The bottom, covered with mud and algae - the element of crucian. He likes to migrate from one place to another, make migrations, often the crucian carp manages to swim in semi-underground lakes, completely covered with bogs and small pits, where, it would seem, the life of any other fish is impossible, and the crucian carp is also a crucian carp in Africa, it’s still the same fish, can make its way into the most hidden corners of the rivers.
The crucian's favorite place of residence is the bottom of lakes and oxbow lakes, muddy rivers and backwaters, overgrown with muddy thickets, crucian loves quiet, calm waters, it will never swim where the waves splash and rumble strongly from hitting nearby stone boulders.
What to feed carp?
Crucian carp is a very common isolated genus of fish belonging to the class of ray-finned fish, it comes from the cypriniform order, the cyprinid family.
Crucian loves to feast on zooplankton, plant foods, insect larvae, bloodworms, black bread soaked in sunflower oil, and dung worms.
If you add a small dose of vanillin or anise oil to the bait, then the bait will begin to smell seductively, which will attract the attention of carp seeking food.
The lifespan depends on the type of fish, ordinary crucian carp is a long-liver, as it can live in a reservoir for about 12 years, silver carp is able to live up to 8-9 years, but among the representatives of this subspecies there are individuals whose lifespan is approaching 12 years.
What do carp look like?
Carp, depending on the species, may look different, for example, silver carp has a unique scale color that shimmers in numerous shades: asphalt gray, slightly golden, orange-pinkish nuances are also traced in the color of its scales.
The silver carp differs from the common one in that it has a pointed muzzle when viewed from a side view. The caudal fin of the crucian carp is clearly defined, the rays of the fins are smooth, soft, this kind of crucian carp reproduces by gynogenesis.
Come on, dear readers, let's turn to the appearance of the golden or common crucian carp: this river dweller has a rounded head shape, if you look at it from the side, the scale covering the body of the crucian casts gold, the ventral, caudal and dorsal fins have a rich dark brown, slightly brown shade.
What do carp eat?
Crucian eats literally all small-caliber waste that falls under the scope of his attentive gaze, so this fish is classified as omnivorous. Recently born fry the size of a grain, to maintain their life cycle, use the filling of the yolk sac, which remains after embryonic development.
Living in warm, gentle waters, fry actively develop and, having matured a little, begin to overeat daphnia, crustaceans, remnants of blue-green algae living in lakes.
When the fry reach the age of one month, their diet becomes more diverse, now crucian carp can eat bloodworms and the smallest larvae of various insects floating in the water column.
Carp in adulthood love to feast on annelids, pay attention to small crustaceans, with pleasure absorb the roots and stems of coastal plants, duckweed, the remains of algae, and eat insect larvae.
Nevertheless, the love of carp for man-made baits has not faded from this, he also still loves to absorb boiled cereals (buckwheat, pearl barley, millet), does not remain indifferent to dough and bread crumbs, fully flavored with butter.
Type of fish and feed used
- silver carp(from Latin Carassius gibelio). This species of carp previously lived only in the rivers belonging to the Pacific Ocean. But today, due to the fact that there was once a moment when artificial resettlement took place in the middle of the 20th century, the habitat of this species of carp has increased by an order of magnitude, silver carp began to live in the reservoirs of Poland, Romania, China, Siberia and Germany . Moreover, in many of these countries, this type of fish began to show off on the podium instead of the original owner - goldfish. The dimensions of the silver carp are an order of magnitude more modest than the dimensions of the golden carp, but this does not interfere with the first variety with an amazing ability to adapt to environmental conditions, the scales of this fish are cast in silver, and greenish nuances are also visible in its color. The fins of silver carp are transparent, have a slightly pink tint. Being residents of lakes, peat quarries or ponds, crucian carp can migrate to neighboring water bodies, which is why they are found in large numbers in water bodies near fish farms;
- common or golden carp. The natural habitat conditions of crucian carp favor an increase in the life span of ordinary crucian carp up to 12 years, these individuals become sexually mature 3-4 years after birth. The peritoneum of the common crucian is devoid of pigmentation, the back of the individual has a brownish color, the scales of the crucian carp flash in the sun with golden-copper, bronze hues. Goldfish dotted the waters of Europe, representatives of this species are found in the cool waters of Sweden, Great Britain, Norway, the distribution area of goldfish also includes warm reservoirs in Croatia, Italy, and Macedonia;
- carp japanese. Inhabits the water bodies of Japan and Taiwan, wild varieties of crucian carp have found a cozy haven in the lakes of Biwa and Japan, the length of the Japanese crucian approaches 35-40 cm.
