Tilapia have two methods of spawning: mouth brooding, where eggs hatch in the mouth of their parent, and substrate spawning, where eggs spawn on substrate material such as rocks and gravel. Some female tilapias offer shelter for their hatchlings inside their mouths until the hatchlings become too large. Bass species build nests to lay their eggs. In streams, bass create their nests out of rocks and gravel. Lake and pond bass build their nests near shores. Smallmouth bass lay approximately 4,000 eggs in a nest, while largemouth bass produce over 21,000 eggs at a time.
Bass are carnivorous fish and dine on crustaceans, insects, small amphibians and smaller fish in the wild. Stocked bass feed on small fish such as bluegills and redear sunfish. Bass hunt for food in open water, but also swim near the shoreline for minnows and invertebrates. Tilapia are omnivorous, meaning they eat a variety of vegetation and meat. On farms, tilapia grow best when they eat algae, small fish and invertebrates, according to Kevin Fitzsimmons of the University of Arizona College of Agriculture. In the wild, tilapia are opportunistic eaters with diets similar to those raised in fish farms.
Most bass are native to North American countries, including the United States, Canada and Mexico. The majority of bass live in freshwater environments, but certain species -- black sea bass and European sea bass -- dwell in saltwater estuaries and oceans, and the largest bass species of all, the giant sea bass, is found in the Pacific Ocean. Giant sea bass weigh up to 550 pounds and can grow to be 7 feet long. Tilapia are native to Africa and Southeast Asia. Some tilapia have been introduced to North America. Two of the most abundant tilapia in North America are the blue tilapia and the Mozambique tilapia, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sea Grant Coastal Resources program. The largemouth bass has been introduced to South Africa, New Zealand and Asia.
Tilapia have long dorsal fins, and the front part of their dorsal fins have spines. Adult and young tilapia usually feature vertical lines running down their bodies. Each tilapia species has different color patterns on its caudal fins. Bass have two dorsal fins. One of the fins is completely spiny, while the other fin is soft. Largemouth bass have noticeably larger mouths than other fish species, and the upper jaw extends past the fish's pupils.