Carp is a fish belonging to the family of cyprinids, the order of cyprinids. Carps are divided into river and pond. The river is called carp. They are stronger, more cunning, growing faster. Pond - thicker, more fertile, more enduring.
Pond carps, in turn, are divided into mirror, frame Ukrainian and Central Russian (or Belarusian). Mirror carp is not completely covered with scales, unlike Central Russian, but still with scales, unlike frame Ukrainian.
Carps are unpretentious, easily adapt to living conditions. They can grow in length up to 1 m, gaining weight up to 25 kg. They reach such dimensions by 15-20 years of life. In the first year, mirror carp can gain weight up to 1 kg, and by two years - more than 2 kg.
This fish is thermophilic, it feels great at water temperatures of 22-27 ° C and water saturation with oxygen of 5-7 mg / l.
Carps hibernate at a depth, covered with a layer of hardened mucus (tear). During this period, they do not eat anything and lose a lot of weight. From "hibernation" they get warm water. Fishermen say that carps are poorly caught before lilac blooms and after harvest. However, during the flowering period of cherry - fishing is excellent.
Mirror carp becomes sexually mature by 4-5 years, depending on the temperature of the reservoir. This fish has a group spawning; the group includes one female and several males, from two to five. It falls at the end of spring – beginning of summer. Spawning occurs in shallow water, which literally boils during this period. Such a noisy spawning is only among carps. The female can lay up to 180,000 eggs, which after 5 days turn into fry. The fry first eat zooplankton, gradually turning to larger food.
Mirror carp is a fish that is grown for sale in small ponds. A pond suitable for them is shallow, well warmed up, low flow, with aquatic vegetation. Fry is launched into outgrowth reservoirs, in which they will remain until autumn, reaching a mass of 20-30 g. Having survived the winter, they are transferred to feeding reservoirs. There they grow and gain the necessary marketable weight, about 2 kg.
Mirror carp can be grown as a monoculture, as well as with other
fish (silver carp, catfish, pike, pikeperch, etc.). According to the feeding method, when
breeding carps , three systems are distinguished: extensive (fed only with natural feed, such as zooplankton), semi-intensive (fed with both zooplankton and top dressings in the form of corn, barley, wheat, etc.) and intensive (use complex combined feeds with increased protein content).
Mirror carp, like all cyprinids, is a popular fish. He is loved by both fishermen and eaters. Its meat is healthy and has a delicate taste and, importantly, affordable.
In the rivers of Southeast Asia and Thailand, another species of carp is found - the golden carp. His weight can reach 70 kg and a body length of 1.5 m. He has an interesting color: his body is pale, and his head and stomach are in reddish or yellowish tones. It is omnivorous, can feed on both aquatic plants and insects. Golden carp spawning occurs in the winter (December to February). Fairly common fish for those parts.