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Mozambique or Red Finned Tilapia.
Mosambiekkurper Blou Kurper.
Oreochromis Mossambicus
Family : CHICLIDAE

Description

Our best known Tilapia. The body depth very variable according to food availability. Colouing bottle green to blue above with silvery flanks and a yellowish white belly. With the characteristic three "tilapia" spots along the flanks. Juveniles are silvery also with "tilapia" spots on the dorsal fins. Breeding males are very dark slate blue to black with a white chest and the unpaired fins have scarlet edges. The larger males have concave snouts.
Females are normally a dirty yellow-olive with clear lateral markings.
Max mass - 3.3 kg.

Biology and Ecology.

These hardy fish have been introduced to many parts of the world for fish culture.
This species is strongly salt tolerant and is often found in salinity levels exceeding that of sea water. They will die if transferred directly from fresh to saline water, if the transition is gradual they will adapt and flourish.
They prefer warm water but can also tolerate <15 C temperatures for shorter periods,especially in brackish water, this species is known to survive water with a temperature of 39.6 C, their lower survival limits seem to be about 7.8 C.
A mouth breeder that inhabits lagoons, lakes, rivers and estuaries,.
They grow rapidly and reach sexual maturity at the length of 150 mm at the age of about 6 months. If not controlled this prolific breeder can soon overstock a restricted habitat. The female deposits the eggs in a shallow depression about 30 cm in diameter which is deepened by the male. After fertilization the male will depart while the female caries the eggs in her mouth, the eggs hatch after three to five days while water is circulated over them by the female making a chewing movement. The female will still attend the little shoal of hatchlings for another seven days, gathering them into her mouth at the least sign of danger. When conditions are right several spawnings are known to take place in a season.

They feed on benthic algae, especially diatoms, adults also take insects and crustaceans, earthworms and even small fish.

These fish are preyed on by Catfish and Tiger Fish as well as Fish Eagles and other waterbirds and Otters.

Distribution

A common species which is widely distributed in all the Perrenial and most seasonal rivers of the Park.

Threats

Water polution caused by domestic, agricultural, industrial and mining waste deposited into the feeder systems, changing the water to a low pH (acidic)

Banded Tilapia.
Vleikurper
Tilapia sparmanii
Family : CHICLIDAE

Description

The coloring of this species is variable from silvery grey to dark olive green with vertical bars or stripes, sometimes up to nine, the lower lip is white. The body markings of both sexes change quite dramaically during their breeding season ranging from November to March. The vertical bars become much more apparant, two horizontal bars appera across the snout as well as a circular stripe throughthe eyes and over the forehead. The dorsal and caudal fins of the males are then edged with red irridescent blue-green spots also appear on the dorsal and anal fins.
This little fish is the smallest of the Tilapia species inhabiting the Park, adults seldomnly exceed 150 mm in length.

Biology and Ecology.

This species is quite tolerant of colder conditions and is rarely found below an altitude of 600 metres, and have never been found in the perrenial rivers of the Park, they have only been found in permanent pools in of the seasonal rivers and streams with swampy conditions containing an abundance of floating and submerged vegetation.

The little eggs are laid on a stone, the stem of a reed or a clean spot on a hard bottom, bothe parents gaurd the eggs. One of them lies over the eggs fanning them with its breast fins, while other is on gaurd not far away, they regularly change duties often within a minute. The alevin are kept in small holes in the bottom untill they are able to swim. The newly bred have four mucus glands on the head from where a sticky colourless secretion is released which anchors the little fish to the bottom or sides of the hole, with the little tail constantly vibrating.

The alevin are daily sucked into the mouth of the parent and transferred to a new hole.

The fry later move in compact little shoals gaurded by both parents. Once the brood becomes independant the parents rest for a short while and then repeat the process.

Distribution

These little fish have been recorded only in the Shipandane pools in the tsende River, the Nkutkulatane waterhole in the Nwasintsonto and the permanent waterholes of the Munweni River on the eastern Park boundary.

Threats

Water polution caused by domestic, agricultural, industrial and mining waste deposited into the feeder systems, changing the water to a low pH (acidic)

Southern Red Breasted Tilapia.
Suidelike Rooiborskurper
Tilapia randalli swierstrae
Family : CHICLIDAE

Description

The outward apperance of the young of this species quite similar to the Banded Tilapia, but displays only 5 to 6 dark vertical bars on the lateral surface. They also have a pink colouring on the throat. The "Tilapia" spot is prominent on the dorsal fin but fades away later in life. The bright red colouring on the throat and breast of the breeding male gives this attractive fish its name.

