fish · Cichlidae
Zebra tilapia
Tilapia buttikoferi
Wild range: West Africa: lower reaches of coastal rivers from the Geba and Corubal in Guinea-Bissau to the St. John River in western Liberia (FishBase). (Africa)
At a glance: Zebra tilapia care
Compiled reference information. Review the care notes and original sources below.
What temperature is listed for Zebra tilapia?
The compiled profile lists 23.0–26.0 °C for Zebra tilapia (Tilapia buttikoferi). Check the original sources below for context and differing recommendations.
What tank size is listed for Zebra tilapia?
The profile lists a minimum tank volume of 75.0 US gallons (284.0 liters). Volume alone does not establish suitability; consider dimensions, group size and other inhabitants alongside the full care notes.
What pH is listed for Zebra tilapia?
The compiled profile lists a pH of 6.5–7.5. Review the cited care sources alongside the other water parameters in this profile.
Natural habitat
The zebra tilapia, also sold as the hornet tilapia, is a big West African cichlid with bold black and cream vertical bars. It grows to about 30 cm or more, becomes very aggressive and territorial as it matures, and digs and rearranges the tank. It is hardy and easy to feed, but it is a species-tank or single-specimen fish, not a community cichlid. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
Where they are found
Primary name Tilapia buttikoferi (Hubrecht, 1881), valid in ITIS (TSN 648956) and the established trade name. Dunz & Schliewen (2013) moved it to Heterotilapia; FishBase and Catalog of Fishes now use Heterotilapia buettikoferi (corrected spelling) and GBIF treats T. buttikoferi as a synonym of Heterotilapia buttikoferi. Older synonyms: Chromis buttikoferi, Tilapia ansorgii. Size: FishBase gives a maximum of 30.8 cm SL; Practical Fishkeeping says large males exceed 35 cm, and Fishkeeper lists 40 cm. Native to Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia; introduced in Singapore and Japan (Fishkeeper). IUCN: Least Concern (assessed 2020; FishBase).
Aquarium care
A hardy, adaptable cichlid. Keep it at about 23–26°C, pH 6.5–7.5 and 4–15 dGH (FishBase; Aquarium API; Atlarium; Fischlexikon; Eheim). It tolerates harder, more alkaline water (Practical Fishkeeping; Fishkeeper). Treat 284 L / 75 gal as the absolute minimum for one fish (Aquarium API; Sydney City Aquarium; Atlarium says 300 L or more). Adults and pairs need far more room: Practical Fishkeeping says over 120 cm long, Atlarium 180 cm, TankBud 600 L. It eats a lot and makes a heavy bioload, so use strong filtration and large, regular water changes. Use fine substrate, set rockwork on the glass so it can't be undermined, protect the heater, use a heavy lid, and skip live plants because it eats them (Fishkeeper; Atlarium; Fischlexikon).
Feeding
An omnivore that in the wild eats mostly small snails and also takes plant matter. Feed quality cichlid pellets or sticks with vegetable foods such as spirulina, blanched greens and peas, plus frozen or meaty foods like mysis, krill and earthworms (Fishkeeper; Aquarium API; Atlarium; FishBase).
Compatibility
Not a community fish. Juveniles can be kept together, but aggression usually starts at about 5 cm and adults are intolerant of their own kind and of most tankmates. Keep it alone or as a single bonded pair in a species tank. In a very large tank, large non-territorial shoaling fish or robust cichlids of similar size may work, but Practical Fishkeeping lists it among the worst cichlid troublemakers (Fishkeeper; Practical Fishkeeping; Atlarium; TankBud).
Breeding
Easy to breed once a compatible pair forms. Grow a group of juveniles together and let a pair choose each other, then rehome the rest; putting a separately raised male and female together often fails. The pair spawns on a cleaned flat surface. Eggs hatch in about 60–72 hours and fry swim about 3–4 days later. Spawns can be very large, so cull or thin the fry. The male can turn on the female, so keep a tank divider ready (Practical Fishkeeping; Fishkeeper; Exotica Esoterica quoting Loiselle).
Sources
Compiled from multiple independent care sheets — not copied from a single site.