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Governing the aquatic plants in a pond, or in any other body of water is quite critical. Why is this you say? Simple, since for some reason or another, you’ve chosen that you don’t want it there. Whether those plants have create a sort of nuisance for swimmers, or have have simply stopped up the engine on your favorite motorboat, you want them to be gone, and there’s many ways to do it.

Naturally you could utilize chemicals, plastic lining, freezing, manually pulling, or even dye, however these are mighty strenuous, and there is no guarantee that the pond, or even the fish, will ever be anywhere near what it was after such an effort. Therefore it’s time to have a look at different methods—techniques which will not break your back OR your pond.

In nineteen sixty-three, a new fish was introduced in to the United States ecological, and that fish was called the Grass Carp. This fish was purposefully integrated into our ecosystem for the simple reason of eradicating  aquatic plants, and thus far it has done a great job. Within the US, A Grass Carp is often referred to as a White Amur, probably because the phrase Carp has derogatory interpretations here in the U.S., and the word “Amur” is a reference to the river that the fish originates from, a river which borders China and Russia.

The Grass Carp, is what is referred to as an invasive species, meaning that it’ll multiply and take over any ecosystem that it’s placed in (similar to humans), but fortunately science has progressed far, and though it required a lot of time, and lots of gene manipulation, sterilizing the Grass Carp became standard procedure all over the world so that the integration doesn’t hurt or destroy the ecosystem.

Another detail to take into account, is that the Grass Carp doesn’t consume every kind of grass, naturally it enjoys plant life, and would eat most of it, but as humans, there are items which it prefers over others. A couple of the items that the Grass Carp does like, are:

Coontail
Spikerush
Smartweed
Bladderwort
Bulrush
Water hyssop
Eelgrass

There are many additional grasses, and a visit to a library, a web search, or a consultation with a professional would immediately reveal the things a grass carp will consume.

When purchased in bulk, Grass Carp is fairly cheap, at about $10-20 per fish, and that is perfectly reasonable when you consider how long it will last; surviving for around 10-11 years.

In certain states, you’ll be required to acquire a license before you place Grass Carp into any sort of water, even if it is your water. To find out if that’s required, talk to a game warden near you, or simply examine the regulations of your state, since that information is readily available to anyone who requires it.

Clearly, Grass Carp are a great alternate means to utilizing chemical compounds, or lining the pond with a plastic cover, because not only are these great for getting rid of undesired plants, you should additionally remember that it’s a symbiotic relationship, you provide the thing they desire, and in return they provide their services to you, preventing you from needing to do it on your own. On the whole, that’s a great exchange.