Feeding rules
Deficiency of special trace elements and vitamins in the diet of crucians leaves a serious imprint on their health, the fish becomes inactive, it gradually degenerates, becomes shallow. In nature, the basis of the diet of ordinary crucian carp are small mollusks, chironomid larvae, as well as worms.
When breeding crucian carp in a home pond, you can start feeding them already from April-May, by mid-September this “pampering” is over.
Carp tend to savor food, at first they are accustomed to carefully taste the crumbs of the bait with their lips, and only then swallow. If the water is not warm enough, crucian carp will not eat, heat and cold are not loved by this fish.
If the water temperature in the summer season exceeds the threshold of +25 degrees Celsius, then any crucian desire to feast on food will disappear, at a water temperature of -12 degrees the crucian will also refuse to eat.
Feeding process
Breeding crucian carp has long occupied a worthy industry in the fishing business, and almost any structure of any size is suitable for growing crucian carp, even if you rarely feed them, they still will not die of hunger, especially if there is a muddy bottom in the reservoir, plants and a well-coordinated ecosystem.
How to catch more fish?
I have been active fishing for quite some time and have found many ways to improve the bite. And here are the most effective ones:- . Attracts fish in cold and warm water with the help of pheromones included in the composition and stimulates their appetite. It's a pity that Rosprirodnadzor wants to ban its sale.
- More sensitive gear. About reviews and instructions for other types of gear you can find on the pages of my site.
- Lures using pheromones.
To ensure an increase in the mass of crucian carp, it is necessary to provide food of plant and animal origin, and these two species are allowed to mix with each other, you can make thick porridge from feed.
In home ponds, they are increasingly experimenting with feeding, use ready-made feed, which is always balanced and does not require long cooking.
To make it convenient for the angler to feed crucians, it is necessary to equip a small platform or a tray table, this is a special device with sides, food is placed on it, and then lowered into the water.
How often and how much to feed?
In the winter season, it makes no sense to feed carp, it is best to do this in the summer, under the right conditions, carp can grow up to 500 grams. For two years, the weight gain of silver carp can be approximately 280 grams.
The basic principles of feeding crucian carp are based on the following:
- carp feed should be consumed about 1-2 times a day;
- the optimal time for feeding crucian carp is the second half of the day;
- crucian carp are given food in exactly the same dose as he can eat in 15 minutes.
The amount of food should be calculated based on the number of fish in your pond and the type of food. For example, grains are fed at the rate of about 3-5 percent of the total mass of fish in the lake.
If your pond has 30 crucians weighing 100 grams each, then in order to provide food for everyone, about 100-150 grams of steamed grain mixed with bran and bone meal will be required for one feeding.
Where to get food?
Carp can "lay their eyes" on products such as corn, legumes, boiled potatoes, minced meat, rye, bran.
To prepare "karasin yummy", grind the corn, steam the grits, mix it all with minced meat, bone meal, bran and some water. Roll the resulting mass into small balls.
Ready feed
Today, every novice or experienced angler can stock up on ready-made food for their favorite "ward" fish for the future, it should include ingredients like:
- vitamins of group B, A, E, D;
- fat;
- gland;
- manganese;
- fiber;
- yeast;
- cobalt;
- protein.
There are also special premixes for fish on sale, which allow for a rapid increase in the mass of carp, while the best purchased food is one that contains from 20 to 35 percent protein, 10 percent fat, 7-10 percent fiber, while the food must meet the highest quality standards.
Manufacturers
Purchased food is the key to a long and successful life of your fish, today you can buy food from a variety of manufacturers at affordable prices.
Tetra
Tetra is the world's largest manufacturer of quality products for growing and successfully breeding fish with a big name. The Tetra brand has released a revolutionary development of dry food that allows you to provide a balanced diet for fish.
Starting in 2005, the Tetra trademark became the property of the American conglomerate Spectrum Brands, but the change of ownership did not cause serious damage.
JBL
JBL brand feeds meet the strictest quality standards; German factories are justifiably proud of their products and consider them to be one of the best in the world. The whole formula for the success of JBL fish food lies in the fact that only selected raw materials are used for their preparation, manufactured on modern equipment.
OTTO
To organize the proper nutrition of crucian carp in the garden pond, special feeds from the leading brand OTTO have been developed, they are enriched with a whole complex of vitamins and microelements, It also contains beneficial unsaturated fatty acids.
What to feed carp in winter?
Making winter bait for crucian carp is a limitless testing ground for experimentation, for example, crucian peck very well on a briquette of cake dissolved in water. The composition of the bait must be flavored with elements of animal origin.: small bloodworm, chopped worm.
Well, where without herbal supplements in the form of oatmeal, fried sunflower seeds or boiled cereals!
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