Containing the plant life within a pond, or in any body of water is very critical. Why you ask? Simple, because for whatever reason, you have chosen that you don’t want it to be there. Whether those plants have generated some sort of hindrance for swimming children, or have just clogged up the engine on a favorite motorboat, you wish them to be gone, and there’s several ways of doing this.

Naturally you could utilize chemical substances, plastic lining, freezing, manual pulling them up, or even dye, but these are mighty inconvenient, and there is no guarantee that your pond, or fish, will ever be the same again following these actions. Therefore it’s time to have a look at different means—methods that will not break your back OR your pond.

In nineteen sixty-three, a brand new fish was introduced in to the United States ecology, and that fish was called the Grass Carp. It was purposefully introduced into our ecosystem for one purpose of eliminating aquatic plants, and so far it has done a great job. In the US, A Grass Carp is often called a White Amur, probably because the phrase Carp has derogatory meanings here in the U.S., and the name “Amur” refers to the river that this fish originates from, a river that borders China and Russia.

The Grass Carp, is what’s referred to as an aggressive species, meaning that it’ll multiply and overtake any ecosystem which it’s introduced into (sort of like humans), but fortunately science has come far, and though it required some time, as well as lots of gene manipulation, sterilizing a Grass Carp became standard all over the world so that it’s introduction does not hurt or destroy the ecosystem.

Another detail to note, is that the Grass Carp doesn’t consume every kind of grass, naturally it loves plants, and will consume most of it, but as humans, there’s things that it enjoys over others. A few of the things that the Grass Carp does enjoy, are:

Coontail
Spikerush
Smartweed
Bladderwort
Bulrush
Water hyssop
Eelgrass

There’s several additional grasses, and a quick trip to a library, a web search, or a consultation with an expert will quickly reveal the things a grass carp will consume.

When bought in large amounts, Grass Carp is pretty inexpensive, at about $10-20 for each fish, and that is perfectly reasonable when you consider how long it will last; living for about ten to eleven years.

In some states, you’ll need to acquire a license prior to putting Grass Carp into any body of water, whether it is owned by you. To discover if that’s necessary, talk to a game warden near you, or simply examine the laws of your state, since that info is freely available to any person that needs it.

Clearly, Grass Carp are an excellent alternative from using chemicals, or even lining your pond with a plastic cover, because not just are they perfect for getting rid of undesired plants, you should additionally keep in mind that it’s a symbiotic relationship, you provide something that they want, and in return they provide their services to you, preventing you from having to do this yourself. All in all, that’s a good exchange.