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I bought 45 lbs of tilapia from Rex around 6-9-12 and virtually all of the floating FA is gone already!! I am very, very happy!!

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Great to hear Sean!

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Sounds like you're going to have a really big fish fry this fall. Those tilapia are amazing! How big is your pond?

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Have you caught any of them yet, just wondering how big the tilapia are now and if you have any pics?

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No I have not caught any yet. I do see them from time to time. Some of them are tan with bars down their sides and some of them are solid white. The white ones are very easy to see. Also I have seen a few that obviously had eggs or fry in their mouths but I have not seen any babies yet. I am sure the babies are in there somewhere I just can't id them yet.

I have never tasted tilapia so I will definitely fry some up this fall. The pond is 1.5 acres.

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Here are before and after pictures of my pond.

seantOH

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Very nice info + pictures seanOH!!!

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Tilapia taste great. Now if they were only legal to stock in MO...

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I love my lil blue buddies!!! Thanks for the props sean...it was great to meet you!!



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You are very welcome! It was GREAT to meet you as well. Take care!!

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will tilapia eat duckweed?

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garnetts, yes, tilapia devour duckweed, BUT, if there are predators in the pond, none but the largest tilapia will browse on the DW or watermeal out of predation fear.....the massive numbers of fry produced are what make noticable impacts on algae and then other plants.

A combination of chemical control and tilapia can quickly control DW.



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SeantOH - how large is your pond and what part of the state are you in? I am in NE Ohio and looking for some resolution on FA, etc.

Also, what did you experience this Fall when the temps fell below 45F? What it an ugly and smelly crime scene? LOL.

Appreciate your input here - JCal


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Tilapia DO work, they just have to be stocked at the correct amount to do the work. How many might depend on the amount of FA that you have in the pond.

In my pond, I caught a lot out when the water dropped to the mid to low 50's via snagging.

I'll let Rex come up with the numbers that he recommends to stock.

I can tell you that in my pond, I didn't see FA control with stocking rates of up to 20#/surface acre. I DID see them control FA when stocked at the rate of 40#/surface acre. I didn't weigh the fish that I pulled out, but the fish were between 1 and 3 pounds, and I filled five 5 gallon buckets with them, and there were some still swimming around. I stocked Tilapia that were 6"-8" long to avoid predation by the LMB in the pond.


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Originally Posted By: Jeff Calvin
Also, what did you experience this Fall when the temps fell below 45F? What it an ugly and smelly crime scene? JCal


I can't speak for the Blue's, as we stock Mozambique Tilapia, but I've never had a huge die off. A buddy of mine stocked heavily for years, and only had it happen one time. But that was only after a very rapid major temperature drop.

Like esshup, most years, they just start slow cruising, and are easy to catch by both man and fish.


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Originally Posted By: esshup

In my pond, I caught a lot out when the water dropped to the mid to low 50's via snagging.

I didn't weigh the fish that I pulled out, but the fish were between 1 and 3 pounds, and I filled five 5 gallon buckets with them, and there were some still swimming around. I stocked Tilapia that were 6"-8" long to avoid predation by the LMB in the pond.


Is snagging the best/most productive way to harvest? How do you see them, do the tilapia swim near the surface at this time for snagging. Do you do it by boat or shore? I assume it is with a big treble hook. I'm just curious for future reference, sounds like a nice change of routine. Thanks.

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A YouTube video of snagging tilapia during next year's fall harvest would be helpful for those that use tilapia. I have a PM question request into seantOH for input.

Last edited by Bill Cody; 01/05/13 11:38 AM.

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I used a #2/0 or so treble hook on 12# test line. They were cruising near the surface and I sight fished (snagged) them.

To make the hook sink a bit faster, I wrapped some thin solder around the shank.


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Hey all sorry I have not been on here for a while. Thanks Bill for the PM. wink

Jeff I am between Dayton and Columbus. My pond is 1.5 acres and I stocked it with LMB, BG, CC and red eared sunfish. The tilapia varied in size quite a bit but most of them were 6-12" and stocked at 30 lbs/ac. I did see significant numbers of very small babies in the pond and several adults that had babies in their mouths (these fish are mouth brooding cichlids). However, I never did see any juveniles in the pond this summer but having said that, I did not see many adults either. Some of the adults are tan in color with faint vertical stripes and some are solid white. The white ones stick out like a sore thumb but the tan ones are much harder to see. wink The largest adults I saw were probably 4lbs. I only was able to catch one fish on a red worm but tried raisins, dried cherries and grapes... nothing really worked. Some of them did start hitting the pellets that I feed so Stubby's might be an option. I will be trying to snag them next year. BTW, I only saw one dead tilapia this Fall and it was a large adult that was drug out of the pond. I suspect that a raccoon took an interest in it. I expected to see many dead floating fish but fortunately that did not happen.

All in all I am very happy with using Rainman's tilapia for FA control!

sean

Last edited by Bill Cody; 01/07/13 08:30 AM. Reason: added #/ac
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Thanks much seantOH. Really good info.

Maybe I am missing the point, but I now have 4" of ice on the pond here in NE OH, and the water is obviously in the sub 30F range. From hearing what some guys are saying, the Tilapia will all die because they can't live in water temps sub 40F. I think I am hearing from you, in an area in OH that doesn't get quite as cold as NE Ohio, you have basically full survival. I remain a little perplexed.

Comments? Thanks very much once again - Jeff


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I am far from knowledgeable regarding Tilapia, but I cannot imagine that they would survive a typical Ohio winter. And, it's my understanding that that is a good thing.


"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
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Jeff Calvin, If your tilpia survive the winters where you are You should harvest and sell them as they are more cold tolerant than normal. Might be a mutation of genetics who knows?

Do you have a spring or well the flows that might provided a warmer water refuge the could be hovering in?


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Jeff, You put in talapia knowing that they will not survive the winter here. They are used for FA instead of chemicals, but you have to buy them every year. Just a different way to approach the problem.

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Jeff,

I never said they survived... only that I did not see tons of floating fish. wink My pond is also ice covered.

The tilapia are cichlids from Africa... I believe the Rift Lakes region. I am very confident that they did die and that their biomass will release nutrients back into the pond. If you use chemicals then the excess nutrients that fueled the FA growth also gets released back into the pond when the FA dies. The thing I like about the tilapia is that at least some of the excess nutrients get converted to tilapia that are eaten by my other fish. Ideally I need to find a consistent way to capture the tilapia at the end of the season so that I can actually remove the excess nutrients in my pond.

If you think about it, your pond is nothing more than a really large planted aquarium. The key is to achieve a balanced ecosystem, i.e nutrients introduced = nutrients removed. My plan is to remove / keep out the plants that I don't want and add the plants I do want in the pond. Once the "good" plants get established they will consume the nutrients and if I manage the fish population correctly there shouldn't excess nutrients to feed the "bad" plants. Achieving a balanced ecosystem will ultimately control/ eliminate the FA in the long term.

I will let everyone know in the Spring if I have SUPER tilapia that have adapted to our Ohio winters, LOL! smile Take care and God bless!!

sean

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The easiest way for me to remove the Tilapia before they die is to wait until they get a bit sluggish, and snag them via sight fishing. I know I won't get them all, but I sure get a high % of them.


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3/4 to 1 1/4 ac pond LMB, SMB, PS, BG, RES, CC, YP, Bardello BG, (RBT & Blue Tilapia - seasonal).
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