Busumana tilapia

Tilapia busumana

Also known as Bosumtwi tilapia

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 77–86°F (25–30°C)
pH: 6.5–8.0
Adult size: 8.7 in (22 cm)
Minimum tank: 79 gal (300 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Tankmates: Tankmates with caution
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Lake Bosumtwi and southwest Ghana rivers
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

This is a plain, hardy tilapia from Ghana, undemanding to keep but big and best given space. It is not a shoaling fish, so keep a single specimen or a pair; it is peaceful for a tilapia but becomes territorial when breeding, so pick robust tankmates and watch pairs at spawning time. It uses the middle and lower water and grazes readily on plant matter, so feed a spirulina-based pellet and greens alongside general foods, and do not expect delicate live plants to survive. A tank of around 300 liters or more, with open water and some rock or wood cover, suits it.

In the wild

Tilapia busumana lives in Lake Bosumtwi and rivers of southwest Ghana, in warm, still to slow water. Give it a tank with open swimming space, a sand or fine gravel floor, and some rock and wood for cover. The water is warm and runs from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, so hold 25 to 30 C and a pH of 6.5 to 8.0 with good filtration.

Good to know

Tilapia busumana belongs to the cichlid family and reaches around 18 to 22 centimeters. Unlike the mouthbrooding tilapias that were split off into other genera, it is a true member of the slimmed-down genus Tilapia, which are substrate spawners: a pair lays eggs on a cleaned surface and guards them. Breeding it in the aquarium is considered hard.

Did you know

Its home water, Lake Bosumtwi in Ghana, fills a crater blasted out by a meteorite impact more than a million years ago. The lake is sacred to the local Ashanti people, so the fish effectively lives inside an impact site.