Redbreast tilapia (Tilapia rendalli)

Scientific name: Tilapia rendalli Boulenger, 1897

The Redbreast tilapia (Tilapia rendalli) is a freshwater fish of the family Cichlidae. In the aquarium it needs water at 24–28°C (75–82°F).

Redbreast tilapia care at a glance

Temperature
24–28°C (75–82°F)

Biology

Prefer quiet, well-vegetated water along river littorals or backwaters, floodplains and swamps. Tolerant of a wide range of temperature (8-41?C) and salinity to 19 ppt. Form schools; is mainly diurnal. Juveniles feed on plankton. Adults feed mainly on higher plants and also algae, insects and crustaceans. Make excellent eating.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Tilapia rendalli
Family
Cichlidae (Cichlids)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
45.0
Depth range
3–8 m (10–26 ft)
Environment
Freshwater; brackish; benthopelagic; depth range 3 - 8 m
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Africa: Kasai drainage (middle Congo River basin), throughout upper Congo River drainage, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Malawi, Zambesi, coastal areas from Zambesi Delta to Natal, Okavango and Cunene. Also in the Limpopo. Introduced elsewhere usually for weed control and aquaculture. Several countries report adverse ecological impact after introduction.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans
Potential pest
Uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: commercial
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.13-0.18; tmax=7)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated