I breed tilapia, currently as a serious hobby, but I'm planning to eventully make it a buisness.

There are several species and hybrids available. The most common are Nile tilapia, Mossambica Tilapia, and Auria Tilapia. Those are the pure strains. There is also a rare tiliapia called T. hororum that if crossed with the nile or mossambica will produce all male, or nearly all male offspring. Males are more desirable from a meat standpoint as they grow faster and larger. Females expend much of their energy in reproduction and so don't get as large. The offspring also compete with the parents for food and end up being a big drain on the system.

All male fry are the best thing you can get, and hybrids grow faster than pure strains. The problem with hybrids is that you need to buy new ones each time.

You also need to consider the temperature and salinity of your water. Mossambica and their hybrids need warm water and will only produce well at 80 degrees and up to around 95. Niles and Auria are more cold tolerant, and can deal with water in the low 70's.

Niles and Auria are big plant eaters. If you want to use duckweed to feed your fish, they should be your choice.

Red hybrids look good as un-skinned fish, but if you want to eat them yourself, it doesn't matter. The meat is all the same.

If you have cooler water, and want to grow your own food, the nile tilapia is what you should be looking into. If you plant on using commercial feeds and have brackish water the mossambicas hybrids are the best.