Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Talapia

Well I did it. I put 50 lbs of Talapia in a 2 acre pond. We will see how it goes throughout the summer. I don't guess there is a worry about over stocking since they will all die around November. I guess the main concern will be biomass. I'll keep all posted on the progress. I noticed a bag of feed that had Catfish and Talapia on it. Is there a feed specifically for Talapia? We hope to get aerated in the next couple of months.

That�s a lot of Tilapia for your pond, but I would bet that they won�t do any real harm at that level, unless you already have too much biomass or other O2 problems. If your water falls much this summer, you might have an ammonia excess, but, as Einstein or somebody said, �It depends.�

Regarding food, Tilapia are mainly vegetarians. They have pharyngeal teeth with which they can grind vegetable matter. In addition, they secrete a layer of mucous which traps phytoplankton in the water which flows over their gills. They then swallow the mucous and plankton. Hatcheries typically feed Tilapia with catfish food, and they will mingle with the bream and gobble floating food in your pond, but not quite as avidly as the bluegill, at least in my experience. They will sometimes eat small fish, bugs, worms, etc. Last year about a half-dozen of mine were caught on worms and, especially, crickets. Two or three were caught on small plugs. All were released. This year, I had an �extra� 5 lb. put in so that about August I can catch a few for the table.

I am trying a sneaky experiment. When I feed the bluegill, I throw out a few handfuls of whole kernel corn. I can�t see through the bloom to know if the Tilapia are eating it, but I hope they are. Around August, I will try a kernel or two with a hook in it. I liked the suggestion made here of using cabbage, but summer cabbage is not all that cheap around here, and it is hard to throw it very far�unless you throw the whole head.

Incidentally, I requested to be first on the Tilapia delivery list and got mine about April 21. Water temp was 72 degrees at the time, and I put in a little over 13 lb. of T. nilotica per acre. They have done such a number on the filamentous that it never got a strong foothold and is only present in islands less than a foot in diameter and mostly attached to rocks or brush in very shallow water where the Tilapia can�t get at it. This is despite heavy fertilization and a great phytoplankton bloom. Every year previous to this, there were mats of filamentous everywhere. I do a lot more fishin� and a lot less cussin� this year.
Lou, 13.5 acre

Heronblu - I put corn in my catfish food a couple of months ago, just some deer corn I had left over the catfish seem to like it. I hope the talapia find it and eat it also. Berkly make a little corn power bait that I have had pretty good success catching catfish on. I'll see if I can catch talapia on it. Thanks for the info

And thank you. I will have to try that corn bait.
Lou

Heronblu I did the same thing with cans of corn. I always open a can and throw it out with the fish food. I can buy it by the case at Costco very cheap. I could tell something was eating the corn and assumed it was either the perch or tilapia that were in the pond. However I was surprised to discover that when I put the corn on a hook almost every cast I caught a HSB.

James,

Without conditioning my fish to corn, i.e. throwing it out along with the fish food, I tried it last year as bait for Tilapia...didn't work at all because the BG hit it almost as soon as it hit the water.

Someone told me to soak it in almond extract first...tried that and the BG went wild, but no Tilapia and nothing else except BG. Maybe the conditioning act would help.

Rad has also advocated conditioning Tilapia to cabbage and other veggies. I haven't tried that, but whatever is tried in my ponds, it has to include a plan for BG avoidance in order to catch Tilapia.



Heybud,

Try to do a before and after on your LMB. I'm betting you will see substantial weight gains on the LMB and overall increase in BG numbers come November.

Like Meadowlark said, I like to condition the tilapia with food. I have tried almost every vegetable you can imagine. I found that what floats best for me, Corn sinks and is difficult to see if or what eats it. Cabbage is good because it floats well enough to support a hook. I agree that cabbage is expensive. They will bite fruit and various meats, squid, baloney, and chicken hotdogs occasionally. The real key, I believe is the conditioning. Throw a little bread on those occasions when you have nothing else. They are already conditioned to eat food on the surface, just broaden their diet. I had a nine year old girl catch a 4 pounder 2 weeks ago, watching that fight was more fun than if I had caught the fish. Girls now hold all of the records in my pond.

Heronblu,
Where can you get tilapia close to the AL/GA line (I-20)?
Thanks

The best I've been able to do in east texas for catching Talapia is to wait until fall and the water cools so the bluegill are less active. I use a marshmellow like power baits(yellow or brown).........and besides I'd rather leave the Talapia to turn out bass snacks all summer long.

I get mine from Southeastern Pond Mgmt., a Pond Boss Advertizer with several locations in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. I live about 12 mi. south of I20, between Birmingham and the Ga. line, have used various services from them for over twelve years or more, and have never had a complaint.

Their web site is at http://www.sepond.com/ and they can be reached at 888-830-7663.
Lou

Lou, thanks for the information. I sent you an email.
Randy

I plan to use the talapia for forage, myself. But come around October before the water temp gets to 55 I would like to take some out. I may freeze them and give them as Christmas presents.