Mozambique tilapia
Oreochromis mossambicus
- Tank length
- 200 cmabout 7 ft (79 in)
- Start with
- 1
- Temperature
- 21–30 °C70–86 °F
- pH
- 6–8
- Adult size
- 25 cm10 in
- Lifespan
- 8–12 yrs
Extremely tolerant of brackish and poor water but large, messy and aggressive when breeding; never release it, as it is invasive worldwide.Extremely tolerant of brackish and poor water but large, messy and aggressive when breeding; never release it, as it is invasive worldwide.
Tank sizes
Good tankmates
Avoid with
- Alligator gar
Alligator gar may eat Mozambique tilapiaAlligator gar may eat Mozambique tilapia
- Arapaima
Arapaima may eat Mozambique tilapiaArapaima may eat Mozambique tilapia
- Cuban gar
Cuban gar may eat Mozambique tilapiaCuban gar may eat Mozambique tilapia
- Dourada
Dourada may eat Mozambique tilapiaDourada may eat Mozambique tilapia
Iridescent sharkIridescent shark may eat Mozambique tilapiaIridescent shark may eat Mozambique tilapia
- Longnose gar
Longnose gar may eat Mozambique tilapiaLongnose gar may eat Mozambique tilapia
- Paroon shark
Paroon shark may eat Mozambique tilapiaParoon shark may eat Mozambique tilapia
- Piraiba
Piraiba may eat Mozambique tilapiaPiraiba may eat Mozambique tilapia
- Redtail catfish
Redtail catfish may eat Mozambique tilapiaRedtail catfish may eat Mozambique tilapia
- Sailfin cory
No shared temperature rangeNo shared temperature range
- Shovelnose sturgeon
No shared temperature rangeNo shared temperature range
- Silver arowana
Silver arowana may eat Mozambique tilapiaSilver arowana may eat Mozambique tilapia
Data used by the planner
| Temperature | 21–30 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04 · low confidence |
|---|---|---|
| pH | 6–8 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence |
| Hardness (dGH) | 1–20 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence |
| Origin | Southeastern Africa, Zambezi to eastern South Africa | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Beginner friendly | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Care level | moderate | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Activity | active | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Swimming level | middle | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Temperament | aggressive | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Nips fins | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Long fins | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Territorial | Yes | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Lives in groups | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Minimum group | 1 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Diet | omnivore | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Lifespan (years) | 8–12 | curated-v0 (needs expert review); agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence |
| Months to adult size | 18 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Safe with plants | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Minimum tank length | 200 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |