I realize this is a 20‑year‑old thread that just got dragged back to life by Langster, but since we’re talking grass carp, here’s my experience from up here in NY.
Around here, the DEC decides how many GC you’re “allowed” to have, which sounds like control… until you realize you actually have no control. They told me 12 for my one‑acre pond. Since they’re a bit pricey in NY, I went with 8 and figured I was being clever.
At 12–14 inches, those little torpedoes eat like they’re training for competitive food‑eating. I was thrilled — weeds disappearing, no chemicals, and I’m thinking I’ve cracked the code.
Fast‑forward a few years… weeds start creeping back. Meanwhile, my GC are now 2‑foot submarines lazily cruising around like retired tourists on a riverboat. You’d think something that big would be mowing down vegetation just to maintain its waistline, but nope. Apparently once they hit “big and impressive,” their metabolism clocks out.
So, another permit, another batch — this time I get 10. They go to work immediately. Weeds vanish again. And then… all weeds vanish. Great for the swimming area, not so great for the fish habitat. The pond looked like a freshly vacuumed carpet.
At this point, I’m rethinking the DEC’s magic numbers. Not sure what the perfect count is, but I do know those carp absolutely nuked the place. Maybe once this batch bulks up and slows down, things will settle into a happy medium where I can have some weeds without the pond turning into a salad bar.
