Wintering of grass carp in a pond

Fish habitat

Grass carp usually live in small flocks. It adapts well to climatic conditions that are unacceptable for other fish species, is able to live in very salty water and calmly tolerates Russian frosts, going down to wintering pits during cold periods.

The fish successfully adapts to the Central European temperature regime, but is better bred in warm reservoirs with an average temperature of +25-30 0C or more, because they have more vegetation.

Today, carp is widespread in the European part of the country, especially in the river systems of the Urals, Yenisei, Kuban and Volga.

Descriptions of the habitats of grass carp are given in various sources. Cupid chooses reservoirs with a large amount of aquatic vegetation - rivers, ponds, lakes, reservoirs, so it is worth catching it in places where there are especially many plants.

Cupid can often be caught in reservoirs where power plants are cooled. Although it does not reproduce on its own here, fish farms specially bring in the larvae of this fish.

Finding good photos of grass carp is quite difficult, and each collection found contains only 2-3 photos.

Description of white carp fish

Grass carp is a typical river fish and resembles a chub in appearance. The body of grass carp is elongated, cylindrical in shape, slightly flattened at the sides. The color of grass carp is light green, darker on the back and whitish on the belly. The rear, free edges of the scales are dark, the body is patterned, as if dark crescents are placed on it one next to the other. The back of the mouth falls away a little. The pharyngeal teeth are compressed, their crowns are saw-shaped.

Grass carp in a pond - breeding and maintenance features

Breeding grass carp in a pond

Growing grass carp in a pond

White carp are easy to breed in large and small ponds, reservoirs, estuaries, sea bays with desalinated water, and rice fields. White carp gets along quite well in polyculture with other fish, such as carp and silver carp, without entering into food competition. Basically, grass carp is a bioreclamation agent of a reservoir, which grows quickly and produces additional products. Therefore, stocking a reservoir with grass carp only is ineffective. Grass carp in a pond at the dacha may well grow together with other species of fish, but like any fish, grass carp requires protection from otters, herons and fishermen, especially since fishing for grass carp is a very exciting activity.

What to feed grass carp in a pond

So what does grass carp eat in the pond? Juvenile grass carp first feed on zooplankton. Reaching a length of 6-10 cm, when the intestines become longer, grass carp switches to plant foods. Grass carp primarily feeds on plant foods. However, like carp, grass carp sometimes eats juvenile fish. Grass carp is unpretentious; in the pond it readily eats food intended for carp. If grass carp becomes addicted to a feeder with carp food, it is difficult to get it out of there. In this case, you can use the following trick - stop feeding the carp for a week, as a result, grass carp will switch to plant food again after a week and the carp can be safely fed further.

You can often hear the question - what kind of grass does grass carp eat in a pond? When asked what kind of grass grass carp eats in a pond, we can say that among the plants grass carp prefers to feed on filamentous grass, soft grass, but it can also eat hard chara algae, hornwort, duckweed, reed leaves, etc. Grass carp does not eat the hard stems of yellow iris. , the cattail only partially consumes the tough stems; it does not like amphibious buckwheat and the flaccid buttercup. Grass carp loves food that can be obtained without much difficulty, so it prefers thin soft stems, as well as cut leaves of reeds. If there is no favorite food, grass carp becomes indiscriminate: it grabs above-water plants and with one jerk tears them out of the ground. He eats most of them and spits out the rest. Pieces of plants floating on the surface, bitten off at one end, are the result of the “activity” of grass carp. The optimal feeding temperature for grass carp is 25-30° C. At this temperature, it can eat 100-120% of its weight in food every day. In winter, grass carp does not feed at all. If there is only tough emergent vegetation in the pond, then grass carp should eat 30-60% of its body weight daily. If there is no vegetation, then you should either reduce the amount of grass carp or feed it. The daily feeding rate is 3-4% of the fish’s weight. As feed, you can use the usual feed mixtures accepted in carp farming. Grass carp produces significant additional production, so it is a favorable additional fish in a carp pond. In order for grass carp to immediately get used to green food, it should be fed with this food immediately after stocking. If there is no food, then land plants are brought in. An excellent mixture is a mixture of varieties of clover, alfalfa, and forbs that are mowed along the banks of the pond. Grass carp is capable of very quickly destroying its own food supply (especially in the southern regions). It is advisable to use grass carp in pond farming as a biological ameliorator.

