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Tilapia

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Some Facts About Tilapia Aquaculture

Tilapia is the common name
for nearly a hundred species. Tilapia comes in several colors, but red and black tilapia are the most well-known species. Skinless and boneless Tilapia of any variety cooks completely white, making it an excellent substitute for nearly any white fish, including: sole, flounder, cod, haddock, pompano and grouper. Both types of tilapia can thrive in either fresh or brackish water (mix of fresh and seawater) Most of the Fresh Tilapia Fillets consumed in the US are produced in Honduras, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica and Brazil and imported fresh daily. Hailed as "the fish of the new millenium" and "the new orange roughy", Tilapia (pronounced Til AH pe ah) has rapidly gained consumer recognition in the United States. Consumption in America, which reached about 145 million lbs. of whole weight in 2000, has been growing at over 35% a year for the past 8 years. Tilapia traces its origin to the Nile River and has been farm raised for decades. Its culinary potential was appreciated by the ancient Egyptians and the epicurean Greeks. Aristotle is believed to have given the fish its name Tilapia niloticus (fish of the Nile) in 300 BC.Legend says that tilapia was the fish Christ multiplied a thousandfold to feed the masses. Tilapia is also referred to as St. Peter's fish. A member of the Cichlid family, these fish look much like a snapper or perch and can live in either fresh or salt water.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Tilapia
Any of numerous, mostly freshwater, Fish species (genus Tilapia, family Cichlidae), native to
species are easy to raise and harvest for food; they grow rapidly, resist disease, and eat readily abundant algae and zooplankton. They have been used in warm-water aquaculture systems since the early Egyptian civilization and have been introduced into many freshwater habitats.

Columbia Encyclopedia: tilapia
tilapia (t?lä'pe?) or St. Peter's fish, a spiny-finned freshwater fish of the family Cichlidae, native chiefly to Africa and the Middle East. Fish of the genera Oreochromis, Sarotherodon, and Tilapia, all commonly known as tilapias, have laterally compressed bodies like those of sunfish, are fast growing, and tolerate brackish water. True tilapias are nest brooders, but species of the other genera incubate their eggs orally; one or both parents carry them in their mouths until (and for a short period after) the young hatch. They are economically important as food fishes, both in their native regions and elsewhere, where they have been introduced or are grown on fish farms. The Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) may have been farmed in ancient Egypt, and the most commercially important tilapia of aquaculture areOreochromis species and their hybrids.Tilapias have a mild-tasting flesh, but the skin has a bitter flavor. Tilapias are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Osteichthyes, order Perciformes,family Cichlidae.'Tilapia' (pronounced /t??l?pi?/) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the tilapiine cichlid tribe. Tilapias inhabit a variety of fresh and, less commonly, brackish water habitats from shallow streams and ponds through to rivers, lakes, and estuaries. Most tilapias are omnivorous with a preference for soft aquatic vegetation and detritus. They have historically been of major importance in artisanal fishing in Africa and the Levant, and are of increasing importance in aquaculture around the world.Where tilapia have been deliberately or accidentally introduced, they have frequently become problematic invasive species.

Etymology
The common name tilapia is based on the name of the cichlid genus Tilapia, which is itself a latinization of thiape, the Tswana word for "fish".The genus name and term was first introduced by Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith in 1840. As they have been introduced globally for human consumption, tilapia often are referred to by specific names in various languages and dialects. Certain species of tilapia are sometimes called "St. Peter's fish." This term is taken from the account in the Christian Bible about the apostle Peter catching a fish that carried a shekel coin in its mouth. However, no species of fish is named in that passage of the Bible.While that name is also applied to Zeus faber, a marine fish not found in the area, one tilapia (Sarotherodon galilaeus galilaeus) is known to be found in Sea of Galilee where the account took place. This particul
ar species is known to have been the target of small-scale artisanal fisheries in the area for thousands of years.In some Asia n countries including the Philippines, large tilapia are often referred to as pla-pla while their smaller brethren are still referred to as tilapia.In Hebrew, tilapia are called amnoon (?????). In Arabic, tilapia are called mush? (???) (comb) because
of its comb-like tail. It is called jilaebi in Tamil.

