Quote Originally Posted by bcotton
Quote Originally Posted by Personoponics
If only it was a bit easier to get fish already... I don't want to wait another 8 weeks to have the place I want to hold them inspected >_< If I wasn't right under the nose of the university, I'd consider just buying them outright now. Mehhhhh
Have you considered starting the system with minnows? They will start adding ammonia to the system and start the cycling process. You could have a fairly well established sysetem by the time you add tilapia and then the minnows will get eaten.

brian
The minnows will indeed start the ammonia cycling, but don't count on the tilapia eating them! I had a half dozen or so gambusia living in a fish tank with 150 large tilapia for over a year. They prospered and never once did a tilapia show any interest in eating them. Tilapia seem not to be highly piscivorous fish!