Crucian carp in a pond in winter: care tips, diseases, wintering features

When does crucian carp go to winter?

Crucians tend to change their behavioral habits with the onset of cold weather. These fish do not always go into hibernation. They spend the winter, as a rule, buried in silt and leading a sedentary lifestyle.

Whether a carp representative will lie down for the winter or spend the winter awake depends on:

depth and area of the pond;
bottom features;
degree of water saturation with oxygen;
weather conditions;
climate of the fish farming region;
and others.

With the onset of winter, small crucian carp tend to burrow into the bottom silt. Large individuals are less afraid of the cold. They continue to swim in the water column.

The behavior of crucian carp in the cold season largely depends on the water temperature:

When the temperature of the aquatic environment drops to +8 ⁰С, the fish experience a slowdown in vital processes. She becomes inactive and less interested in food.
When the water temperature is below +5 ⁰C, the respiratory rate and heart rate of crucian carp decrease several times. The fish saves energy by remaining practically motionless. She falls into a state close to anabiotic.

Is crucian carp caught in winter?

Catching crucian carp in the winter months is not easy. In one area, crucian carp are caught throughout the winter, in another they bite only during the period of ice drift or completely refuse bait. The success of crucian carp fishing in the cold season depends on the characteristics of the reservoir.

If the layer of bottom silt in the habitat of crucian carp is thin, the fish do not have favorable conditions for wintering. In such a reservoir it is caught all winter.

Karpovs can be found in:

depressions in the muddy bottom;
snag;
creeks.

In the absence of oxygen deficiency, crucian carp remains active in winter. It spends the day in the depths, occasionally leaving the shelter in search of food and even swimming to shallow water.

In harsh winter conditions, the ray-finned inhabitant of fresh waters bites poorly. He is passive and has little interest in bait.

A good catch of crucian carp in winter, according to experienced fishermen, is possible on days of sharp increases in atmospheric pressure. A decrease in this environmental indicator negatively affects the behavior of the fish: it does not bite.

A good day for crucian carp fishing in the winter months meets the following requirements:

windless;
slightly frosty;
solar.

Crucian carp is not caught during snowfall, blizzards, or severe frost. In such weather conditions, the fish stop feeding.

Creation of ice cover

When keeping crucian carp in a small fishing pond, it is necessary to insulate it for the winter. The construction of a protective cover made of materials will help create more favorable conditions for wintering for the carp-like inhabitants of the reservoir:

boards;
reed

The boards are put together to form a shield, which is then used to cover the pond.

Protection from reed stems is the best option for insulating a pond. Bundles of reeds are frozen into an ice crust. The resulting ice cover will not only protect the crucian carp from the freezing wind and frost, but will also allow air to pass through well.

Video review. Inspection of a pond for wintering crucian carp:

Crucian carp are left to spend the winter in a fishing or decorative pond (in the absence of an air compressor or pump) if it meets the following characteristics:

Baits and lures

The main food of crucian carp is considered to be plants - soft algae. However, this type of fish is capable of pecking on biological baits under certain conditions.

These include:

bloodworms (mosquito larvae);
worms (dung and earthworms);
fish flesh (provided that the reservoir does not provide them with a natural diet);
maggot (fly larva).

In addition, crucian carp may like baits of plant origin:

Dough. Ingredients: wholemeal flour, egg yolk and honey.
Pearl barley. In the form of 2-3 grains, which are placed on the hook of a jig and smoothly brought to the hole.
Mastyrka. Boil 1 cup each of peas and anka to a thick porridge.
Semolina "chatter". 100 grams of cereal, which is boiled in a small amount (150-200 g) of water until thick.
Softened crumbs from Borodino, rye, wheat and grain breads.
Canned corn.
Boiled wheat. Cereal grains are poured with water to a consistency of one to three and cooked until tender.

Peculiarities of fish behavior under ice

With the arrival of winter, crucian carp are still quite active. They often experience gluttony when there is first ice. In the dead of winter, the fish becomes passive. It moves sluggishly in places where the oxygen regime is stable and food is available.

The behavior of crucian carp during wintering in different climatic zones varies:

In bodies of water with warm water. Where the water does not freeze in the cold months, crucian carp are active all year round and do not hibernate. This behavior in winter is typical of fish living in deep-water ponds in areas with a mild climate.
In northern regions with harsh climates. In such regions, crucian carp tend to go to winter, burying themselves in bottom sediments, and spend the cold season sleeping.
In moderate winter conditions. A carp-like inhabitant of fresh waters is looking for a suitable wintering hole with warm water. He sleeps there for most of the day, periodically leaving his hiding place in search of prey.

The worst conditions for wintering of the carp-like inhabitant of fresh waters are observed in water bodies that freeze in winter and lack a thick bottom layer of silt.

The crucian carp's habit of sinking to the bottom for the winter is due not only to the need to look for a warmer place in the reservoir, but also to the need to obtain food for itself. In the cold season, when fish are inactive, they prefer animal food. Crucian carp obtain bloodworms and larvae by burrowing in bottom sediments.