Types of Tilapia
There are many varieties of tilapia. However, the two best suited for aquaculture are the red
tilapia (Oreochromis mossambica) and the black tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Although both
strains can be raised in either fresh or brackish water, black tilapia usually are most suited to
the fresh water than the red. The fillets are only slightly different in color. Fillets of both red and black tilapia, when raised correctly, will have a similar, mild taste. Since Tilapia absorbs flavor from the water its raised in, wild tilapia can have a muddy or inconsistent flavor while aquacultured tilapia with reliable water sources, the right feed, and carefully monitored growth will taste mild and sweet. It is important to buy tilapia from a company with a reliable water source. the genetic strain " Tilapia/Nile Nilotica", generally considered the best for cultivation. tilapia fish are harvested after one year of growth at an average weight of two pounds. tilapia are fed an all-natural, nutritionally balanced diet of grain and protein. Tilapia fillets are white, firm, and moist. They are very mild in flavor and accept sauces well. water sources ensure a very mild, delicate taste, a taste and texture similar to sole. Tilapia can also be used successfully in recipes calling for snapper, sole, cod, haddock, pompano, flounder, sea bass,ororange roughy. Easily poached, broiled, sauteed, grilled, baked, microwaved, steamed, fried, "blackened", stir-fried, or as an ingredient in bouillabaisse and other fish soups, Rain Forest Tilapia makes a very versatile menu item, and is a popular and nutritious fish for the whole family. Tilapia, several species and their hybrids of Oreochromis, are the second most important group of farm raised fish in the world. Tilapia farming and consumption are rapidly increasing in the US. Tilapia is now the fifth most popular seafood consumed in the United States and has become the third most important fish in aquaculture after carps and salmonids, with production reaching 1,505,804 metric tons in 2002. Because of their large size, rapid growth, and palatability, a number of tilapiine cichlids are at the focus of major aquaculture efforts, specifically various species of Oreochromis, Sarotherodon, and Tilapia, collectively known colloquially as tilapias. Like other large fish, Consumers widely agree that Fresh Tilapia Fillets are an excellent addition to a healthy diet. Fresh Tilapia fillets low in fat, low calorie, low carbohydrate and are high in protein.
Fresh Tilapia fillets are also an excellent source of Phosphorus, Niacin, Selenium, Vitamin B12 and Potassium.they are a good source of protein and a popular target for artisanal and commercial fisheries. Originally, the majority of such fisheries were in Africa, but accidental and deliberate introductions of tilapia into freshwater lakes in Asia have led to outdoor aquaculturing projects in countries with a tropical climate such as Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Indonesia. In temperate zone localities, tilapiine farming operations require energy to warm the water to the tropical temperatures these fish require. One method i nvolves warming the water using waste heat from factories and power stations. Tilapiines are also among the easiest and most profitable fish to farm. This is due to their omnivorous diet, mode of reproduction (the fry do not pass through a planktonic phase), tolerance of high stocking density, and rapid growth. In some regions the fish can be put out in the rice fields when rice is planted, and will have grown toedible size (12–15 cm, 5–6 inches) when the rice is ready for harvest. One recent estimate for the FAO puts annual production of tilapia at about 1.5 million tonnes, a quantity comparable to the annual production of farmed salmon and trout.Unlike salmon, which rely on high-protein feeds based on fish or meat, commercially important tilapiine species eat a vegetable or cereal based diet. Tilapias raised in inland tanks or channels are considered safe for the environment, since their waste and disease should be contained and not spread to the wild. Set against their value as food, tilapiines have acquired notoriety as being among the most serious invasive species in many subtropical and tropical parts of the world. For example Oreochromis aureus, Oreochromis mossambicus, Sarotherodon melanotheron melanotheron, Tilapia mariae, and Tilapia zilli have all become established in the southern United States, particularly in Florida and Texas.

