Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Controlling unwanted plants Pros and Cons of Grass Carp

From my numerous experiences with g.carp, I've concluded not all g.carp are created equal. As in people, many of these individuals have eating preferences, but most prefer the softer leafy plants. Tougher leafed and stemmy plants are selected last in eating preferences. A few large grass carp when all preferable food is gone, will eat cattails but probably not enough to control large expanses of cattails. I had a fish hatchery person tell me that they pulled a complete cattail leaf from the mouth of a large amur.

Some filamentous algae species taste and have better texture to g.carp than others. Thus some people get limited algae control based on algae types, fish preferences & number of fish stocked. Generally high numbers of fish per acre are required to get any filamentous algae control. Its a crap shoot as to if you get fish that prefer algae or have unusual tastes or food preferences.

Some g.carp like fish food better than others. If plenty of palatable weeds are available, then most do not spend a lot of time eating pellets. Fish Pellet brand and flavor may have important considerations here also.

Curleyleaf pondweed is not a preferred food due to the turions (winter buds) produced by the c.l.pondweed. Turions are hard and unpalatable to amur. Amur prefer softer grassier mild flavored foods.

Most often,, food type, texture and flavor determines how many g.carp are needed per acre. And again I'm convinced some individuals are not aggressive vegetarians but most are. There is variety and variation in every species.