Nile tilapia

E43373

Nile tilapia is a widely farmed freshwater fish species native to African river systems, known for its fast growth, adaptability, and importance in global aquaculture and local fisheries.

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Statements (83)

Predicate Object
instanceOf cultured fish
fish species
food fish
freshwater fish
aquacultureAdvantage accepts formulated feeds
rapid growth to market size
tolerant of high stocking densities
tolerant of low dissolved oxygen
aquacultureImportance major global farmed fish
authority Carl Linnaeus
surface form: Linnaeus, 1758
behavior forms loose aggregations
territorial during breeding
binomialName Oreochromis
surface form: Oreochromis niloticus
bodyShape deep-bodied
breedingUse base species for many farmed tilapia strains
chromosomeNumber 2n=44
class Actinopterygii
commonName Nile tilapia self-link
commonNameLanguage English
diet omnivorous
diseaseSusceptibility Streptococcosis
Tilapia lake virus
economicImportance major source of low-cost animal protein in developing countries
environmentalImpact can alter aquatic vegetation
can become invasive outside native range
can compete with native fish species
family Cichlidae
FAOFishCode NIL
feedConversionEfficiency high
feedingHabit primarily herbivorous-detritivorous
fleshTexture firm
genus Oreochromis
growthRate fast
habitat freshwater lakes
ponds
reservoirs
rivers
introducedFor aquaculture
aquatic weed control
fisheries enhancement
introducedTo Asia
Caribbean
Latin America
Middle East
North America
IUCNStatus Least Concern
kingdom Animalia
marketForm fillets
whole fish
maximumLength about 60 cm
meatColor white to light pink
nativeTo Nile
surface form: Nile River basin

other African river systems
notableStrainDerived GIFT tilapia
optimalTemperatureRange 25–30 °C
order Cichlidae
surface form: Cichliformes
phylum Chordata
ploidy diploid
processingUse fresh market
frozen products
value-added breaded products
productionSystem cage culture
pond culture
raceway systems
recirculating aquaculture systems
proteinSource important
reproduction maternal mouthbrooding
reproductiveStrategy multiple spawnings per year in warm climates
salinityTolerance low to moderate salinity
sexControlTechnique hormone-induced masculinization
hybridization for all-male populations
sexualDimorphism males larger than females
tasteProfile mild
taxonRank species
temperaturePreference tropical
trophicLevel low
typicalFarmedWeight 0.5–1.5 kg
usedIn commercial aquaculture
integrated agriculture–aquaculture systems
small-scale aquaculture
subsistence fisheries
waterQualityTolerance high nutrient levels
wide range of pH

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Nile tilapia commonName Nile tilapia self-link
Lake Victoria majorFishSpecies Nile tilapia