Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Tilapia-this year's thread

Ryan :

Can't answer them all but here is some info on heaters.

As noted it is a cost issue. See the link below for a temp. controller for a heater at about $100. The link in post above has quite a few options including pond heaters which may work well for a small RAS but most inexpensive heaters are usualy set for a bottom temp. of 40 and only adjustable above that temp. ewest

http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/9207/cid/2214

pond heaters:

http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/listings.categories/ssid/378

Calais,

How do you intend to get your tilapia established in order to provide them within a reasonable time frame to members? Usually we don't see tilapia fry until May/June, then it is several months until they are large enough to stock. You'd have to overwinter to be able to provide advanced size fish in April.

Just my thoughts.

Ryan-
#1 What size heater will we need to keep the water temp. at 75 deg.? If the temperature in the greenhouse stays above 65 I think you could get by with 10,000 watts although 3-5 watts per gallon is recommended with more volatile temperature fluctuation.
3 Given the size scenario in #2 will filtration be need for 400 fish in a 4000 gal. tank if aerated? Yes a good pump and filtration is mandatory to keep the ammonia levels in control. The answer as to size of the filter depends on how much you plan to feed. Question #2 also depends on how much food and filtration you will use. About 6% of the food you add will end up as nitrogenous waste in a few hours. The amount of ammonia produced by 400 active fish will be enormous. If there is any way you could get 40 3-4 inch fish they will produce a lot of fry and fingerling's in their long overwinter. If you want my opinion, you would be much better off ordering from the nearest hatchery that will provide them when your water temperature hits 60 degrees. This is a huge project to keep that many fish healthy for 7 months of the year. You will need to learn every aspect of aquarium keeping: Preparing your filter to receive the huge amount of fish by adding ammonia and niter bacteria to the aquarium before they arrive, Monthly 25% water changes to keep the nitrates in check, chemical filtration, fresh water for evaporation losses, aeration, testing, backup pumps, diseases-- just to name a few of the problems you will face.

I have one question. Is there a well water source and if so what is the water temperature? Answers to your specific questions can be addressed by the technical folks at aquatic ecosystems out of Florida. I don't have the number on me right now but it is easy to find with a search.

Hi guys! I'm in South Africa where tilapia (kurper) are indigenous and bass are not. There are many common species of tilapia here but not all are compatible with bass. We find that the Vlei Kurper or Banded Tilapia (Tilapia sparrmanii)or the Dwarf Kurper or Southern Mouthbrooder (Hemihaplochromis philander)work very well but the Blue Kurper or Mozambique Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus)often refered to here as the "Blue Tilapia" compete with the bass and quickly decrease the bass population. Try this link for more info - http://www.bigbass.0catch.com/id8a.htm

AlAfrica- Most of us do not have the problem you are describing because we only have a 7-8 month growing season for the Mozambique Tilapia and then a complete die-off due to water temperatures. The Tilapia will only compete with bass if the grow to a very large size. There are some ponds in south Texas and Florida that should keep this in mind. Thank You for the information and keep it coming!

Thanks, Al. Very interesting information and great photos!
Lou, 13.5 ac

Ryan,
Mine ran about 12 3/4" and 2 pounds at 6 months, in a pond.

I really haven't seen any evidence in my pond. I can see where they might be a problem during spawning but I have seen the bass chase them away from nests. I have reached sizes that would have caused problems.

Just another reason for me to keep trying to catch them.

Lou, wasn't it you that had some bad water coming from an upstream developer? How did that go?

Haven't posted for awile, here's the update on the tilapia tank: We had several problems. The tank was set up and filled with water to give the chlorine time to dissipate. After setting up the tank (old hopper tank ring)I measured it and calculated that it is only about 700 gallons. We returned the next morning to find the tank half empty. A new liner was donated and the heater was resized and ordered. Only $140 for 2500watt heater, controller, and cables. There were 205v plugs in the roof so we just added a GFCI an plugged it in. When hooking up the heater we accidentally burned a hole in the new liner but we were able to patch it. The water pump they had turned out to be an air pump, 25CFM. I decided to use this for moving water through the filter. The filter was built out of a large trash can. Three 3" holes were drilled in the bottom. 1/4" mesh was used to cover the bottom except for one 3" hole. A 4'with many 1/2" holes drilled in it and a 2-1/2' piece of salvaged plastic pipe were joined at an elbow. The 2 1/2' piece was passed through the bottom of the trash can. The trash can was then set on a couple of concrete blocks, filled with media and topped with filter fabric. 4 airstones connected to the air pump were placed about 2/3 down inside the verical pipe coming through the bottom of the trash can. Works similar to an undergravel filter in an aquarium but rather than pulling the water down through the gravel in the bottom of the tank it lifts it and spills it over the filter fabric before trickling through the bacteria housing pea gravel media. The advantage is that the piece of fabric catches most of the solid waste and it can be easily removed and cleaned as needed. 300 2" to 3" nile tilapia were added on Friday. My newest problem is that these tilapia are 98% female according to the supplier. If this is true, how many males would be needed to promote successful spawning in my pond this summer for bass growth?

Ryan, That sounds worthy of it's own thread. Can we start a new one, and maybe get a photo?

Ryan- Watch out for the ammonia that is sure to cause you problems. It could kill every last one of the tilapia if not kept in check. Have plenty of water ready to change if you do have a problem. Ammonia levels will top out at about 6 days if your filter is large enough to carry the load of 300 fish. If not it will last much longer. Neutralizing nitrosomonas bacteria grow quickly and lead to high nitrite levels which are also toxic and take up to 18 days to peak and establish the nitrobacter needed to change these to non-toxic nitrates.

I misunderstood, only 1 tank out of 5 was 98% female. Actually 30% are male which is a good ratio for reproduction. Thanks Ponds, for the heads up on ammonia and nitrite levels, they will be checked periodically. I transported the fish in the water they grew in, hopefully bringing a good seed of bacteria with them. Pictures will follow and I start a new thread soon. I'll try to find the instructions for posting pics to the thread.

I have had a friend buy one of those inflatable swimming pools from Walmart and put a water trough heater in it and had Tilapia survive with little care. The water put in it was from a well and then aerated.

Good luck