Both parents dig a nest and incubate the eggs and fry. Optimum temperature 25 to 30 degrees centigrade. Spawning may occur at 7-week intervals with 12,000 to 20,000 eggs produced per year. Eggs hatch in 5 days. Fry eat zooplankton.
Adults eat aquatic weeds, insects, algae and manufactured food.
Optimum temperature is 28 degrees centigrade. Low temperature tolerance is 12 to 13 degrees centigrade. Can tolerate brackish water. Tilapia zillii biology and culture. Both parents dig a nest and guard the eggs and fry.