As typical of Coptodon, the redbelly tilapia is a substrate spawner and brooder. The "nest" typically is a small depression in the bottom that is dug by both parents,[1][2] but sometimes the eggs are placed on the top of a stone or the "nest" is an up to 85-centimetre-deep (2.8 ft) tunnel that is dug into muddy substrate.[3] Several pairs may breed quite closely together forming a colony.