Tilapia farming
Large-scale commercial culture of tilapia is limited almost exclusively to the culture of three
species: Oreochromis niloticus, O. mossambica and O. aureus. Of the three tilapia species with
recognized aquaculture potential, the Nile tilapia, O. niloticus, is by far the most commonly used species in fish farming. Growout strategies for tilapia range from the simple to the very complex. Simple strategies are characterized by little control over water quality and food supply and by low fish yields. As greater control over water quality and fish nutrition are imposed, the production cost and fish yield per unit area increases.Across this spectrum, there is a progression from low to high management intensity.
In traditioanal pond culture of tilapia, proper environmental conditions are maintained by
balancing the inputs of feed with the natural assimilative capacity of the pond. The pond’s
natural biological productivity (algae, higher plants, zooplankton and bacteria) serves as a biological filter that converts the wastes through natural biological processes. Tilapia has been
farm-raised as far back as ancient Egypt, and now such farming occurs in more than 85 countries.
Tilapia is considered sustainable thanks to its herbivore eating habits, feeding mainly on plankton, filamentous algae, aquatic macrophytes and other vegetable matter. As a result, wild tilapia does not accumulate pollutants and other toxins in their bodies. On fish farms Tilapia are fed mostly on grain and are also prone to be toxin-free. Tilapia is rapidly becoming one of the most popular seafood in the United States, with the National Marine Fisheries Service ranking it the fifth most consumed seafood. In fact, American’s annual consumption of tilapia has quadrupled over the last 4 years, from a quarter pound per person in 2003 to more than a pound in 2007. Researchers predict tilapia is destined to be one of the most important farmed seafood products of the century.
Pacific Aquaculture
Ponds are the traditional and inexpensive way to hold spawning populations of broodfish. In some parts of the world, the pond system has been made more efficient through the use of cages or net enclosures (hapas). Basically, the hapas are fine mesh net enclosures that are about 40 square meters in size and arranged into units within a larger pond. This segregates the pond into more easily managed units. On a per unit area basis, tanks are the most efficient method of collecting and raising fry, followed by hapas and simple ponds. In aquaculture, no two situations are alike. Each project must be carefully crafted to meet the expectations of the owners, while giving diligent consideration to the limitations and strengths inherent in the proposed venture.

Farm-raised Oreochromis niloticus
Oreochromis niloticus are a species native to Africa and as one of the tilapia species with the
Northern most range, it is tolerant of lower temperatures than many other species.
The O.NIloticus is one of the major species used in tilapia production round the world and is used in many hybrid crosses. As pond production intensifies and feed rates increase, supplemental aeration and some water exchange are required to maintain good water quality. For densities above 1.5-kg per square meter, aeration is usually required. There is a point where the incremental returns are not worthy of the additional inputs and risks. Increasing the intensity of the system does not necessarily reflect an increase in profitability. All tilapia production syst
ems must provide a suitable environment to promote the growth of the aquatic crop. Critical environmental parameters include the concentrations of dissolved oxygen, un-ionized ammonia nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen, and carbon dioxide in the water. Other important parameters include nitrate concentration, pH, and alkalinity levels within the system. To produce tilapia in a cost effective manner, production systems must be capable of maintaining proper levels of these water quality variables during periods of rapid fish growth. To provide for such growth, tilapia are fed high protein pelleted diets at rates ranging from 1.0% to 30% of their body weight per day depending upon their size and species. Numerous options for holding broodfish, fry, fingerlings, juveniles, sub-adult and adult tilapias are available to the prospective farmer. The options include ponds, tanks, raceways, hapas and cages. Tanks and raceways involve considerably greater expense to construct but offer greater control. They are usually used in intensive and super-intensive culture of tilapi as. Ponds are much cheaper to construct and allow management to stimulate natural productivity more readily. The major drawback of pond culture of tilapias is the greater risk of uncontrolled reproduction, which will occur if certain measures are not taken to minimize this possibility. Ponds are used in extensive, semi-intensive and intensive tilapia production.Pond culture is by far the most common method being employed throughout Latin America because it is the cheapest method and also is one of the best.

