Oreochromis urolepis hornorum

Wami tilapia (Oreochromis urolepis hornorum) is a great choice for farmers wishing to utilize brackish environments, since this species can be grown in both fresh water and brackish water. It is for instance found in saline pools on Zanzibar where it is an important food fish to the local population.
Wami tilapia does not grow as rapidly as the famous Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), but it is much more salt tolerant than Nile tilapia and can therefore make it possible to utilize environments where most other types of tilapia would not thrive. It is also a great choice for farmers that wish to grow tilapia together with animals that need brackish conditions to thrive.  

Wami tilapia is capable of utilizing a wide range of different food sources, from detritus detritus (decomposing organic matter) to invertebrates. It will also readily eat algae and other plants.

Within the tilapia farming business, Oreochromis urolepis hornorum is an important contributor of genetic material for the production of hybrids. When Wami tilapia is crossed with Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) the resulting batch will normally contain a very low degree of female fish or no females at all. This is an appreciated trait, since many farmers prefer to raise male tilapia only to avoid uncontrolled reproduction in their growing units.  

Earlier, Wami tilapia and Rufigi tilapia was seen as two separate species, but they are now considered subspecies of the same species instead. The scientific name for Wami tilapia is Oreochromis urolepis hornorum, while the scientific name for Rufigi tilapia is Oreochromis urolepis urolepis. If you are looking for information about tilapia farming in older sources, you might see the old name Oreochromis hornorum or even Tilapia hornorum being used for Wami tilapia.