In the Philippines, it is also informally called gloria or tilapiang arroyo after former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo because of its small size and mole-like dark pigmentation under its lower jaw, resembling that of the short stature and mole on the former president's left cheek.

[6] The blackchin tilapia is able to tolerate high salinities and it can be found abundantly in mangrove areas and is able to move into freshwaters, such as the lower reaches of streams, and in to salt waters.

The diet is largely aufwuchs and detritus supplemented with bivalves and zooplankton It feeds by picking up and swallowing in bites, it lacks gill rakers.

In Hawaii it is sometimes called the "saltwater tilapia" because it has the ability to survive and possibly even breed in pure seawater.

[6] Given the nearby proximity to Bataan and Bulacan, blackchin tilapia is also present in Manila Bay, despite not being a freshwater body as it was among the fish that had washed ashore along the Baseco shoreline on September 17, 2020.

[8] In Thailand, blackchin tilapia were first imported from Ghana by a private company for experiment with raising in 2010, licensed by the Department of Fisheries, but was not successful.

[9] As of 2024, blackchin tilapias are considered a national agenda because serious outbreaks have been found in more and more regions, causing damage to many fish and shrimp farmers.

The Thai government has announced that they will be completely eliminated, one of the limiting measures is releasing predator fish such as barramundi into the wild to control the population.