I have always heard that Tilapia butti has a great, interactive personality, but are too aggressive to be with most other fish. Now I am thinking about getting a Tilapia mariae, which has almost no info online about them. The owner says they aren't very aggressive unless they are breeding. But do other Tilapia species typically have the interactive personalities as the buttis?
Tilapia personality
- Thread starter Quo Vadis
- Start date
Tlapia mariae are mean as heck as well. Maybe not bite-the-head-off-a-pleco mean as T. buttikoferi but mean.
Matt
Matt
T mariae were very easy to get here in the recent past, used to see individuals turned in at LFSs with aggression problems, not unlike T buttikoferi, although as Matt said, not quite as lethal.
I have kept many Tilapines over the years, and find them to be food focused, but a bit blank as far as personality goes.
But it seems to me the best way to get an anthropomorphic (or should I say dog-like) personality out of a fish, is to raise the it without any other fish in the tank, so even a Tilapine with an owner responsive bent may even be possible in that manner.
Although the long domesticated aquarium strain of oscar, is probably the best choice.
That said, I have found Tilapines far from boring.
I have 3 different Tilapine species in my tanks at the moment.
Tilapia zillii, responds to food, but hardly a bright light.
Saratherodon linnelli a C.A.R.E.S species from Lake Barombi mbo, bit skittish
And my favorite, Stomatepia pindu (also a C.A.R.E.S species) from Barombi mbu
Both the pindu and linnelli came from Matt
Others I have kept are
Tilapia bythobates, a small, colorful, feisty species from Lake Bermin
and Oreochromis tanganikia, that gets large and gets a personality slightly less Tilapinish, plays fairly well with others, and gets a very iridescent blue when mature
I have kept many Tilapines over the years, and find them to be food focused, but a bit blank as far as personality goes.
But it seems to me the best way to get an anthropomorphic (or should I say dog-like) personality out of a fish, is to raise the it without any other fish in the tank, so even a Tilapine with an owner responsive bent may even be possible in that manner.
Although the long domesticated aquarium strain of oscar, is probably the best choice.
That said, I have found Tilapines far from boring.
I have 3 different Tilapine species in my tanks at the moment.
Tilapia zillii, responds to food, but hardly a bright light.
Saratherodon linnelli a C.A.R.E.S species from Lake Barombi mbo, bit skittish
And my favorite, Stomatepia pindu (also a C.A.R.E.S species) from Barombi mbu
Both the pindu and linnelli came from Matt
Others I have kept are
Tilapia bythobates, a small, colorful, feisty species from Lake Bermin
and Oreochromis tanganikia, that gets large and gets a personality slightly less Tilapinish, plays fairly well with others, and gets a very iridescent blue when mature
ive kept lots of tilapia in the past , they are an invasive species in my part of the world .They are quite entertaining fish to watch , they often lockjaw fight and display to each other but they are not overly aggressive like flowerhorns etc .They love to eat all sort of greens , some people fish for them with grass shoots .