Buttikoferi Cichlid
Common Names: Buttikoferi Cichlid, Zebra Tilapia, Tiger Talapia
Scientific Name: Tilapia Buttikoferi
Family: Cichlidae
Maximum Size: 14 inches
Life expectancy: 10+ years
Minimum Tank Size: 75 gallons
Temperature Range: 72 - 82 °F
pH Range: 7.8 - 8.5
Water hardness: 10 - 15
Temperament: Aggressive
Origin: West Africa
Aquarium Setup:
If you use a dark gravel, the Buttikoferi Cichlid will be a darker color! You can try to use live plants, but they will eat almost any type of plant including Duckweed! Plastic plants are a better choice with heavily weighted bottoms.
Use small or medium sized gravel only, most Buttikoferi’s will pick up the gravels in their mouth and shoot them at the glass. Large size gravels could end in a cracked tank.
Diet:
The Buttikoferi needs a diet that contains both vegetables and meats. They will also thrive on live foods such as earthworms, mosquito larvae, brine shrimp and many different small insects. High quality tablets or flakes should also be included.
Tank Mates/Community:
Because of the aggressiveness of this Cichlid it’s recommended to keep it in a species tank with fish that are in similar size. They will pick on smaller fish if they’re present in the community.
It is recommended that if you’re going to have more than one Buttikoferi to have six or more. This can help prevent the strongest male from tormenting the other fish.
Many fish of this species won’t get along with any other fish you put in the tank. They will often even kill each other, especially once they reach about 6 inches in length.
Behavior:
While many have called these fish vicious killers, some people have had Buttikoferi’s that have been quite tame. They have been known to get along well with other fish such as Oscars.
Your fishes aggressiveness may differ from other people’s experiences. If you’d like to mix these with other species, keep a close watch on them to see how well they accept each other!
Color:
This beautiful Zebra patterned fish has a series of black and white stripes that cover it’s body in a vertical direction. The fins are mostly black, but you can see some faded striping on some of them.
Breeding:
Buttikoferi’s are open substrate spawners. A pair will form and then proceed to dig a large pit to spawn on the flat base below. The pair will alternate laying eggs and fertilizing them until the eggs are all ready.
The spawns are quite large, nature has compensated for most of the fry being eaten in the wild. They become even more aggressive during spawning and will often even fight between themselves.
Interesting Notes:
When Buttikoferi’s are real healthy their stripes are more yellow, whiter stripes means the fish is stressed or not getting the right foods!
There doesn’t seem to be a way to distinguish the males from the females in this species. They both have the same appearance, body shapes and colors.
