Fertilising a pond using similar fertilisers used in the soil helps induce it to produce organisms that fish feed on. It is best to rear tilapia in fertilised ponds.
Fertilisation ensures that fish get to feed on natural feeds. The sign of proper fertilisation of a pond is that the water turns green.
Ponds for tilapia need to be fertilised with organic or inorganic fertiliser two weeks before stocking. The water should start to turn green before you drop in the first tilapia.
The fertilisation will create planktons, which are beneficial for the growth of tilapia. In case you are mixing tilapia and catfish, the pond should be fertilised too since the major species will be tilapia.
Organic manure is applied at a rate of 15,000kg for a pond the size of a hectare. If it is half an hectare, then apply 7500kg, but overall, calculate according to the size of your pond.