Noxious pest
Impacts on Australian rivers, creeks and ponds have been great, particularly the dramatic decreases in native fish populations due to predation and competition for food by the fast breeding tilapia that consume a vast range of food sources. Further habitat impacts include increases in local turbidity levels from nesting behaviours. Native fish, invertebrates, and other organisms also experience reduced access to cover through the aggressive territorial de fence of breeding and feeding sites by some tilapia species. Tilapia are listed as a noxious pest in Queensland, Australia,and are spreading rapidly into previously untouched and relatively pristine river systems such as the Endeavour River near Cooktown and the Eureka Creek, a tributary to the Walsh, which runs into the Mitchell. As tilapia can thrive in fresh, brackish and salt water, it is thought that infestation in one river can lead to infestation of neighbouring rivers by the fish swimming from the mouth of one to the other through the sea. A number of tilapiine cichlids that are native to Africa and the Levant have been widely introduced into tropical fresh and brackish waters around the world. In some cases, the introductions were deliberate, for example to control invasive aquatic plants, as in the U.S. states of Florida and Texas. Across much of Asia and Africa they have been introduced into ponds and waterways for the purposes of aquaculture. In other cases, unwanted fish have been released by aquarists or ornamental fish farmers into the wild. Because tilapiine cichlids are generally large, fast growing, breed rapidly, and tolerate a wide variety of water conditions
(even marine conditions), once introduced into a habitat they generally establish themselves very quickly. In doing so they compete with native fish fauna, create turbidity in the water
(by digging) thus reducing the light available for aquatic plants, and eating certain types of aquatic plants causing changes in local aquatic flora. Such problems have been observed in many different places, including Australia, Philippines, and the United States.
Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Tilapia have been introduced to Laguna Junco, an older volcanic caldera. There are no native
freshwater fish in the Galapagos, but there are several native invertebrates that spend all or
part of their lifecycle in freshwater. At least one, the Galapagos dragonfly, is endemic. Tilapia
must be presumed to pose a threat to these invertebrates. The Ecuadorian Park Service is
currently (2007) planning an eradication attempt, with the assistance of US Aid forInternational
Development and the US Geological Survey. Tilapia have been introduced to the mainland of Ecuador, as well as to much of the rest of Latin America, as a fish culture organism.

Singapore
In Singapore, Oreochromis mossambicus was introduced from Java by the Japanese during World War II, hence its local names, Japanese fish and Java fish. It was formerly very abundant in fresh and brackish waters and in the sea off the north coast. However, since the late 1980s, feral tilapiine cichlid populations in most locations have crashed, possibly due to cross breeding with more recently introduced tilapiine cichlid hybrids (red tilapia O. mossambicus x O.niloticus,
possibly also O. honorum and O. aureus). The offspring of the crosses may be strongly sex skewed in favor of males,

and inter-species crosses tend to produce fewer fry per brood than single species spawns, thus causing the population to decline, and hybrids with
O. niloticus may inherit the lower salinity tolerance of that species, thus restricting the habitats where these tilapiine cichlids are found.

United States
Salton Sea in Southern California is home to a large population of Oreochromis mossambicus
known locally as Salton Sea tilapia. How they got into the Salton Sea is not known for certain. The Salton Sea tilapia feed on plant material, phytoplankton (particularly diatoms), copepods, rotifers, barnacle larvae, and small annelid worms. One peculiarity of the Salton Sea are the periodic algal blooms that cause the fish, including the Salton Sea tilapia, to die in massive numbers, causing a particularly nasty smell.There are also populations of tilapia in several lakes in Texas; one in Fairfield lake, another in Martin Creek lake, as well as in Lake Conroe and Stubblefield Lake.

Australia
Shortly after their first importations to Australia in the 1970s aquarium trade, tilapia were introduced into the warm waters of North Queensland dams for weed and mosquito control. Later genetic studies indicated that at least two separate introductions to the native creeks and rivers occurred. As early as 1979, there were established populations of Tilapia mariae and Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum in the cooler climate of Victoria, in a pond warmed by a power station. In 1981 they were also noted to be present in the waters of Carnarvon, Western Australia. Ten years later it was noted that there were established feral populations of tilapia throughout the waters of Queensland and Western Australia, and their geographical range was continuing to increase . By 1991 the waters surrounding the Queensland cities of Brisbane, Townsville, and the Gascoyne River in Western Australia were filled with Oreochromis mossambicus. It was also found that Tilapia mariae was a much less commonly found exotic, though its trapping in rivers north of Cairns indicated that at the time it was possibly extending its range into its preferred water temperature ranges, and that it had a great capacity for tolerating a wide range of salinity levels.

Tilapia as a food fish.
Apart from the very few species found in the Levant, such as Sarotherodon galilaeus galilaeus,
there are no tilapiine cichlids endemic to Asia. However, species originally from Africa have
been widely introduced and have become economically important as food fish in many countries.
China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia and Thailand are the leading suppliers and these
countries altogether produced about 1.1 million metric tonnes of fish in 2001, constituting about
76% of the total aquaculture production of tilapia world wide.

