Tilapia buttikoferi

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Zebra Tilapia
Zebra Tilapia
Species	Tilapia buttikoferi
Difficulty	Moderate
Min. Tank Size	473.176 liters 473,176.472 mL 125 US Gallons (473.2L)
Size	15.748 in 25-40 cm (9.8-15.7")
pH	6.8 - 7.0
Temp.	297.15 K 75.2 °F 534.87 °R 301.15 K 82.4 °F 542.07 °R24 -28 °C (75.2-82.4°F)
Water Hardness	8-10
Stocking Ratio	1:1 M:F
Availability	Uncommon
Diet	Omnivore Pellet Foods Live Foods Other (See article)
Life Span	10-15 years

[edit] Alternative names

Zebra Tilapia, Tiger Tilapia, Hornet Tilapia, Buttikoferi

[edit] Sexing

Mature males have more pointed fins and will display a slight nuchal hump.

[edit] Tank compatibility

Highly aggressive large fish. Best kept alone in a species tank, or with other large semi or aggressive fish in 100 US Gallons (378.5L) or larger.

[edit] Diet

Will accept most high quality foods including Cichlid pellets and flake as well as live/frozen foods like brine shrimp when small moving up to shrimp, earthworms and crickets as it grows. It would also benefit from vegetables in its diet including blanched lettuce and zucchini, it tends to lean towards a more vegetarian diet than meat. Feeder fish should be avoided.

[edit] Feeding regime

Feed once or twice a day.

[edit] Environment Specifics

Requires a very spacious and well filtered matured tank as this fish is messy. Any decor must be secure to stop it from being moved or knocked over.

[edit] Behaviour

Can be highly aggressive and territorial at times.

[edit] Identification

How to id the animal.

[edit] Pictures

[edit] External links

• Fishbase
• Wikipedia
• Aqua Hobby
• Cichlid-Forum
• Mongabay
• Pet Education