Mastering the aquatic plants within a pond, or in any other body of water is extremely important. Why you ask? Well, since for whatever reason, you’ve decided that you do not desire it to be there. Whether those plants have generated a type of hindrance for swimmers, or have just clogged up the motor on your favorite boat, you wish them gone, and there’s several ways of doing this.
Naturally you could use chemical substances, plastic lining, freezing, manually pulling them up, or perhaps even dye, but these are fairly strenuous, and there is no promise that your pond, or even the fish, would actually be the same again following such an effort. So it’s about time to have a look at different means—techniques which will not break your back OR the pond.
In 1963, a new fish was placed in the United States ecology, and this fish was called the Grass Carp. This fish was deliberately introduced into our ecosystem for one reason of eradicating aquatic plant life, and thus far it’s done a great job. In the US, the Grass Carp is often called a White Amur, presumably because the phrase Carp holds negative interpretations here in the U.S., and the word “Amur” is a reference to the river that the fish comes from, a river that runs the border between China and Russia.
The Grass Carp, is what’s referred to as an aggressive species, meaning that it will multiply and overtake any ecosystem that it’s placed into (sort of like humans), but fortunately science has progressed far, and while it required a lot of time, and lots of gene manipulation, sterilizing the Grass Carp became standard all over the world so that the introduction does not hurt or destroy the local ecology.
An additional thing to take into account, is the fact that the Grass Carp does not consume every kind of grass, of course it loves plant life, and will eat the vast majority of it, however just like humans, there are items that it prefers over others. A couple of the items that the Grass Carp will enjoy, are:
Coontail
Spikerush
Smartweed
Bladderwort
Bulrush
Water hyssop
Eelgrass
There are several additional grasses, and a visit to a library, a web search, or a consultation with a professional would immediately let you know what the grass carp would consume.
When bought in large amounts, Grass Carp is fairly inexpensive, ranging from about $10-20 per fish, which is perfectly reasonable considering how long it will last; living for around 10-11 years.
In certain states, you’ll need to acquire a license before you place Grass Carp into any sort of water, whether it is owned by you. To find out if this is required, speak with a game warden in your area, or just check the laws of your state, since this information is freely available to any person that needs it.
Clearly, Grass Carp are an excellent alternative from using chemicals, or lining your pond with a plastic cover, since not just are they perfect for getting rid of undesired plants, you should also keep in mind that it’s a symbiotic relationship, you provide something they desire, and then they provide a service to you, keeping you from needing to do this on your own. On the whole, that’s a great exchange.