What are the characteristics of the living habits of silver carp

Silver carp is a mid-upper layer fish. In spring, summer and autumn, it spends most of its time swimming and foraging in the middle and upper layers of the water, while in winter it dives to deep water to overwinter. It is a typical filter-feeding fish, using the special structure of its gills to filter plankton from the water, and feeds on plankton throughout its life. At the fry stage it mainly eats zooplankton, and when it grows to more than 1.5 cm it gradually switches to eating phytoplankton, and it likes to eat the feces of grass carp and the chicken and cow manure that is applied. It also eats soybean milk, soybean residue powder, bran and rice bran, and prefers artificial micro-pellet compound feed. It is very interested in sour foods and also has a good appetite for distiller's grains. It likes to eat rotting food and is often raised together with grass carp; silver carp eats the feces of grass carp, hence the saying that one grass carp supports three silver carp.

The bait and food of silver carp show obvious seasonality. In spring and autumn, besides plankton, it also eats large amounts of detritus-type bait. In summer, the lower the water level, the greater its food intake. In winter it overwinters, eating little and moving little. It is suitable for cultivation in fertile water. The length of its intestine is about 6-10 times the body length. Its appetite is proportional to water temperature. Silver carp likes high temperatures, and the most suitable water temperature is 23°C~32°C. In the hot summer, silver carp has the most vigorous appetite.

Silver carp is lively in temperament and likes to jump. It has the habit of swimming upstream, but it does not move very agilely and is rather clumsy. It likes fertile water. Individuals of similar size often gather and swim in schools to the middle and upper layers of the water, especially in open water areas with relatively fertile water quality. However, it is timid and afraid of disturbance. When disturbed or when it touches a net line, it jumps out of the water one after another to escape over the net.

Silver carp grows fast and has high yield. Its sexual maturity age is 1-2 years earlier than that of grass carp, and mature individuals are also smaller. Generally, female fish of more than 3 kg can reach maturity. A female fish of about 5 kg has a relative fecundity of about 40,000-50,000 eggs per kg of body weight. Its spawning period is similar to that of grass carp, spawning from April to May each year, with an absolute fecundity of 200,000-250,000 eggs. The eggs are pelagic. Its spawning period is similar to that of grass carp. Under pond culture conditions, if bait is sufficient, the fish can grow to 500-800 grams in the same year, and three-year-old fish can reach 3-4 kg in body weight. In natural rivers it can reach 30-40 kg.

Silver carp has extremely poor tolerance to low oxygen. When there is insufficient oxygen in the water, it immediately surfaces to gasp for air, and some soon die.