They thrive in Florida's warm climate, where they live after escaping from captivity, or were released after growing to large.

These Catfish have an elongated, gray, and scaleless catfish-type body with a large mouth, sharp pectoral spines, and four pairs of barbels.  They are light to dark gray in color, but albinos can be found also.  They are noted for ability to breath air and make short overland movements by pulling themselves along with their pectoral fins.  The early accounts that this fish would eliminate native fishes were erroneous, and it has not had major detrimental effects, though they can compete for food.  Never the less, the species can be abundant and are still considered undesirable.  The are originally native to Southeast Asia, and likely arrived as aquarium fish, and were either accidentally or deliberately released.

They are most commonly encountered in the Everglades and associated canals, but can be found throughout central and south Florida; first reported in 1967 in Broward County and later in Hillsborough County, now these two populations have joined; though they are in decline from the reduction in habitat.  They prefer shallow and highly vegetated water bodies; sometimes abundant in small deeper ponds without normal complement of native fishes. They sometimes dominate small Everglades pools during the dry season, but not necessarily to the exclusion of native fishes. They are much less in large lakes and canals, and then usually only found in shallow vegetated areas; amazingly they can live and even thrive in water with little to no oxygen content since can breathe air directly, and are well-adapted to seasonal water bodies with muddy bottoms that partially dry up.  Shockingly, they are sometimes found in road storm drains which they emerge from during floods.

They spawn early in the rainy season when build nests in submerged vegetation; laying adhesive eggs in vegetation, and guarded by male.  They are opportunistic eaters of a wide variety of food; including small fishes, aquatic insects, plants,  detritus, and also scavenge on dead fish, etc.  They grow quite rapidly, with sizes up to about 12 inches, and a maximum size of about 20 inches and three pounds.

The Blue tilapia (sometimes erroneously referred to as Nile perch) is a very aggressive invasive fish.  The young are nondescript gray with a black spot just behind their dorsal fin.  The adults generally are a blue-gray shading to white on the belly, with their dorsal and caudal fins having red to pink borders.  There is also a broken lateral line and the spiny dorsal fin is joined to the soft dorsal fin.  In central Florida, anglers can assume every tilapia they observe in fresh water is a blue, and any tilapia over 3 pounds is also likely a blue tilapia.  While there are other types of Tilapia in Florida, the majority are Blue.

Blue Tilapia were imported in 1961 and have become established throughout central and southern Florida with isolated populations further north.  Native to northern Africa and Middle East, it is thought to be the fish referred to in the Bible to feed the multitudes.  They are widespread and abundant in Florida, and found in lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and canals.  They are tolerant of saltwater and can found in some near shore marine habitats, such as Tampa Bay.

Spawning occurs when the water temperature exceeds 68'F.  Males dig large circular nests with their mouths in shallow water over a sandy bottom, then the male swims out to a passing female and leads her to the nest where courtship occurs.  The female lays the eggs and immediately takes them into her mouth after male fertilizes them.  She then swims off, possibly to mate with another male.  The males continue to guard nests and may spawn again with another female. Eggs hatch in female's mouth, and the Fry (baby fish) are sometimes released to feed, but whenever threatened return to their Mother's mouth, until they are about three weeks old.  This is called mouth-brooding.

They feed primarily on plankton and small organisms living in or on bottom detritus; this includes diatoms, green algae, plant material, and detritus.  They grow rapidly for the first few months, then slow somewhat, but ultimately reach 5-6 pounds by age 3-5 yrs; the largest Blue Tilapia caught in Florida weighed 10 pounds and measured over 21 inches in length.  Males tend to be larger than females.

Tilapia have white flaky meat with a mild flavor, are considered excellent eating, and farm-raised fish often sold in grocery stores.

Suckermouth Catfish (Hypostomus sp)

Suckermouth catfishes (family Loricariidae) have rows of bony plates covering all but their belly area. They have a disc-like, protrusible mouth under their head, and it is used like a suction cup to attach and feed on algae; females tend to be smaller, and fish larger than 18 inches are probably males.

Their close relatives are successful, abundant, and widespread in Florida, and found throughout central and south Florida, but even thought the Suckermouth catfish (Hypostomus sp.) has been in Florida since the 1950s, it is not so widespread, being found primarily in Miami-Dade and Hillsborough counties.  They are native to South America, and are a common aquarium fish.  They live in nearly any type of slow moving streams, canals, ponds, and lakes; and are normally most abundant along the shore and in shallower waters. They are known to create spawning burrows along shorelines, sometimes undermining canal banks and lake shorelines.  The Suckermouth catfish appears to be less well adapted to Florida waters than are the Sailfins (a similar species).

They eat detritus, and algae, sand, small freshwater bivalves, water fleas, and decaying matter.  They are most active around dusk then root around bottoms looking for worms and insect larvae.  Their sucker-like mouth is used to scrape algae from stones and other surfaces with their spoon shaped teeth.  They grow to more than 20 inches and weights of 3.0 pounds.

Just one colony can have several million termites foraging 300 feet or more through the soil.