Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Tilapia for algae control.

How long they live all depends on the species of Tilapia and the water temperature. Blue Tilapia are the most cold hardy, and lethal temp is 45°F, but some will die at higher temps due to fungal infection, etc. I figure they are done for when the water gets into the lower 50's.

Great info. thanks. I am learning more everyday from this site. I am wanting to try the tilapia stock this year for additional forage. Have a guy wanting to sale me some, but I don't think they will survive yet.

From what I've heard, if they aren't pure Blue Tilapia, then their water temp tolerance is 65°F., and I'd use a minimum of 70°F for all the other strains of Tilapia.

Rainman or Weissguy, get on in here!! (they both raise/sell Tilapia)

So if you don't see a lot of these TP because they sink to the bottom when they die is that ok for your pond??? I mean lets take for example I think it was ESSHUP that said 40# per acre seems to do the trick. Lets say they are all a half a pound. So that's 80 fish. Most of those won't get ate because they are pretty big already. So lets say you catch 10 a few get ate say 10. So you have 60 large 1 to 2 pound fish that are going to die and sink to the bottom of your pond? Is that ok? What does that do to my pond if anything? Will smaller fish eat on them once they sink?

I don't know about smaller fish eating them, but turtles and crayfish will clean some up, some WILL float, and would be scavenged by birds or 4-legged critters. Yes, the others will decompose and contribute to the nutrient load, but I haven't seen it to cause any problems (yet - this will be my 4th year of playing with them).

So that begs the question also will you be attracting unwanted critters to your pond then? Esshup if you get 40 pounds worth about how many TP is that give or take a few?

thanks,

Nah, the critters are there already wandering around. They just stay a wee bit longer to have a bite to eat.

40#'s of Tilapia could be 20 fish or over 200 fish, depending on the size of the fish delivered. I try to pick the size that won't become dinner to the LMB in the pond. They might weigh a bit more than a BG for the same sized (inch wise) fish, so you could get a rough idea by looking at the Relative Weight chart in the archives.

Rex, you out there?? HELP!!!

Doc,
How many years have you used tilapia? I am curious if your getting the results you want? I want something to make my bass fat! I have thought about adding some threadfins too.

That's hard to say. I've gotten Tilapia that were about a pound apiece, down to about 6 oz. all in the same load.




IIRC there were either 12# or 15# in that cooler.

I do not grade fish for pond stocking, yet try to keep the vast majority of fish in the 1/3 pound or 8-9" range. No grading as small fish are sacrificial and take pressure off the larger tilapia to acclimate to the new surroundings (sacrificial stockers will be less than 2 pounds per 40#).

Any fish not directly eaten by predator fish when lethargic will sink or float and be completely consumed by scavenging...turtles, BG, CC, Fox, opossum, raccoon, etc.

If all 40# stocked were at the 1/3 pound size, or 120 fish, nearly all stockers would top 2 pounds at season end...roughly 240 pounds of tilapia...the first spawn surviving could easily add another 1000 pounds of tilapia too large to be consumed alive. We have not found evidence of dead tilapia on pond bottoms or even seen many floaters...I may not be able to say what, yet, but something sure eats a lot!

Just be aware of how large your pond is, in ratio to the amount of biological degradation from the tilapia. You not only have to worry about nutrient loading, but also the biological oxygen demand caused by the decomposing matter. Two things come to mind: bacterial infestation during decomposing processes and biological oxygen consumption which will increase algae blooms during early spring. Just go by the rule of thumb of 10 cubic meter for every tilapia dead in your pond.

Leo,
Could one safely assume 20-40 fish to stock per acre? They die off every winter here in NC. So I would restock each year.

Leo, does water temp factor into that equasion? The tilapia are going belly up around 50°F and below.

As for floaters........We usually stock a 6-8" mix and they make it until mid December. I have never seen large floaters, but do on occasion see 2-3" fingerlings.

Sorry guys. Notification was a bit late. Per acre, safest margin would be 20 to 25 (1 to 1.5lbs). 30 is considered as a the marginal limit. Any more than 30, well, you might be asking for trouble.

Yes, water temp play a massive equation in tilapia. As you mentioned, anything at 50°F, or rather starting at 55°F if you're in warmer climate (Texas, Arizona, California), they belly up a bit sooner.

You are truly smacked on with the stocking method and size. Smaller fish will consume quickly when they sense temperature zone offset based on their survival mode. They will feed hard and grow fast to survive the cold days with more insulated muscle tissues. However, all that's in vain when they are stocked in frigid climates. However, there is a way to maintain their survival passively even in the dead of winter, when there's a bit of sunlight available. An underground aquatic area where the solar heating panel can warm up an area for the fishes to stay warm. Ever notice how the fishes hug the bottom during cold seasons in the deepest areas, or areas where structures tapped into the very depth of the earth? Every little source of heat help, and fishes are great detector of temperature changes.

Leo, thanks for joining in.

ANY tilapia will be losing it's disease resistance in 55 degree waters and is unlikely to survive a winter, plus the fact the stockings here are all in predator filled ponds so a death to at least an infection will be near certain.

Depending on a pond owners goal, there is really no upper limit to stocking tilapia, especially when using them to grow large Bass.

It is also not wise to stock tilapia in a pond as full grown adults or in "graded" sizes as you will be more likely to get fish of all one sex and the goals in stocking will never be met.

Stocking a wide mix of sizes anywhere from 2-12" is by far the wisest way to stock...This ensures a mixed sex stocked.

Only a PURE strain of Blue Tilapia can be safely initially in water temps of 62 degrees..ANY other hybrid or species can not be stocked safely till water temps reach 70 degrees or the stockers will be lethargic, and easily preyed upon.

Leo, if this were in a non-predator, food production pond, biological oxygen demand would be a concern. In a sportfish pond however, stocking rates of over 100 pounds of adult tilapia per acre will be kept in the food chain by being eaten before death, or shortly after. There simply is no decay factor for a pond owner to be concerned with by adding tilapia, or the death of tilapia.

Thanks for the update Rainman. The posts only ask for tilapia in controlling the algae. I wasn't certain that the pond owner was stocking them for both predation feeding and algae control. Looks like you're the go to person for the predation stocking.