Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Fly Fishing & Other Fish Species Is this a Lake Chubsucker?

Those are scientific results from a very large series of studies/examples by fish professionals. There is no better general data. Here is the source.

http://www.fishbase.us/TrophicEco/FoodIt...ies=mossambicus

And here it is for blue tilapia



Food items reported for Oreochromis aureus



http://www.fishbase.us/TrophicEco/FoodIt...;species=aureus



Food I

Food II

Food III Food name Country
life Stage


zooplankton plank. crust. cladocerans Bosmina longirostris Israel juv./adults
plants phytoplankton green algae Cosmarium laeve Israel juv./adults
plants phytoplankton diatoms Cyclotella Israel juv./adults
nekton finfish bony fish Fish remains Mexico juv./adults
plants other plants terrestrial plants Higher plant tissues Egypt juv./adults
zooplankton other plank. invertebrates n.a./other plank. invertebrates Keratella cochlearis Israel juv./adults
plants phytoplankton diatoms Melosira Israel juv./adults
plants phytoplankton blue-green algae Microcystis Israel juv./adults
plants phytoplankton diatoms Navicula Israel juv./adults
plants phytoplankton green algae Pediastrum Israel juv./adults
plants phytoplankton dinoflagellates Peridinium cinctum f. westii Israel juv./adults
plants phytoplankton dinoflagellates Peridinium westii Israel juv./adults
plants phytoplankton green algae Scenedesmus Israel juv./adults
plants phytoplankton green algae Spondylosium Israel juv./adults
plants phytoplankton green algae Staurastrum Israel juv./adults
plants phytoplankton diatoms Surirella Israel juv./adults
plants phytoplankton diatoms Synedra Israel juv./adults
plants phytoplankton blue-green algae Unidentified Egypt juv./adults
plants phytoplankton diatoms Unidentified Mexico juv./adults
plants phytoplankton green algae Unidentified Egypt juv./adults
plants phytoplankton n.a./other phytoplankton Unidentified Egypt juv./adults
plants phytoplankton n.a./other phytoplankton unidentified (not available) adults
zoobenthos benth. crust. ostracods Unidentified Israel juv./adults
zoobenthos insects insects Unidentified Israel juv./adults
zoobenthos insects insects Unidentified Israel juv./adults
zoobenthos worms n.a./other annelids Unidentified Israel juv./adults
zoobenthos worms non-annelids Unidentified Israel juv./adults
zooplankton other plank. invertebrates n.a./other plank. invertebrates Unidentified Egypt juv./adults
zooplankton other plank. invertebrates n.a./other plank. invertebrates Unidentified Israel juv./adults
zooplankton plank. crust. n.a./other plank. crustaceans Unidentified Egypt juv./adults
zooplankton plank. crust. plank. copepods Unidentified Israel juv./adults
detritus detritus debris Unidentified organic matter and sand Mexico juv./adults
plants other plants terrestrial plants Vascular plant remains Mexico juv./adults

I notice that the foods listed as phytoplankton are actually often various types of bottom growing algae where the tilapia in those ponds have probably run out of FA algae and as an alternative food source started feeding on benthic algae and sediment.

In one study tilapia in Africa actually deepened a large lake (by eating bottom sediment ) by 6 inches over a short period of time.

In the foods listed for the species of Tilapia, does anyone think that the location of the Tilapia in the world has anything to the types of food that was found that they were eating?

In the pond I have the LCS in, they have spawned prolifically for the past few years, even in the presence of large numbers of banded killifish and fathead minnows which both appear to love to eat unguarded eggs. I do have areas of FA for them to spawn on, but they seem to fan areas clear of the FA and spawn on the root masses of willows.