The common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

[NorthernRaider]

One of the Eco groups to whom I occasionally get E mails from report that last years tiddlers (around 25mm to 30 mm) they kept in a modest sized pond of approx. 15ft by 9 ft by 4ft6 deep are now weighing between 2 and 2.5 pounds, they reckon in another year or so they could be over 4 or 5 pounds. Being " green" types they are not doing as other commercial growers are doing and feeding the carp trout pellets which eventually ( so they say) damage the carps internal organs, they feed them on a wide assortment of more natural foods from grain to bloodworm, maggots, bits of fruit, wholemeal bread to ornamental goldfish pellets so the fish have a good broad ranged diet.

The beauty of carp is they do not need heating ponds, just a damn good deep point at least 4 ft down to over winter in, the deeper and better insulated the better. They also enjoy plenty of aquatic plants to hide in and to chomp on as well. they don't need and don't like crystal clear water, but for the happiest and best growth they don't want to be swimming in their own filth either so SOME sensible biological filtration is essential as is GENTLE water flow to help airiate the water.

Most other species require warm water, or highly oxygenated water or highly filtered fast flowing water all of which use lost of energy and kit.

If you are thinking about growing fish for food the Carp is king as its native to Europe and has been farmed in the UK since medieval times.
( most monasteries kept Stew Ponds to grow carp in and many village ponds original role was for growing carp)

[Tartar Horde]

Quite right NR, the stew pond system pioneered by the Monasteries was a major part of their food production, you can get more protein from an acre of water than you can an acre of land. The monastic system used a multi pond set up, linked by sluice gates. The top pond (slightly higher elevation) would be stocked with Carp and fattened up, while the lower pond would have Sheep and Cattle grazing, but more importantly Manuring the ground making it fertile. When the Carp were big enough to harvest the water would be drained into the lower pond, leaving the fish behind. The lower pond having been manured by Livestock now filled with water would explode with Plankton which the Carp feed off. The upper pond would then have Sheep etc grazed on it, repeating the process of manuring. This is a very efficient way of producing food and is self sustaining.

[Skean Dhude]

Guys,

This is of interest to me atm. I'm looking at Carp for my requirements.

TH,

I like the explanation you did right up until the upper pond was drained and then the system was reversed. How do you get the water from the lower pond to the upper when it comes time to clear the lower pond. There is obviously more that I need to read up on.

Not that I can fit that system in anyway. I'm just interested.

[NorthernRaider]

Carp are THE species for this part of the world because the energy requirements are so LOW compared with the other species such as Tilapia or Trout / Char / Salmon.

Carp will only grow to the size of their environment, they exude a hormone into the water which determines how big they will grow.

Carps MAIN special consideration is two fold (1) Whilst they are happy living in turbid water heavy with plant material they don't like swimming in their own pee, (2) They MUST have a deep spot of at least 4ft 6 inches deep for them to over winter in.( below ground level, or 8 inches of high quality insulation around the pond if above ground.

You can enhance a Stew pond with the odd extra such as a TENCH and Swan mussels to eat the crap off the bottom of the pond, reeds around the edge act as filters, but a prefilter reed bed the the head of the pond is a better idea. You can use powered filtration so long as its an aerobic system.

[SecretPrepper]

I am looking to farm some carp for an aquaponics set up I am working on. I need to find a good source that isn't too far away. They are hardy and can survive low O2 levels and cold

[NorthernRaider]

SP a good source of what ?, you can usually get common carp under the wrong name of MIRROR carp from pet shops and garden centres, local anglers will often slip you the odd specimen, don't mistake them for GRASS carp which are eastern European, a pest and taste like mud.

Heck in a decent sized pond you can grow Gold Fish ( Chinese version of common carp) to 2.5 pounds, or you could buy some cheap baby koi carp which are just a brocaded version of carp and they will grow to over 3.5 feet long.

Remember everyone is this your food supply not your pets, there are lots of citters from cats to king fishers, some hawks, gillimots, otters, heron etc that will wiped out pond of fish in a weekend, PUT A NET over the pond NOTE ********** IF YOU HAVE YOUNG INFANTS AND TODDLERS PUT STEEL MESH OVER THE POND, or a 3 ft high FENCE around it.

[Tartar Horde]

The "upper" pond SD was generally fed by, and on the same level as a nearby river etc, sometimes connected by a "cutting" from the river to the pond. The lower pond only has to be slightly less elevated than the upper for gravity to do it's work.

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I suppose it's a matter of scale, you could set up a system that is small enough to be filled by Pipe etc, and still have enough room for a good head of fish.

[Jace]

We get carp throughout all our locals lakes, streams and rivers, as well as the crud-covered canals with putrid green water. I also assume the carp sold in the local markets are also from the same sources (especially the shitty canals in the cities, which always seem to have guys lounging about nearby with rods and nets), which is why we don't buy them.
I've also seen some massive goldfish (close to a meter long and probably weighing quite a few kilos) in ornamental ponds, which I figure will disappear as soon as the balloon goes up and people realize TPTB won't be after them.