Black carp - Ctenopharyngodon idella

The black carp Ctenopharyngodon idella from Asia is the dark relative of the grass carp. It is also known as Black Amur, Black Chinese Carp or Black Grassfish. The wild form as well as cultivated forms were already used economically in Asia in the 10th century. In order to control algae and wildly growing water plants, black carp were released into the wild in our country in the 1960s in order to keep stocks short. The dark form of the Chinese carp also needs rather calm, deep and warmer water.

In addition to the dark fins and dark head, the dark-edged dark golden-brown to olive-green scales that form a reticulated pattern are conspicuous in the black carp. As an herbivore and algae e ater, the black carp has a slightly underslung, blunt mouth with bulging lips.

The black carp has a fairly elongated body shape and can grow up to 120 centimeters in length. Individual specimens have even cracked the 150 cm body length. Black carp can weigh up to 50 kg. These large fish need a correspondingly large pond: at least 10,000 liters for two black carp and an additional 1000 liters for each additional black carp. In addition, a pond depth of at least 2 meters is required. We recommend keeping them in pairs. It is also possible to keep a black specimen and an albino black carp or a wild grass carp.

The black carp is a herbivore by conviction. It eats not only annoying algae deposits and filamentous algae, but also pond plants of all kinds. Here you must replant from time to time or feed with a good plant-based pond fish food. If there is a lack of food, the black carp can even eat the grass at the edge of the pond! Therefore grass clippings are also suitable as supplementary food. Black carp like to eat plants and algae with a fine, soft structure. Hornwort, duckweed, waterweed, thread algae, net algae, reeds, bulrushes and sedges are among their favorite foods, but all other pond plants are also eaten. At warm water temperatures Black Carp eat their own body weight of food per day, in winter they naturally need to eat much less.

Black carp can live up to 35 years, usually they have a life expectancy of at least 5-11 years. The black chinook carp can grow up to 20 cm in length in the first year under the best conditions and gain another 10 cm in each subsequent year.

Black carp do not come into spawning mood until water temperatures are consistently above 20°C.  Therefore, there is no need to worry about mass reproduction in the garden pond. The young Black Carp initially feed on small invertebrates such as worms, insects, crustaceans and insect larvae. Only when they reach a certain size do they change their diet and then eat only vegetable food. Smaller Black Chinese Carp like to stay in dense plants at the edge of the pond .

Water temperatures between 21 and 27° C are optimal for the black carp; however, it can cope with 30° C without any problems. Therefore, the pond can be set up in full sun without any problems. Black carp need oxygen-rich water, so the garden pond should be oxygenated by water features, a special oxydator for garden ponds or an aerator.

Black carp can overwinter in a sufficiently deep pond. However, even then they depend on oxygen-rich water, so the water surface must not freeze. An ice freezer or a pond thermostat will help.