There are many species of tilapia, but only a few are widely cultured around the world. In the United States the most commonly cultured species of tilapia are the Nile (nilotica), Blue (aurea), Mozambique (mossambicus), Hornorum (hornorum), and hybrids such as the Taiwanese and Florida red. Choosing a species to culture depends largely on customer preference, legal status, growth rate and cold tolerance. Tilapia are well suited for culturing in ponds, cages, tanks, or raceways. Using ponds is the most popular method in the southern United States due to longer growing seasons. In the southern most parts of Texas and in Florida water temperatures can remain warm enough for year-round growth. In the cooler, temperate regions of the North and Midwest, tank culture is favored.