Tilapia is a large cichlid genus that contains more than 100 species. They are naturally found in Africa and in the Levant region in the Middle East. They are today present in a large amount of waters around the world as a result of Tilapia farming around the world. Tilapia farming has been an important food source in some areas for more than 2500 years.

Tilapia is especially well suited for farming since they are fast growing and hardy. This has made Tilapia a very important protein source in some poor areas. Tilapias did as an example play a very important role for the survival of the people in Taiwan after World War 2. Many hope that Tilapia farming will be able to play an equal large role in ending hunger in poor areas today. The most common Tilapias in tilapia farms are not really Tilapias but rather fish of the genus Oreochromis. The genus Oreochromis and Sarotherodon are called Tilapia in many languages including English but are not tilapias in the true sense since they don't belong to the genus Tilapia. This said, true tilapia fish are appreciated food fish in many countries.

The food values of Tilapia fish have meant that they have been introduced to many waters around the world. They have established themselves in even more areas after escaping from farms. Tilapia cichlids can establish strong population in a very short time span if the conditions are right and many biologists fear what these newly established populations can do to the native fishes in the area. The fear is especially large in florid where the fish now is prohibited as a result of several populations establishing themselves in the state. Australia is another area that are especially sensitive to the intrusions of these fish and are already suffering from the effects of many other species that have established themselves on the continent.

But that's enough general information about Tilapia cichlids. Tilapia are easy to keep in aquariums if you can offer them an aquarium that are large enough for them, The smaller Tilapia species requires an aquarium of at least 40 gallon / 150 L while the larger species requires an aquarium of at least 70 gallon / 250 L. They prefer slightly basic water but can without any problem be kept in water with a pH of 6-8.5. Some Tilapia species are aggressive while other is rather friendly. They are best kept with moderate aggressive fish of similar size. Don't keep them with fish that are unable to stand their ground against the Tilapias. Suitable companions include non-territorial cichlids, large catfish, garpikes and tinfoil barbs. Most pleco type catfish are also suitable companions.

The aquarium should be decorated with a rocks and plants. The bottom is best covered with relatively fine gravel and some flat rocks. Tilapia cichlids should not be kept with sensitive plant species but rather with hardier species like Anubias, Amazon swordplants, crinum and java fern.

They are very easy to feed and will accept just about anything you feed them. They can without problem be kept on a diet of pellets but it is preferable to give them a more varied diet that includes vegetables. This said, Tilapia can be kept and breed on nothing but pellets and will usually do very well on that diet.
Some tilapia species are mouth brooders while many other species are substrate spawners that lay their eggs on a flat rock or in a pit they dug. Many true Tilapia species are quite productive since the survival rate of the fry is low in their natural habitat. Oreochromis species are mouth brooders and usually produce quite small fry batches. They are very easy to breed and will breed without that any special consideration needs to be taken. The fry of these species will have to be removed once the female finally released them since they will have a very low survival rate if they are left in the same aquarium as their parents. Oreochromis species are best breed in harem groups.

Substrate breeding tilapias protect their eggs and fry during the first few weeks. All tilapia fry can be feed newly hatched brine shrimp from day one and the fry of many species are large enough to accept mashed pellets. It can sometimes be hard to find new homes for Tilapia fry so you might want to take this aspect into consideration when you decide how many fry to raise.