Triple B Tilapia from DeMotte, Indiana
Tilapia Q & A
Below are some of the most common questions we are asked about tilapia and the many uses of this wonderful fish. Please read through to see if your question is listed. If you would like more information for better understanding, please let us know.
Yes, tilapia is a tropical fish which was imported from northern Africa, Middle East, & Central America. So, if they are released in warm climates they will thrive. The good thing about tilapia is they eat algae and other plant life, so they do a great job of cleaning up a water system. However, in the warm climates they will overpopulate. In the colder waters they cannot live through the winter so they cannot populate water systems.
Depends on the farm. Let me explain. Like most consumers of tilapia you are purchasing fish which comes from China and Central America. Many of these farms are over populated and raised in unsanitary conditions. Besides these opinions, tilapia from these areas are marketed as “fresh”. How can they be fresh when they are harvested, packed, shipped, unpacked, distributed, and sold in a time frame ranging from 2-6 months? Most are rapped frozen to try and seal in the freshness… plus other preservatives are added to help keep the tilapia from spoiling.
On the other hand, processing in the USA are regulated by the FDA and other regulatory agencies, when talking about fillet fish. When purchasing live whole fish for consumption you have less regulations, but you still have to have a healthy tested product. For the best quality, as for fresh, is to purchase form a local farm our local fresh fish market which brings in products daily. You will pay more per pound for this type of fish, but quality is always better.
The standard stocking rate for controlling algae is 30 lbs. - 40 lbs. per acre of pond surface. If your pond just needs a maintenance quantity because your pond is not bad, you can stock a little lighter. However, the opposite is also true if you have an overran algae problem, you will need to stock heave for the first one or two seasons. Once the pond is cleaned you can reduce the stocking pounds.
Why not use a natural method of keeping your pond clean of algae instead of using harmful chemicals? If not using chemicals isn’t a good enough reason for you, let’s look at the cost comparison. When you add up the chemicals, plus your time to apply the chemicals, plus the multiple amounts of times you will need to apply the chemicals over a season. Even more costly would be if you hired a company do this process for you. Using tilapia is easier, saves you time and money. All you need to do is purchase tilapia, get your pond stocked, and let them work for you all Summer and into the Fall. It’s like having your own grazing workforce in your pond. (In extreme conditions of overgrowth, you may have to treat at the beginning, early May so not to have to stock tilapia at a high rate that your pond wouldn't support.)
Yes and No. Tilapia are constant eaters if you have an abundant food source. What this means is, if you have a lot of algae, they will only eat the algae and leave the duckweed alone. They will eat duckweed, but you have to stock your pond for the overflow of nutrients in your water system or only use tilapia for algae. We have some ponds tilapia take care of both situations, but we have some ponds where the tilapia do not change the growth of duckweed. (I know some say they do a great job reducing duckweed, but I just want to be honest with you that it really depends on the fish per season and how much other food they have available before they get to the duckweed.)
Only if they remove all other algae and duckweed. Yet, they still will not remove rooted plants such as cattails or water lilies. The only other fish used to help reduce rooted plants and grasses is the grass carp.
Yes, we have helped many schools who want to start these types of school organized projects as well as individuals looking for hobby farms. Contact us for more information.
We take orders from Summer all the way through the Winter and into the next Spring, as long as stock lasts for our tilapia. We run out of stock every year, so it’s first come first serve. We only require a 20% deposit to hold your order.
We take orders for bluegill, largemouth bass, and channel catfish all year as well and stock in Spring and Fall. A 20% deposit is also required to hold your order.
It all depends on if we have the fish in stock. If we do, they will be alive when you pick them up from our farm. We do not clean, process or package fish.
We only have customers on site by appointment. We are not open to the public as for store hours. We do not have a store front or customer amenities.
