Hybrid Tilapia

[badflash]

Hybrids are corsses between two species. The most common are crosses between the aurea and Nile or aurea and mossambica.

Hybrids grow faster and tend to be more robust than the parent stock. They tend not to breed true and 2nd generation often are inferior fish. If you want to produce consistent hybrids you need to keep two pure lines to make hybrids. Most people can't be bothered, or else they end up getting the fish contaminated and no longer have pure gene lines.

A special cross is between the Hornorum and the Mossambica. This results in a very fast growing hybrid that has a very high percentage of male fish.

[jackalope]

Hybrids are crosses between two species.

Hybrids grow faster and tend to be more robust than the parent stock. They tend not to breed true and 2nd generation often are inferior fish. If you want to produce consistent hybrids you need to keep two pure lines to make hybrids. Most people can't be bothered, or else they end up getting the fish contaminated and no longer have pure gene lines.

To me, those are good reasons for NOT raising hybrids, especially if you are growing them for home use. Of course, for commercial use might be different, but I wouldn't recommend them to anyone for home use for the reasons listed above. You would always have to have the pure parents of both lines available or you would have to always be buying new stock to replace the old ones which you're planning to put inito the freezer. ;)

[Cris Gaston]

A major concern about breeding hybrids is the matter of breeding behavior compatability. In my experience, spawning rates are considerably affected by inter-specie matings resulting to greatly reduced production. The bonus, however, is the resultant hybrid vigor.

[badflash]

That is the great thing about crossing the black T. hornorum with the black O. mossambica. Mossie females breed eagerly with the male hornorum and are very productive. The down side is you can't tell a hybrid male from a pure T. hornorum so thing could get mixed up if you are not carefull.

[rfeiller]

any successful breeding program requires outcrossing or maintaining two seperate strains or bloodlines even if breeding two fish of the same species. if you don't maintain this system two things will happen the fertility goes down and the immune system becomes weaker.
you can maintain the viger of a hybrid by backcrossing and then line breeding outcrossing at times to bring the strength back.

[badflash]

I keep two separate species. I am constantly improving each gene line. Tilapia are a lot more plastic than most other species. It is easy to keep heathy lines without in and out crossing.