How to help fish in a pond survive the winter?

Many fishermen are directly involved in organizing wintering for fish. Especially when it comes to small ponds with stagnant water or homemade reservoirs stocked with fish on their own.

You can provide pond residents with a comfortable winter in the following ways:

After the thickness of the ice on the water reaches several centimeters, drill a small hole in it. Using a pump, pump out a layer of water about 15 cm through the resulting hole. The oxygen that has entered the resulting space is enough for wintering fish.
When the water begins to freeze, place tufts of straw on the surface, pointing up. Its tubular stems will provide oxygen access under the water when there is ice.
Make several depressions in the bottom of the pond that will serve as wintering pits. The fish will be able to “lie down” in them to wait out the winter calmly.

Please note that the fish must go to winter healthy, without injuries or parasites. The pond should also be cleaned, without abundant thickets and food residues. All these shortcomings make wintering difficult.

What problems may arise in connection with the wintering of crucian carp?

When keeping crucian carp in a fishing or decorative pond during the cold season, difficulties arise if:

Sick fish were sent for the winter. Sick, injured, or parasite-infested fish have little chance of surviving the winter cold. Only healthy fish will survive until spring.
The sanitary condition of the pond is insufficient. That is, the reservoir is swampy, silted, overgrown with algae, and clogged with food debris. Wintering crucian carp in such conditions is difficult. If the water in the reservoir is not drained for the winter, cleaning and preparatory work is carried out before winter so that the oxygen needed by the fish is not consumed during the decomposition of organic matter.
The fish remained on pasture for the winter. The crucian carp will not gain weight, it will become thin. It is prepared for wintering in the fall. All cyprinids are switched to protein feed. In a reservoir with an area of 50 m², no more than 1/2 kg of fish is kept on natural food. The large number of crucian carp in the pond requires increased nutrition before wintering to gain weight.
Too cold. The water temperature is reduced to +2-3 ⁰С at a shallow depth of the reservoir. This poses a danger to young individuals. They are susceptible to cold burns on the body and gills. Injured fish will not survive until spring.

The problem of low oxygen content in water and ways to eliminate it

The most common mistake when wintering crucian carp in an artificial pond is that the pond is completely covered with ice. In this case, there is a detrimental lack of air for the fish.

Photosynthesis is absent in winter and does not affect the balance of oxygen in water. The supply of oxygen in winter occurs only due to contact of the water surface with air.

The following will help to avoid the problem of low oxygen concentration in the aquatic environment:

violation of the integrity of the ice crust covering the reservoir by creating and maintaining an ice-free polynya;
making a hole in the ice and then pumping out 20 cm of water.

In order for crucian carp to have the opportunity to breathe freely under the ice in winter, they should live in a sufficiently deep and large decorative fishing pond (deep places up to 6-7 m, area - 20-30 m²).

Keeping cyprinids in a shallow pond (from 0.8 m) is only possible with special equipment, such as electric water pumps and air compressors.

Video instruction. Aerating a fishing pond by installing a compressor:

In the absence of electrical equipment, you cannot do without holes in the ice cover of the pond. They are drilled, not pierced, using a hammer for this purpose. Otherwise, there is a risk of injury to the inhabitants of the reservoir by the shock wave.

It is also possible to make a hole using a pan filled with boiling water. It is simply placed on ice and left for a while to melt it.

A simple solution

Although a decorative pond requires constant care in the summer, it does not require much maintenance in the winter. The best solution here is to drain the water and preserve it until spring. Pumping out the water first will protect the pool structure from damage from expanding ice. Water propulsion equipment (fountains, streams, waterfalls) is dismantled or reliably preserved. All decorative elements are also usually dismantled or securely covered.

Coastal lighting is most often left on; it is usually waterproof and quite frost-resistant, and lighting in the winter garden is always welcome.

Interesting to know

Common crucian carp have a hard time in winter in reservoirs that freeze to the very bottom. The fish is in no hurry to burrow into the mud: there is no oxygen there. Compared to its counterpart, which is bred in an artificial pond for commercial purposes, wintering of crucian carp in its natural habitat is often extreme.

At low air temperatures, a small, stagnant pond or shallow lake freezes completely. Under the current conditions, the crucian carp lies on the bottom and falls into an anabiotic state until the heat returns.

Often the ray-finned inhabitant ends up frozen into the ice and dies. It is noteworthy that some individuals come to life after such an extreme wintering.

The difference between the winter lifestyle of this representative of the Cypriniformes order and other fish species is its lower mobility. Throughout the freeze-up period, crucian carp stick to deep places in the reservoir. Its concentration is especially high in the so-called wintering pits.

Their larger and more active relatives, carp, often spend the winter months next to crucian carp.

Breeding crucian carp requires proper preparation of the place where it is kept in winter. Approach this preparation carefully and carefully. Creating optimal conditions for fish in winter is the key to successful wintering of crucian carp without large losses.

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