Quote:
Originally posted by eddie_walker:
Meadowlark,

Will the Tilapia compliment the fatheads?? Do they work together to provide forage for the bass?
When the Tilapia die off, what happens???

I'm imagining all these dead fish floating on top of the water and smelling real bad.

Thanks,
Eddie
Eddie,

Yes the Tilapia compliment the fatheads and even more so the BG. The fatheads give your LMB a good start, but they will soon disappear, in all probability.

The Tilapia provide tremendous LMB forage during the growing season and right before the crucial winter months provide protein in the die-off cycle.

If you have LMB in the ponds before you stock Tilapia, then during the die-off the LMB will consume most of the Tilapia. What isn't consumed is hardly noticable. Now, however, if you do not have LMB or other adequate predation, expect a large fish kill when water temps hit 55 degrees. In my experience the fish kill isn't that big of a deal because nature's clean-up crew(birds, coons, etc.etc) will take care of the problem. In one pond I've stocked Tilapia without predators, the clean-up was accomplished within a week and no smell or otherwise offensive stuff resulted...but we have a very hearty clean-up crew. \:\) ...and I should add it was a small pond

Relative to stocking timetable, wait to stock Tilapia until your LMB are capable of controlling the Tilapia offspring. That's somewhere around 6 inches in size for the LMB. Don't forget about the BG. They provide the year around forage foundation for your LMB...plus provide some great fly rod fishing. Bob's(Tyler Fish Farm) CNBG genetics may be the best you can find anywhere.

Tyler Fish Farms is an excellent choice for your fish. I'm not sure if Bob handles Tilapia but Ken Hale down in Henderson, which is just down the road from you does sell them. Ken is the Texas pioneer on Tilapia. To my knowledge, he was the first to commercially market them in Texas to pond owners and the first to develop overwintering techniques. He deserves all the credit for those accomplishments.

I continue to admire your persistance on your lake project and the bull dozer...I'm inside today only because my dozer is down for repairs on a couple of hydralic cylinders. Let's hope you get some rain to fill up that 5 acre lake real soon!