Should You Use Grass Carp For Water Weed Control?
Mastering the plant life within a pond, or in any body of water is quite important. Why is this you ask? Simple, because for some reason or another, you have decided that you don’t desire it there. Whether these plants have generated some type of hindrance for swimmers, or have have clogged up the engine on your favorite motorboat, you want them gone, and there are many ways to do this.
Naturally you could utilize chemicals, plastic lining, freezing, manual pulling, or perhaps even dye, however all of those are fairly strenuous, and there’s no guarantee that the pond, or even the fish, will ever be the same again following these actions. So it’s time to have a look at different methods—techniques that won’t break your back OR the pond.
In nineteen sixty-three, a brand new fish was introduced in to the United States ecology, and this fish was known as the Grass Carp. It was purposefully integrated into the ecosystem for one purpose of eradicating aquatic plant life, and so far it has lived up to it’s reputation. In the US, the Grass Carp is commonly referred to as a White Amur, probably because of the fact that the word Carp holds derogatory meanings here in the United States., and the name “Amur” is a reference to the river which this fish comes from, the river which borders China and Russia.
The Grass Carp, is what’s known as an intrusive species, indicating that it will reproduce and overtake any ecosystem which it is placed into (similar to humans), but fortunately science has come far, and though it took some time, and lots of gene manipulation, sterilizing the Grass Carp finally became standard procedure everywhere in the world so that it’s integration doesn’t harm or destroy the local ecology.
Another detail to note, is the fact that the Grass Carp does not eat every kind of grass, naturally it loves plant life, and will consume the vast majority of it, however as humans, there are items that it enjoys over others. A couple of the items that the Grass Carp does like, are:
Coontail
Spikerush
Smartweed
Bladderwort
Bulrush
Water hyssop
Eelgrass
There’s several additional grasses, and a quick trip to the library, a web search, or talking with a professional would immediately let you know the things a grass carp will eat.
When purchased in bulk, Grass Carp is pretty inexpensive, at about $10-20 per fish, which is perfectly reasonable when you consider how long it will last; living for around ten to eleven years.
In some states, you’ll need to get a license before you place Grass Carp into any sort of water, even if it is your water. To discover if this is required, speak with the game warden near you, or simply check the regulations of the state, as that info is freely available to any person that needs it.
Clearly, Grass Carp are a great alternative to using chemicals, or lining the pond with plastic, because not just are these perfect for getting rid of unwanted plants, you should also remember that it’s a symbiotic relationship, you give the thing that they want, and then they provide their services to you, preventing you from needing to do this yourself. On the whole, this is a good deal.