Taiwan
In Taiwan, tilapiine cichlids are also known as the "South Pacific crucian carp," and since their
introduction, have spread across aquatic environments all over the island. Introduced in 1946,
tilapiine cichlids made a considerable economic contribution, not only by providing the Taiwanese people with food, but also by allowing the island's fish farmers to break into key
markets such as Japan and the United States. Indeed, tilapiine cichlids have become an important farmed fish in Taiwan for both export and domestic consumption.The Chinese name for the fish in Taiwan is "Wu-Kuo" (??) and was created from the surnames of Wu Chen-hui
(???) and Kuo Chi-chang (???), who introduced the fish into Taiwan from Singapore. The
Taiwan tilapia is a hybrid of Oreochromis mossambicus and Oreochromis niloticus niloticus. In
mainland China, it is called Luofei fish (???), named after the origin of this fish: the Nile and
Africa (niLUO and FEIzhou in Chinese respectively).

Thailand
Thailand has its share of fish farms and fish pens devoted to the culture of tilapia species. In
March 2007, millions of caged tilapia in the Chao Phraya river died as the result of a massive
fish kill. The cause for this was determined to be oxygen deprivation on a massive scale, one of
the causes for fish kills.

Philippines
Tilapia, referred to as St. Peter's fish, is one the most preferred fish among Filipinos. In
terms of production, it outranks milkfish (bangus) as the top cultured fish in the country. There are three types of Tilapia: red, Nile and Javanese. In the Philippines, Nile tilapia is the most common. According to Dr. Crispino Saclauso, national team leader for the Aquaculture Network coordinated by the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), the culture of tilapia in the Philippines began as early as the 1950s with the introduction of Oreochromis mossambicus from Thailand. It did not do well during its early cultivation because many growers did not have sufficient information and knowledge on how to properly culture tilapia. Moreover, many growers considered it as nuisance because it competed for the food of milkfish, which at that time was considerably more profitable than tilapia. In the 70s another Nile tilapia from Israel was introduced, this time with promising characteristics. Through sex-reversal the commercial production of tilapia in the country boomed and the tilapia industry experienced a phenomenal growth. In the 90s, there was an erratic production of tilapia due to fishkills and the vulnerability of the fish to various diseases. As the industry expanded, and so were the problems. This urged
scientists and researchers to have a thorough examination of the industry and put emphasis on
developing tilapia varieties that could adopt to certain difficult situations. Several species of tilapia have been introduced into local waterways and farmed for food. Tilapia fish pens are a common sight in almost all the major rivers and lakes in the country, including Laguna de Bay, Taal Lake and Lake Buhi. Locally, tilapia are also known as Pla-Pla. Tilapiine cichlids have many culinary purposes, including fried, inihaw (cooked in charcoal), sinigang (a bouillabaisse which sometimes has tamarind, guava, calamansi or other natural ingredients to flavour it), paksiw (similar to sinigang only it consists of vinegar, garlic, pepper and ginger) and many more recipes.
On January 11, 2008, the Cagayan Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) stated that tilapia production grew and Cagayan Valley is now the Philippines’ tilapia capital. Production supply grew 37.25% since 2003, with 14,000 metric tons (MT) in 2007. The recent aquaculture congress found that the growth of tilapia production was due to government interventions: provision of fast-growing species, accreditation of private hatcheries to ensure supply of quality fingerlings, establishment of demonstration farms, providing free fingerlings to newly constructed fishponds, and the dissemination of tilapia to Nueva Vizcaya (in Diadi town). Former cycling champion Lupo Alava is a multi-awarded tilapia raiser in Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya. Chairman Thompson Lantion of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, a retired two-star police general, has fishponds in La Torre, Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya. Also, Nueva Vizcaya Gov. Luisa Lloren Cua­resma also entered into similar aquaculture endeavors in addition to tilapia production.
Indonesia
In Indonesia, tilapia are known as Ikan Nila. Tilapia was first introduced in Indonesia in 1969 from Taiwan. Later several species also introduced from Thailand (Nila Citralada),Philippines (Nila GIFT) and Japan (Nila JICA). Tilapia has become popular with local fish farmers because they are easy to farm and grow fast. Major tilapia production areas are in West Java and North Sumatra. In 2006, Badan Pengkajian dan Penerapan Teknologi (Agency for the Assessment & Application of Technology) an Indonesian government research body introduced a new species named "genetically supermale Indonesian tilapia" (GESIT). GESIT fish is genetically engineered to hatch eggs that will produce 98% -100% male tilapia. This will benefit fish farmer to farm tilapia with monosex culture (all male) that is more productive.

