FreshwaterBrackish
Spotted tilapia
Pelmatolapia mariae
Cichlidae, Pseudocrenilabrinae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 32.3 cm
- Body shape
- Streamlined
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 824 liters
- Diet
- Missing
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Behavior
Water values
Smallest tank
Range
NativeIntroduced
Lives wild in Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria.
Introduced to Australia, Hong Kong SAR China, Russia, and United States.
More about the species
Description
Live in still or flowing waters in rocky or mud-bottom areas. Occur in warm springs and mud-bottomed to sand-bottomed canals. Clearly prefers a herbivorous diet, including algae, higher plants and parts of cassava, but also accepts insects and shrimps (along with their eggs). Consume plant matter. Reache sexual maturity at 10-15 centimeters length. Parents prepare nest site on logs, leaves and other debris. Prolific species. The eggs (600-3300 per female) are guarded by the parents and hatch in 1-3 days. Larvae need 6-8 additional days to develop before they can swim freely. Parental care of the brood continues until the fish are about (1.5 cm, Ref. 52307) 2.5-3.0 centimeters. Occurs in mixed groups composed of individuals of varying size/age, along with individuals of other species. Pair-bonding, open substrate brooder with both parents guarding the brood. Maximum size was recorded at 39.4 cm TL.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Tilapia dubia
- Tilapia heudeloti
- Tilapia mariae
- Tilapia mariae dubia
- Tilapia mariae mariae
- Tilapia meeki
In other languages
- Marias tilapia
- Täplätilapia
- Black mangrove cichlid, Niger cichlid, Tilapia
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 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.
Ich (white spot)4 min read
The most common disease in aquarium fish. How to recognize it, why it shows up, and how to get rid of it.