Should You Use Grass Carp For Water Weed Control?

Managing the aquatic plants within a pond, or any other body of water is very critical. Why is this you say? Well, because for some reason or another, you’ve chosen that you do not want it there. No matter if these plants have generated a type of hindrance for swimmers, or have just clogged up the engine on your favorite motorboat, you want them gone, and there’s many ways of doing it.

Of course you could use chemicals, plastic lining, freezing, manual pulling, or perhaps even dye, but all of those are mighty inconvenient, and there’s no promise that your pond, or fish, will actually be anywhere near what it was following these actions. Therefore it is time to have a look at different means-methods that won’t damage you OR the pond.

In 1963, a new fish was introduced in to the U.S. ecology, and that fish was called the Grass Carp. It was deliberately integrated into our ecosystem for one purpose of eliminating aquatic plants, and thus far it’s done a great job. Within the United States, the Grass Carp is commonly referred to as the White Amur, probably because the word Carp holds derogatory meanings here in the U.S., and the word “Amur” refers to the river which this fish comes from, the river that borders China and Russia.

The Grass Carp, is what’s known as an aggressive species, indicating that it’ll multiply and take over the ecosystem that it is placed into (sort of like humans), but fortunately science has come a long way, and while it required some time, as well as lots of gene manipulation, sterilizing a Grass Carp finally became standard all over the world so that it’s introduction does not harm or eradicate the local ecology.

Another detail to take into account, is the fact that the Grass Carp does not eat every kind of grass, naturally it loves plants, and will consume most of it, however as with human being, there’s things that it prefers more than others. A couple of the items which the Grass Carp does enjoy, are:

Coontail Spikerush Smartweed Bladderwort Bulrush Water hyssop Eelgrass

There’s many others, and a visit to a library, an Internet search, or a consultation with a professional will immediately reveal the things a grass carp will consume.

When purchased in large amounts, Grass Carp is pretty cheap, at about $10-20 for each fish, and that is perfectly reasonable when you consider the years of service it will give you; surviving for around 10-11 years.

In some states, you will need to get a license before you place Grass Carp into any sort of water, whether it is owned by you. To find out if this is required, talk to a game warden in your area, or simply check the laws of the state, as that information is readily accessible to anyone that requires it.

Clearly, Grass Carp are an excellent alternative from utilizing chemical compounds, or even lining the pond with a plastic cover, since not just are they perfect for getting rid of undesired plants, you should additionally keep in mind that it’s a symbiotic relationship, you provide the thing that they want, and in return they give a service to you, keeping you from having to do this yourself. On the whole, this is a good trade.

Before you get Grass Carp, make sure you go to Dave Duncan’s excellent website on Grass Carp, www.grasscarp.com