Speaking of Tilapia. Dose anybody know a place in West TN you can get Tilapia to put in a pond? I have a good size pond I would like to put some in over the summer to let the kids have something fun to catch and be able to eat them this fall.
Tilapia for stocking a pond
- Thread starter Dodge Man
- Start date
hillbillyfab
Well-Known Member
Won't they die in the average pond? I'm thinking our water gets to cold for them. Hate to see you spend money on them and lose them.
hillbillyfab":2ok2fqtu said:
When raised in a controlled environment they can achieve growth rates of up to 3 percent of body weight per day, but 2 percent is a more likely average. The fish is efficient and should gain about one pound for every 1.5 pounds of food. Tilapia fingerlings are typically purchased at a weight of 0.07 of an ounce. They are marketed at 1½ to 1¾ pounds at 6 months of age.
I have read if you get them in the 4-6 inch range they can grow to 2lb+ before the water temperature gets to cold for them in the Fall. I know they will not survive the winter temperatures but I was hoping to catch them out before it gets to cold.
hillbillyfab":1evfkqrk said:
The great thing about tilapiA is they will die in the winter as long as the water is not heated. Most of the time the water is cold enough when they die, you'll never see a "fish kill". They simply sink to the bottom.
About 55 degrees is as cold as they can stand. And I honestly believe, there's no such thing as water too hot for'em. I've seen'em happy in 100+ degree water.
After working with these fish for years now, cold water is the only thing they can't handle. They make coyotes and cockroaches look like rookies. Haha
Crosshairy
Well-Known Member
FYI, I know of one guy who would roll around in a clear water lake stocked with them and net them up in the fall when they started getting lethargic. He always went as soon as the water temperatures started falling, and said he could catch a bunch of them with a long-handled dip net. They are very light-colored when seen through the water from above, so they are pretty easy to spot if you are lucky enough to have good water clarity in your pond.
hillbillyfab
Well-Known Member
Glad to see and read all the replies. Learned more about these fish. :tu:
They grow fast
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LungPuncher
Member
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- Sep 6, 2015
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Dodge Man":3hr0he67 said:
Ed Davis Fish Farm in Atwood TN has them for sale. All you want and need
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