The caudal fin is also distinctively coloured being dark greyish on the upper half with the lower half a yellowish-pink.

This fish grows to a mass of 1.8kg.

It is primary a vegeterian preferring the leaves and stalks of soft aquatic plants, but also on occasions feed on earthworms, crickets and similar insects. The fry feed mainly on plankton.

Biology and Ecology.

This species is less adaptable to conditions; it is less tolerant to salinity and colder waters than the T. mossambicus and the T. sparmanii. This species is very usefull in controlling excessive aquatic vegetation in ponds and dams.

Sexual maturity is reached at the age of about 4-5 months and breeding occurs at approximately 6 weeks intervals and continues untill the water temperature drops below 21 C.

Both parents take care of the eggs and the young. The eggs about 2.5 mm in diameter are laid in a saucer shaped depression, which the male had excavated in the sandy bottom. Depending on the water temperature the little eggs hatch after three to six days.

The nests are situated in shallow water. Little pits are excavated to which the young are transferred to by the parents, where they are gaurded untill they are old enough to disperse an take care of themselves.

Distribution

This species is well represented in weedy, queit backwashes and gullies and large placid pools of all the perrenial and seasonal rivers of the Park.


Threats

Water polution caused by domestic, agricultural, industrial and mining waste deposited into the feeder systems, changing the water to a low pH (acidic)

Dear gmlsmit.
I see it has been some time since you last posted some info about fish. You did a great job to get all this information onto the forum.
I'm a bit of a fishy person myself and wish we could get more accounts and photos of people that see fish in Kruger. Any ideas? Do you think people would post fish photo's?

gmlsmit - Can you tell me what type of fish are found in Lake Panic.

Fish are not very photogenic!
There is so much to be appreciated on a short visit to Kruger, from the animals to the plants and trees, the scenic beauty, the camps themselves, that the fish are not noticed unless they reveal themselves. I think many of us peer into the water and do see fish but its not easy to identify them!
Because of the "fish poaching" recently, this topic caught my eye and it has so much interesting info on :-
CROCODILE DEATHS, POLLUTION of rivers,
and a general overview on the RIVERS and DRAINAGE SYSTEMS of K.P.

Hey there Kite
Agreed that fish are not very , but I sure have taken some fish pics in the Kruger and have had
(and read about some) good fish sighting. I have on occasion spotted catfish working the shallows for prey on night drives also - when crossing over rivers and streams. I know it is a long-shot idea, but can you image if we can get a page going with fish sighting. As much as I love the cats and the ellies, the not so usual pics are the ones that grab my attention.
Mr and Mrs Moderator - can I get a fish photograph page like this going?

Dear friends.

Anyone who has photographs of fish should please feel free to post them on this thread. Your photographic skills will not be criticized, instead the photos will be enjoyed and appreciated.

Fish in Lake Panic will include most of the species common to the Sabi River and its tributaries.

It will include many of the Tilapia family e.g. Dwarf Tilapia, Lowveld Large-mouth, Southern Red-breasted Tilapia, Red-fin Tilapia also commonly known as the Mozambique Tilapia. Tiger-fish are unlikely but fry may be present. Madagascar Mottled Eel may be found as well Long finned Eel. Bull-dogs as well as Churchills may be present.

Red-tailed and Silver Robbers should be present as well as Large Scaled Yellow-fish together with most of the Barb family.

The Labeo (Mudfish) species will be represented by the Red-spotted and Red-eye, Red-nosed, Silver and Plumbous Labeo.

Minnows will be represented by the Barred Minnow and the River Sardine.

Catfish will be well represented by Butter and Common or Sharp-tooth Catfish. Squeakers may be present as well as Saw-fin and Bearded or Lowveld Catlets.

And lastly who knows maybe a few Large Scaled Yellow-fish representing the Barbus species.

Please share your fish sightings at Lake Panic and elsewhere in the Park with those of us Piscatorians..

Park on a bridge and watch you will soon see a swirl or a shadow or maybe a flash of colour or maybe a shoal of these wonderful animals.

We once spent some wonderful time on the Lower Sabi Bridge, watching some Mozambican Tilapia taking their chances around a basking Crocodile in the clear water, and also some Labeo ridding Hippos of their external parasites.

The ponds in the Rest camps usually have a few Dwarf and Mozambican Tilapia, spend some time here and you may see the male displaying his breading colours and if you are really lucky a pair taking care of their spawn - sucking them into their mouths away from any possible lurking danger.

Wearing Polaroid type glasses improve your chances of a good fish sighting exponentially.