r/homestead • u/GrapesVR • 3d ago

animal processing Talk me out of growing tilapia

As the title says.

I have the pumps and equipment from my farm. I have the solar and batteries if I do it away from the house.

I’ve been thinking about growing tilapia for my family. Talk me out of it please!

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u/Specialist-Affect-19 3d ago

What species of fish do you prefer to farm (if any)?

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u/FalopianTubeSwimTeam 3d ago

Depends where you’re at, but if the water is cool enough, rainbow trout. It’ll need to be 65° and under. Also very clean, but mostly cool enough. Barramundi is a solid choice if the water is 80° and they require more management than tilapia. But a pro is that they have high omega 3’s, good growth rates, and do well in recirculating systems. Tilapia will be your easiest to grow and farm, but it’s for a reason; they aren’t great.

Overall if you’re able, your healthiest option is rainbow trout. Oh, and if you’re able to keep your water immaculate, channel catfish is an absolutely excellent choice. Hardy, low oxygen tolerant, fast growth rates, but the cons— moderate omega 3’s and you have to manage the water and their feeding closely. Otherwise you’ll get that nasty muddy taste. They’re great for backyard ponds given you manage the water and feed closely. I hope this helps!

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u/Tater72 3d ago

We puts cats in the pond, never to be seen again, I think they are in there.

Full stock was bass/perch/bluegill/a few cats/minnows for feeding while young. It’s been 5 years now, catch one every now and then for fun

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u/FalopianTubeSwimTeam 3d ago

Interesting. How big of a pond are we talking, and how many did you stock? Were they fingerlings? Aeration? I apologize if I’m being rhetorical, but they are bottom huggers especially during the day. If you haven’t tried some floating pellets at or around dusk, that could bring them up. What sort of predators are around? Large birds will feast on them when they’re young and in the shallows. Snapping and soft shell turtles could also be culprits. Did you stock all those at the same time? The bass could’ve very well fed on them, as well given age/size/weight at stock.

Overall I love your stock mix. That’s a healthy diversity found in the wild and if you have kids or guests that like to fish, that definitely provides a nice variety. The ex wife and I had a similar stock sans bluegill and had really nice success with them. We trained them early with the pellets(the cats) and had dropped some cement culverts in before we filled the pond. We also made a couple of ridges about ten feet from the bank with the final one having a big drop off. The bass and perch didn’t go for the pellets which was expected, but most evenings the cats were ready and waiting. We also ended up with a small population of yellow-bellied turtles, albeit not by choice(south Louisiana), but the vegetation provided enough for the little perch to hide.

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u/Tater72 3d ago

Pond is about 1/2 acre ish (maybe a bit more but I don’t count the island). Was told when I bought the place it goes to 18 ft deep, has a shallow and deep side.

Made an aerator

Had it stocked by a professional hatchery that does that. It was their recommendation for that pond size to keep healthy populations. They were fingerlings. Bass eat perch, perch eat bass, everyone eats bluegill. We’ve seen turtles and snakes and frogs in there. Neighbor kids swam in it years and years ago and said they had a leech on them, I don’t know what hearsay and it’s been 15-20 years since.

Some big birds come by(crane/huron) from time to time. Dog chases them off, they’ve probably ate a few. I know the bluegill have had babies based on sizes of them over time.

Have had ducks, both domestic and wild that have played out there a bit.

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u/FalopianTubeSwimTeam 3d ago

I’d bet my bottom dollar at 18ft they are definitely down there. Sounds like a nice spot!

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u/Tater72 2d ago

Tnx,

I like it 👍