Akvarist
Sign in

Facts

Characteristics
Length
Up to 45.7 cm
Body shape
Streamlined
Care
Group
Missing
Smallest aquarium
2,099 liters
Diet
Missing

Know what is missing? Suggest it in the app.

Behavior
Temperament
Semi-aggressive
Swims
Missing
See in the app

Know what is missing? Suggest it in the app.

Water values
Temperature
Tolerates8–30 °C
pH
–
See in the app
Smallest tank
78 cm232 cm116 cm
2,099 liters232 × 116 × 78 cmBased on one fish
Try other measures in the app
Range
NativeIntroduced

Lives wild in Cameroon, Chad, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and 2 more countries.

Introduced to Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Cyprus, and 29 more countries.

See the map in the app

More about the species

Description

Cold tolerant, occuring at temperatures ranging from 8°-30°C, tolerating up to 41 °C. Tolerates fairly brackish conditions. Forms schools; is sometimes territorial; inhabits warm ponds and impoundments as well as lakes and streams, in open water as well as among stones and vegetation. Feeds on phytoplankton and small quantities of zooplankton. Young fish have a more varied diet which includes large quantities of copepods and cladocerans, but they also take pieces of small invertebrates. Ovophilic, agamous, maternal mouthbrooder. Sexual maturity in ponds reached at age of 5-6 months. Reproduces in both fresh and brackish water. Good taste.

Other names
Suggest name

Other scientific names

  • Chromis aureus
  • Chromis niloticus
  • Oreochromis auraeus
  • Oreochromis aurea
  • Sarotherodon aureum
  • Sarotherodon aureus

In other languages

  • Guldtilapia
  • Kultatilapia
  • Golden tilapia, Israeli tilapia, Jordan St. Peter's fish, Kurpertilapia, Tilapia
Read more

Articles

All articles
How to set up an African aquarium5 min read

Two completely different aquariums: forest rivers with soft, brown water, roots and leaves, and Rift Valley lake cichlids in hard, alkaline water with big rock piles.

How to set up an Asian aquarium5 min read

Two aquariums from Southeast Asia: calm forest streams and peat swamps with soft, brown water, and fast mountain streams with cool, oxygen-rich water.

How to add new fish4 min read

From the store to the tank: how to get the fish used to your water, why you should add only a few at a time, and what to watch for in the first few days.

Quarantine for new fish3 min read

Why new fish should live in a tank of their own for a few weeks before they move in, what you need, and what to look for.