CATDOLL : CATDOLL: How to Keep Grass Carp

1. How to raise grass carp

1. Breeding conditions. Grass carp embrittlement breeding can be carried out in ponds or cages. Pond requirements: less silt at the bottom of the pond, sufficient water source, good water quality without pollution, convenient water inlet and outlet, area of ​​1330-2000 square meters, water depth of about 2 meters, and thorough cleaning of the pond according to routine requirements before stocking. Cages can be set up in the leeward and sunny places of lakes, reservoirs, and rivers. Water body requirements: no pollution, rich dissolved oxygen, water depth of 4-7 meters, flat bottom and no aquatic plants. A fully enclosed cage is used, with specifications of 5 meters × 4 meters × 2.5 meters, mesh size of 0.05 meters, and a 30-mesh gauze cloth at the bottom of the cage as a feeding table to prevent feed loss. New cages should be put into the water 7-10 days in advance to soften the cage pieces to prevent scratches on the fish body; used cages should be cleaned and soaked in a 5% quicklime solution for 30 minutes. 2. Stocking of fish. Choose grass carp with a healthy physique, no injuries or diseases, and an average tail weight of 0.5 kg as fish species. The stocking amount in ponds is 150-250 kg/mu, and the stocking amount in cages is 15-20 kg/square meter. In order to regulate water quality, 50-60 silver carp and bighead carp with a body length of 0.13-0.15 meters can be stocked per mu of pond, and 1-2 silver carp and bighead carp with a body length of 0.13-0.15 meters can be stocked per square meter of cage. Before stocking, it is best to give grass carp an immunization injection. If conditions are unavailable, the fish species can be immersed in a 4% salt solution for 5-10 minutes.

2. How to raise ornamental grass carp

Grass carp is not generally raised as an ornamental fish, because it grows fast and requires a large space, so it is generally not suitable for home breeding. Habits of grass carp Grass carp generally likes to live in the middle and lower layers of rivers, lakes and other water bodies and nearshore areas with a lot of aquatic plants. It has the habit of migrating between rivers and lakes. Sexually mature individuals spawn in rivers and streams. After spawning, the parents and young fish enter the tributaries and lakes connected to the river. They usually feed and fatten in the flooded shallow grasslands and flooded areas and the affiliated water bodies of the main and tributary rivers (lakes, streams, harbors and other areas with aquatic plants). In winter, they hibernate in the deep water of the main stream or lake. Grass carp is lively, swims quickly, often forages in groups, and is a typical herbivorous fish. It feeds on zooplankton in the fry stage, and insects, earthworms, algae and duckweed in the juvenile stage. When the body length reaches about 10 cm or more, it completely feeds on aquatic higher plants, especially grass plants. The types of plants that grass carp eat vary with the conditions of the food base in their living environment.

The reproduction of grass carp is similar to that of several other domestic fish. It is often mixed with silver carp, bighead carp and black carp. Under natural conditions, it cannot spawn in still water. The spawning sites are generally selected at the confluence of rivers, deep troughs on one side of the river bend, and the river sections where the two banks suddenly narrow as suitable spawning sites. The reproductive season is similar to that of silver carp, slightly earlier than that of black carp and bighead carp. The reproductive period is from April to July, and is more concentrated in May. Generally, when the river water rises early and violently, and the water temperature can be stabilized at around 18℃, grass carp spawning is on a large scale. The reproductive habits of grass carp are similar to those of other domestic fish. The ovaries of grass carp that have reached maturity hibernate in the third stage of development throughout the winter (December to February). When the water temperature rises to about 15℃ in March and April, the third stage oocytes in the ovaries quickly develop to the fourth stage and begin reproductive migration. During the upstream migration, the oocytes complete their development from the fourth stage to the fifth stage. If they encounter hydrological conditions suitable for spawning during their upstream migration, they will spawn. Usually, spawning takes place in the water layer, and the fish body does not float on the water surface, which is commonly known as "stifled spawning". However, when encountering good reproductive ecological conditions, such as a sudden rise in water levels accompanied by thunderstorms, the male and female fish chase each other in the upper layer of the water, and the "floating row" phenomenon of trembling with their abdomens trembling appears. After the eggs are fertilized, the egg membrane absorbs water and expands, and the egg diameter can reach about 5 mm. They drift downstream and develop best at around 20℃. The fry will hatch in about 30-40 hours.

Grass carp grows rapidly. In terms of the entire growth process, the fastest growth period of body length is 1-2 years old, and the fastest growth period of weight is 2-3 years old. When the 4-year-old fish reaches sexual maturity, the growth slows down significantly. The body length of 1-winter fish is about 340 mm and the weight is about 750 grams; the body length of 2-winter fish is about 600 mm and the weight is 3.5 kg; the body length of 3-winter fish is about 680 mm and the weight is about 5 kg; the body length of 4-winter fish is about 740 mm and the weight is about 7 kg; the body length of 5-winter fish can reach about 780 mm and the weight is about 7.5 kg; the largest individual can reach about 35 kg.

Grass carp is often used as the main stocking object in pond culture and lakes, reservoirs and rivers because of its simple diet, wide source of bait, rapid growth and high yield. Since the success of artificial induction of spawning and fertilization and hatching technology in 1958, the source of fry and fish species is easy, and it has become the main intensive breeding object in my country. Grass carp is also used by fishermen to stock it outside for one or two years to open up wasteland and weed because it can remove grass in water bodies and along the coast. Grass carp is called "pioneer" because it can quickly remove various grasses in water bodies. In the late Tang Dynasty in Guangdong, there are records of building ridges on wasteland, irrigating with rainwater, and stocking grass carp for one or two years to remove weeds and make the fields mature. Grass carp is often mixed with silver carp and bighead carp. Grass carp is fed with green grass, and the feed left in the water and the waste discharged by grass carp are used to cultivate plankton as feed for silver carp and bighead carp.

3. Issues regarding the breeding of grass carp

First of all, grass carp lives in the middle layer of water, so the water quality must be good and pollution-free. Let me tell you a problem. You can't be too single when raising fish, because then you can't form a food chain. There are four major carps in my country, namely, silver carp, grass carp, bighead carp and bighead carp. These are the four major carps unique to my country. Now, there are several other major farmed fish species in my country besides the above four. So it is best to raise them in mixed culture, as these fish live in different water layers and have different feeding habits. Mixed breeding is definitely beneficial.

4. How to manage grass carp? Breeding methods.

There are friends on "Haoyuwu.com" who are raising grass carp. You can go there to have a look and exchange ideas with each other.