Carp are very frugal fish and can therefore also be kept in a garden pond. If the conditions are right, the fish will also spawn here. The following article explains when carp spawning time is.
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Suitable habitat
Only if the fish are offered the right habitat in the garden pond will spawning occur at all. In addition to the pond size and the depth in the middle of the pond, this also includes the following factors:
- Middle of the pond so deep that water does not freeze
- Ice on the surface is well tolerated
- flattened shore zone is important
- Whereabouts of the fish during spawning
- well overgrown with weeds
- eggs are laid here
- about 50,000 to 800,000 per female fish
However, not many of the eggs laid survive and only a very small proportion develop into juvenile fish. Because the eggs serve as food for many other animals and insects, including their own parents in the garden pond.
Carp spawning season
Just like in the wild , the fish spawn in the garden pond at the same time. Above all, the prevailing water temperature and thus also the depth of the pond is decisive when the spawning period begins:
- Water temperature from 18° to 20° Celsius
- shallow water reaches temperature faster
- in the shallow, small garden pond spawning time earlier
- Spawning time is usually from May to June
It can happen that the carp are already in the middle of spawning when the weather changes with falling temperatures and rain. In such a case, the fish temporarily stop spawning and only become active again when temperatures rise again. This is particularly the case when the water temperature drops again.
Naturally induced spawns
If you would like to breed your carp in the pond during the spawning season, you can also support the animals. Because the right conditions that the fish need for reproduction do not always exist. A pond is designed for the controlled natural spawning, which is intended to imitate the natural habitat:
- sunny and sheltered location
- mock flooded stream meadow
- means many overgrown plants at the edge of the pond
- rapid heating of the water
- support with solar heating if necessary
- alternative solar hose
- Feed carp well
Use spawning brushes
If the garden pond is not designed for spawning and there is no possibility of changing it, for example by creating a shallower bank or larger plantings in the bank area, spawning brushes from specialist shops can help:
- feed fish in spring
- from water temperatures of 12° – 15° Celsius
- like to use live food in addition to pellets
- female animals become fuller
- start spawning after three to four weeks
- Water temperature constant at 20° Celsius
- Hang spawning brushes
- after about two weeks the fish spawn
- Flow pump for fresh water is important
- remove the spawning brushes after the young fish have hatched
After the young carp have hatched, they must be provided with food, as a garden pond often does not contain enough natural food sources. So that the young fish do not serve as food for the adult animals, you should take them out of the water after spawning so that as many young carp as possible can survive.
