February 6th, 2010 Should You Use Grass Carp For Aquatic Plant Control?
Mastering the aquatic plants within a pond, or any other body of water is very important. Why you say? Simple, since for whatever reason, you’ve decided that you do not want it there. No matter if these plants have generated some sort of nuisance for swimming children, or have have clogged up the engine on your favorite motorboat, you want them gone, and there’s several ways to do this.
Of course you can use chemical substances, plastic lining, freezing, manual pulling them up, or even dye, however those are mighty inconvenient, and there is no promise that the pond, or even the fish, would actually be anywhere near what it was following these actions. So it is about time to look into different methods—techniques which will not 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. This fish was deliberately introduced into our ecosystem for the simple purpose of eliminating aquatic plant life, and so far it has done a great job. In the United States, the Grass Carp is often called the White Amur, presumably because the word Carp has derogatory meanings here in the United States., and the word “Amur” refers to the river that the fish originates from, a river that borders China and Russia.
The Grass Carp, is what’s known as an intrusive species, meaning that it’ll multiply and overtake the ecosystem that it is placed into (sort of like humans), but fortunately science has progressed a long way, and though it took a lot of time, as well as a lot of gene manipulation, sterilizing the Grass Carp became standard procedure all over the world so that it’s integration doesn’t hurt or destroy the local ecology.
An additional thing to take into account, is that the Grass Carp doesn’t eat every kind of grass, naturally it enjoys plants, and would consume the vast majority of it, but just like with human being, there’s things which it prefers over others. A few of the items that the Grass Carp will enjoy, are:
Coontail
Spikerush
Smartweed
Bladderwort
Bulrush
Water hyssop
Eelgrass
There’s several additional grasses, and a visit to a library, an Internet query, or talking with a professional will quickly let you know what the grass carp will consume.
When purchased in large amounts, Grass Carp is pretty inexpensive, at about $10-20 for each fish, which is very reasonable considering the years of service it will give you; living for about ten to eleven years.
In certain states, you’ll be required to get a license prior to putting Grass Carp in any body of water, whether it is your water. To find out if this is necessary, talk to a game warden near you, or just check the regulations of the state, as this information is readily available to any person that requires it.
As you can see, Grass Carp are an excellent alternative to using chemical compounds, or lining the pond with a plastic cover, because not only are these perfect for getting rid of undesired plant life, you must also remember that it’s an interdependent relationship, you give something they desire, and then they provide their services to you, keeping you from needing to do this yourself. All in all, that’s a good trade.