Editing Cichlid (section)

===Tilapia===
The most important food cichlids, however, are the [[tilapiine]]s of North Africa. Fast growing, tolerant of stocking density, and adaptable, tilapiine species have been introduced and farmed extensively in many parts of Asia and are increasingly common [[aquaculture]] targets elsewhere.

Farmed tilapia production is about {{convert|1500000|t|ST|abbr=off}} annually, with an estimated value of US$1.8 billion,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Silva |first1=Sena S. De |last2=Nations |first2=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United |title=Tilapias as Alien Aquatics in Asia and the Pacific: A Review |date=2004 |publisher=Food & Agriculture Org. |isbn=978-92-5-105227-3 }}{{page needed|date=November 2020}}</ref> about equal to that of [[salmon]] and [[trout]].

Unlike those carnivorous fish, tilapia can feed on [[algae]] or any plant-based food. This reduces the cost of tilapia farming, reduces fishing pressure on prey species, avoids concentrating toxins that accumulate at higher levels of the [[food chain]], and makes tilapia the preferred "aquatic chickens" of the trade.<ref name="Barlow2000"/>