lake this size it would take lots and lots.

We would like to experiment with this though and want to know if we should get some larger like 3-4in ones or 100 fingerlings? I'm Assuming some larger ones as they should breed more quickly and not as likely become food for the other fish.

I recently posted something very similar to what you're asking on the forum. The general consensus was that a large percentage of fingerling fish would be consumed upon stocking and the most economical and effective route to go would be stock adult fish.

I am by no means an expert, and there are plenty on here, but I thought I'd share my 2 cents since I've been presented with the same options.

A couple of things that have worked for me for algae control.



Water plants. I recently had rain that filled my pond beyond my water plants and you can see the algae that developed in that area. But no algae in the plant area. This isn't a solution for everyone but for me wanting a natural pond for wildlife it works.

Once my one acre pond was also algae free by using 20 KOI and 6 Israeli carp. I also had 18 grass carp for weed control.

I have tested using different stocking rates of Tilapia in a pond, and have seen no visible results until I hit the tipping point of 40# per surface acre.

Wow Esshup that would be $2K to stock in my puddle.... Too much for a fish that will die before the year is out. Do you think they would eat hydrophillia?

Pat, is that an algae?

Scott,

Are these fully reproducing tilapia, partially reproducing (hybrids), or not reproducing? Seems that would make a difference on the stocking rate wouldn't it?

Pat, I bet the chemical is far more money...and tilapia dying is a good thing...they feed a LOT of pounds to fish you could never feed otherwise.

Partially reproducing hybrids?

Cecil, I discovered that 40 pound rate several years ago for the more northern climates and shorter growing season. I also tried stocking by numbers of fish, smaller, larger and various pounds per acre.....40# got the job done, consistently. Less pounds, was a crap shoot.

I only stock the pure strain blues...the only known pure out there...The hybrid blues others supply, if not sex reversed, will control algae at the same stocking rates, but die at a warmer temp (around 52*)

Fully reproducing Tilapia from Rex. The other key element is to kill all the algae in the pond a week before they are stocked. If there is a bunch in the pond, the Tilapia cannot mow down the standing crop AND keep up with what is growing. If they only have to keep up with what is growing, then they can.

I tried different stocking rates too, and only had success once the 40# surface acre was stocked.

Nope it's a noxious weed on the Feds list that appears to be an aquarium plant....

Gottcha. I digress to your superior knowledge and experience with tilapia! My only experience is rearing them in tanks.

As far as my statement on "partially reproducing tilapia," I bought some a few years ago from a local fish farm that were hybrids but they were supposed to reproduce, albeit at a lesser rate than pure strain. Might not have been true but that is what I was told.

Cecil...I know you are on the aquaponics boards a lot now. I left them because there was still a lot more myth than fact on so many...plus some users got really tweaked if you pointed out some of the myths. And, I stopped supplying the fingerlings, though I still get calls from customers finding me on old posts, and most claim not getting what is claimed from other suppliers..so I may start again.

Bred "Super males" was one of those myths...true "super males" are genetically modified, not hybridized, and cost about $30,000 each. true ones do produce 95-98% male offspring. The bred "supermales" still reproduce random mixes of offspring sex, or are sterile. Chances are fish farms, or those buying 1000+ fish get them form TilTec or other large suppliers of sex modified male fry. Several of those large fry suppliers don't intentionally mislead buyers that the fish are sex modified, as that is all they sell.