How grass carp grows in a pond

When asked how quickly grass carp grows in a pond, the answer can be that grass carp grows quickly. Hatched grass carp larvae are 5.0–5.5 mm long. At a length of 8.0–8.5 mm, grass carp begins to actively feed. The weight of young white carp under favorable conditions is 40 g, and two-year-olds - 600 g. Three-year-olds reach 1500 g, and four-year-olds - 3300 g. The growth of white carp depends on water temperature, stocking density and the availability of food.

Stocking a pond with grass carp

Stocking of ponds with grass carp is carried out with fingerlings or two-year-olds. At the first stage, we equalize the temperature of the water in the container that contains the planting material - white carp fry. To do this, water from the pond is gradually added to the container, thus equalizing the water temperature, and the grass carp acclimatizes to the temperature of the reservoir. At the second stage, we treat grass carp. To do this, take a container into which water is collected from a reservoir, salt is diluted in this water at the rate of one tablespoon of coarse table salt per 1 liter of water, for grass carp weighing 300-500g. Bathing in a salt solution will save grass carp from dermatomycosis; grass carp is very delicate and during transportation the fish often receives various kinds of abrasions and minor injuries. The fish are kept in the saline solution for 5 minutes, white carp is a very jumping fish, so in order to prevent it from jumping out of the containers, it is necessary to cover the container with a sheet of plywood or something similar during disinfection. 2 minutes after the start of swimming in a salt solution, grass carp becomes lethargic and calm. In this case, the fish needs to be stirred up and forced to move a little. In 5 minutes in salt water, the mucus should come off the grass carp. Then we transfer the fish to another container with water from the reservoir so that it begins to move and gets rid of the excess salt that it managed to swallow. The next step is to release the fish into the pond, the most important thing is not to drop the fish.

Video on how to stock a pond with grass carp

How does grass carp spend the winter in a pond?

You can often hear the question, will grass carp survive in a pond in winter? Yes, grass carp can overwinter in a pond. At a temperature of 1-2°C, grass carp tolerates wintering very well in wintering ponds and pits, where it hibernates. A longer stay in the winter hut (until June) is also well tolerated with appropriate feeding. By this time, 10,000–20,000 fingerlings of grass carp can be kept on every 1000 m2, since the wintering area is free from vegetation. With a short winter, grass carp can overwinter in a pond 1.5 meters deep.

How does grass carp reproduce?

Questions are often asked: does grass carp reproduce on its own in ponds? Is it possible for grass carp to spawn in a pond? You shouldn’t bother with the reproduction of grass carp in an amateur pond; grass carp reproduce quite difficultly even in fish farms; it is easier for a simple fish farmer to buy planting material at the nearest fish farm.

Grass carp in cages (breeding grass carp in cages)

Growing grass carp in cages is quite possible, this is confirmed by experiments conducted back in Soviet times, as well as the experience of Russian and Kazakh fish hatcheries. Grass carp tolerates cage conditions well. During storms, it does not get motion sickness, it is not depressed by a sharp change in salinity; experiments have shown that grass carp can withstand salinity up to 9%. But growing grass carp in cages as a monoculture is not profitable. Grass carp as a bioreclamation agent can be added to cages with other fish, a few pieces per cage. Grass carp cleans cages of fouling, improves the flow of cages and provides additional production without the cost of feed.

Nutrition

The main diet of grass carp is aquatic vegetation. The fry can initially feed on various invertebrates, but gradually switch to floristic food.

In some cases, carp are specially bred in reservoirs that are overly covered with algae to clean them, so other common names for grass carp are grass carp and water cow.

One fish can eat 100-130% of its own weight in food per day, which is caused by a short intestine (less than half the body length). The food eaten is digested very quickly, causing constant hunger.

At the same time, constant work of the intestines leads to rapid weight gain (1.5-3 kg per year), which explains the active use of grass carp in the Russian fishing industry.

How does grass carp spend the winter in a pond?

In open natural reservoirs, grass carp can successfully winter even with significant temperature drops, hibernating in the depressions and unevenness of the bottom. A temperature of +1...+2°C is the most optimal for artificial wintering ponds, in which fish also hibernate. During a long winter (until June), grass carp will live well only with regular feeding, and during this period, no more than 10,000–20,000 fingerlings of fish can be kept in each plot of 1,000 m².

With a responsible approach to the issue of growing grass carp, it is successfully bred even in small private farms, thanks to which regular consumption is possible not only by owners of artificial ponds, but also by visiting fishermen, ensuring high profitability from the fishing business. Of course, breeding such fish cannot be called a problem-free task, but knowing about the peculiarities of its nutrition and the most suitable conditions for keeping it, difficulties and troubles can be minimized.

