Commercial use of hybridisation is not widespread because little is known about the characteristics of these hybrids other than their sex ratio. O. hornorum is the only known species which consistently produces all male fry when crossed with O. niloticus or O. mossambicus . The main problem is the maintenance of the pure lines. Fry must eat the feed containing the sex reversal hormone, not natural food, the feed must be eaten readily by the fry therefore they have to be in good condition. Although tilapias breed prolifically in unmanaged ponds, their low fecundity means that fish farms need to invest in systems for fry and fingerling production.
Breeding systems depend on the natural behaviour of the fish.
Unlike catfish or carp, each female produces relatively few eggs and it is not easy to strip eggs for artificial fertilisation and incubation. The pond is built so that it can be fully drained from its deepest point. The farmer carries out effective water quality management, manuring, fertilisation and possibly supplementary feeding. Production can be increased further by spawning a greater number of larger fish in larger ponds, increasing the harvesting frequency and using different methods for fry collection. It is also useful to collect the fry with hand nets from along the edges of the pond on a daily basis to avoid disturbance of spawners and damage to fry.