Tilapia is a kind of freshwater fish consumption. This fish was introduced from Africa in 1969, and has become a popular pet fish in freshwater ponds and in some reservoirs in Indonesia.
Scientific name is Oreochromis niloticus.
Medium-sized pet fish, total length (snout to tip of tail), reaching about 30 cm. Dorsal fin (dorsal), with 16-17 spines (sharp) and 11-15 radius (soft thorns); and anal fins (anal) with 3 spines and 8-11 fingers.
Blackish or gray colored body, with several dark transverse bands (stripes) are increasingly blurred in adults. Striped tail erect, 7-12 fruits. Throat, pectoral fin, pelvic fins, tail fins and tip of dorsal fin with red or reddish color (or yellow) when the breeding season.
Habits and distribution
Tilapia fish were reported as eating everything (omnivorous), feed on plankton, to fish-eating plant that variety is expected to be used as the controlling aquatic weeds.
This fish is very peridi, easy to breed. By nature, tilapia (from the words of Nile, River Nile) is found ranging from Syria in the north through east Africa to the Congo and Liberia. Maintenance of this fish is also believed to have taken place since the ancient Egyptian civilization.
Because easily maintained and bred, this fish is farmed in many countries as soon as fish consumption, including in several regions in Indonesia. However considering that no special flavor meat, fish nila also never reached a high price. In addition to the sale in a fresh condition, the meat often become tilapia fillets.