Diet

The main component of the carp's diet is vegetation, but if there is a lack of it, it becomes omnivorous and actively consumes: mollusks, bloodworms, algae and duckweed, leeches, cereals, reeds, insects, small worms, zooplankton.

At the hungriest time, cupid often eats the eggs and larvae of other fish, so artificial breeding requires additional feeding in the form of soft grass, leaves, and special feed mixtures.

Lifestyle

Active period of grass carp: May-October. The growth potential of grass carp is exceptionally high.

Grass carp is an exclusively herbivorous fish, which is why it is called “grass carp.” The basis of nutrition is both aquatic and terrestrial vegetation. It is found only in places overgrown with higher aquatic plants, which are the only food for this fish. If there is not enough plant food for him in the ponds, then the grass is specially cut and thrown into the water. The juveniles of this fish eat bloodworms and crustaceans, and as they mature, they switch to plant food. By eating vegetation, grass carp also prevents mosquitoes from breeding, which creates more comfortable conditions for people. Eating as much grass per day as it weighs, grass carp perfectly cleans water bodies of excess vegetation. in which it is located.

At a water temperature of 25–30 °C, the daily ration may even exceed the weight of the fish. At temperatures below optimal, feeding intensity decreases, and at 10 °C and below, grass carp stops feeding.

Breeding grass carp together with carp increases the efficiency of fish farming, since grass carp is not a competitor to carp in terms of food supply.

Habitats of Amur carp

This fish is potamodromous (migratory). It makes seasonal migrations within the river system. In winter, it is found in the river bed, hiding at the bottom of deep holes. Accumulations of wintering individuals can be detected by the characteristic mucus (slene) on the surface of the water. It is secreted by skin glands. In summer, Amur goes into tributaries and subsidiary reservoirs.

The herbivorous carp feels comfortable in warm reservoirs, the water in which warms up to 26-29ºC in the summer. At low ambient temperatures, the development of individuals slows down. It is almost impossible to catch an individual longer than 90 cm and heavier than 25 kg in cold waters.

Light bodied grass carp is quite hardy. He is not afraid of the salinity of the water. It can withstand salt concentrations of up to 10 g per 1 liter.

In a body of water, he looks for places with the warmest water. Heat attracts him like a magnet. In such areas, vegetation grows well, which it eats. However, the fish is very careful. The slightest noise makes her stop feeding and move a considerable distance from the shore.

Description of cupid

White carp is a freshwater fish that belongs to the Cyprinidae family.
Distributed in large quantities in North Asia and the Far East. Outwardly, it is very similar to carp, but differs in a more elongated body and light-colored scales. The head is small, with a straight mouth and golden irises. The scales are large, each scale is surrounded by a dark rim. A characteristic feature of this individual is the dorsal fin, displaced towards the tail. The sides and belly of the fish have a golden tint, the back is grayish-yellow with a green tint. Cupid reaches quite large sizes. Specimens weighing more than 30 kg are often found. The length of the fish is 120 cm. Cupid grows very quickly. Prefers plant foods and feeds on herbaceous plants.

Types of tackle and bait

Fishing in winter and summer usually begins with the choice of gear. Not suitable for this type:

Bottom rods with a regular sinker or a feeder weight, found with one or more leashes. If you don’t have a certain skill, it will be difficult to get a large grass carp. Fish bite less readily on bottom rods than on float rigs.
Flying float rod. The main disadvantage of such equipment is the lack of flavoring impurities. It is not recommended to fish with a fishing rod; due to its large size, the fish often breaks off.
Bolognese fishing rod for catching large fish. It is not effective on a pond or in bodies of water without a current.

The greatest preference for fishing for grass carp is match and float-type plug; you can fish on the bottom and on the feeder. Equally important is the bait. Grass carp is an insatiable fish, willingly pecking at complementary foods. Ideally, complementary foods should be thrown into the water constantly.

Fish are more likely to swim within the radius of distribution of nutrients. You can prepare the mixture yourself, not forgetting about additives that improve the specific taste. There are two types of complementary foods:

Ball-shaped complementary food, entering the water, instantly breaks up into large parts.
Another type of complementary food quickly sinks down and splits when it is already at the bottom.

Bait can be made from algae, potatoes, bloodworms, and pearl barley. They are also caught using reeds, cucumbers, and corn. It is advisable to choose bait that will not be interesting to other inhabitants. It should be taken into account that this is a very cautious fish, it will get scared once and will not bite twice. Fishing for grass carp in winter is possible; you need not only good equipment, the right tackle, tasty bait, but also the experience and abilities of the fisherman himself.