United States
In the United States, the geographic range for tilapia culture is limited by the temperature-
sensitivity of tilapia. For optimal growth the ideal water temperature range is 82–86 °F, and
growth is reduced greatly below 68 °F. Death occurs below 50 °F. Therefore, only the southernmost states are suitable for tilapia production. In the southern region, tilapia can be held in cages from 5 to 12 months per year, depending on location. Research published in July 2008, suggests the nutritional value of farm raised Tilapia may be compromised due to the amount of corn included in the feed. The corn contains short chain omega-6s that contribute to the buildup of these materials in the fish. "Ratios of long-chain omega-6 to long-chain omega-3, AA to EPA respectively, in tilapia averaged about 11:1, compared to much less than 1:1 (indicating more EPA than AA) in both salmon and trout." The report also observes that the 1.5 million tons of Tilapia were produced in the US in 2005, with 2.5 million tons projected by 2010. Wide spread publicity encouraging people to eat more fish has seen Tilapia being purchased by those with lower incomes who are trying to eat right. The lower amounts of Omega-3 and the higher ratios of Omega-6 compounds in US farmed Tilapia raise questions of the health benefits of consuming this fish.

Marketing the Product
The total aquaculture production of tilapia was reported to be 1,265,800 tons in 2000.
International trade is growing rapidly, especially between Central American producers (Costa
Rica, Ecuador and Honduras) and the United States, and between Asian producers (Taiwan, China, Indonesia and Thailand) and the United States and Japan. There is also modest trade between Jamaica and the United Kingdom. The largest exporter, Taiwan, supplies Japan with high-quality tilapia fillets for the sashimi market, and ships frozen tilapia to the United States market (40,000 tons in 2001). Taiwan exports about 70 percent of its domestic tilapia production. Thailand and Indonesia export less than 5 percent of their production.Viet Nam has also recently entered the world tilapia market, and China exported 12,500 tons to the United States in 2001. Zimbabwe, thanks to the efforts one vertically intigrated operation, now also produces fresh and frozen fillets for the EC market.

Nutrition
Tilapia has very low levels of mercury because it is a fast growing and short lived fish that
mostly eats a vegetarian diet. Farm raised tilapia has very low levels of omega-3, the primary fatty-acid nutrient doctors recommend when eating fish. Farm raised tilapia also has high levels of omega-6 fatty acids. A diet with a high ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is suspected to cause inflammation, which can be dangerous for those with heart conditions. It is not clear if this poor ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is due to the inexpensive corn and/or soy based diets typically fed to farm raised Tilapia, the natural fatty acid levels of Tilapia, or a combination of the
two that results in less than desirable fatty acid ratio levels. Tilapia have been used as biological controls for certain aquatic plant problems. They prefer a floating aquatic plant, duckweed (Lemna sp.) but also consume some filamentous alga. In Kenya tilapia were introduced to control mosquitoes which were causing malaria. They consume mosquito larvae, consequently reducing the numbers of adult female mosquitoes, the vector of the disease (Petr 2000). These benefits are, however, frequently outweighed by the negative aspects of tilapia as an invasive species.

In aquaria
The larger tilapias are generally not viewed as good community aquarium fish because they eat
plants and tend to be very disruptive, digging up the substrate and fighting with other fish. The
smaller west African species, such as Tilapia joka, and those species from the crater lakes of
Cameroon are, by contrast, relatively popular. Conversely, in cichlid aquariums tilapias can be
mixed well with non-territorial cichlids, armoured catfish, tinfoil barbs, garpike, and other
robust but peaceful fish. Some species, including Tilapia buttikoferi, Tilapia rendalli, Tilapia joka, and the brackish-water Sarotherodon melanotheron melanotheron, are attractively patterned
and decorative fish.





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