Can the addition of Tilapia reduce your artificial feeding needs while maintaining growth of predators?
On another long running thread, we have been debating aspects of artificial feeding and its effects on LMB. I have argued that a LMB that gets its food without the aid of artificial feeders is a more aggressive fish than otherwise�that�s a hypothesis, yet to be proven with scientific data.
Please couple that above hypothesis with an alternate source of natural protein�Tilapia�. and you have a system that I�m testing that I believe may prove to be far superior to the common approach of using artificial feeders to promote growth in LMB. The system is basically this: feed your LMB natural foods, e.g. Tilapia, BG, fatheads, shad, etc. and you can have growth along with aggressive LMB behavior.
Some data for your consideration: Mozambique Tilapia begin spawning at 2 to 4 ounces in size. They are prolific spawners. Professional fish growers use, get this, fingerling LMB stocked at 400 fish per acre to prevent Tilapia from overcrowding in commercial ponds. 400 LMB per acre, just to keep the Tilapia from overcrowding so that they can put weight on the remaining Tilapia.
Another data point. Quote from SRAC publication, �Tilapia use natural food so efficiently that crops of 2,700 pounds per acre can be sustained without supplemental feed.� That�s not Meadowlark talking, that�s Thomas Popma and Michael Masser talking (two recognized outstanding fish biologists).
It is very easy for me to extrapolate from this data and see where I can reduce, or even eliminate artificial feeding with Tilapia and still sustain the growth in LMB. Again, reference my earlier hypothesis that a LMB that gets its food without the aid of artificial feeders is a more aggressive fish than otherwise.
In the system I�m experimenting with, LMB will be more aggressive and grow adequately or even better than with artificial feeding. In addition, there will be no longer a need for chemicals to treat algae or fertilizer to promote growth in fish and weeds.
It�s very difficult to condense a description of this system to a readable post. I have tried. In doing so, I hope some of you may understand the logic. It is a perfect match for my pond objectives of a chemical free, additive free, fishery that provides reliable consistent fishing.
When I argued about the relative merits of artificial feeding and how much protein and what about aggressiveness, I said Tilapia are the key to making this alternate approach work. My experiment is now 6 months in progress. I have reported observing LMB aggressive behavior that I have never seen in my ponds with artificial feeders. I�m encouraged, notwithstanding the negative comments for the Forum, that this system will work for me. At the worst, if it fails, I can always go back to artificial feeding, fertilizers, herbicides, etc. I�ve got nothing to loose and everything to gain, in my opinion. Thanks for reading.
