What does the crucian eat, where does it live and what does it look like?

King of marshes, ponds and overgrown lakes are called carp. This is a very common fish in the territory of our country. Scientists have so far described only two main types of carp - gold (red) and silver (white), and also one, artificially derived, a goldfish. From this article you will find out what the crucian cares for, how it looks and where it lives.

Appearance

Carassi belong to the family of carp fish. They have a long, pronounced dorsal fin, a tall body with a fairly thick back. Scales in these fish are large, but smooth to the touch. Its color depends entirely on the habitat of the fish and can be either silvery or golden.

Types of Carasses

Depending on the color of the trunk and the size of the fish, the carp is divided into the following types:

• silver;
• gold;
• gold fish.

It is worth noting that the last species is not just a crucian. Goldfish is a peculiar form of goldfish, which was artificially withdrawn in China. Currently, several breeds of goldfish have been bred:

• comet;
• Shubunkin;
• telescope;
• Lionhead, and others.

Note that the most similar resemblance to crucian carp was preserved only by an ordinary goldfish. She even eats the same as the carp feeds. Externally, both gold and silvery crucian are very similar. In some water bodies, both species can live. Scientists have discovered that in this case the silver crucian gradually displaces gold.

Where does the crucian live?

What the carp feeds on - we'll find out later, and now let's look at his way of life, in particular, find out where he lives. Of all the fish inhabiting the territory of Russia, this is the most unprivileged and unpretentious. That's why you can meet the carp even in places with stagnant waters.

These creatures in large numbers inhabit not only all Russian lakes and ponds, but also feel great in semi-subterranean waters, almost completely covered with bogs, and also in small pits where in general except them no other fish live.

Ichthyologists are amazed by the stamina of the carp. They are interested in knowing not so much what fish eat in such dirty bodies of water as how their bodies adapt to such harsh conditions. It can be absolutely confidently asserted: the worse the properties of a particular reservoir, the more silt in a pond or lake, the more comfortable the carp. They swim faster, and reproduce faster.

What does carp eat?

They are omnivorous fish. Sometimes they eat even what we call organic waste. When the fry of carp are born, the first week they live at the expense of the contents of their gallbladder. A week later they begin to eat the simplest microorganisms, in huge quantities inhabiting ponds and lakes.

Favorite food fry at this stage of life are daphnia, bacteria and algae. And only when they reach the age of one month the diet of their food becomes the most serious and, of course, satisfying. Single-celled organisms are replaced by small bloodworms, as well as larvae of various aquatic insects.

What does carp feed on in the pond when it reaches puberty? Adult individuals at the age of one year with great pleasure eat ringworms, larvae, crustaceans, mollusks. In deep ponds, these fun fish feed exclusively on benthic organisms.

Ichthyologists have found out that it is deep water basins rich in bottom food that allow these fish to grow faster and reach large sizes. And in the shallow and overgrown with reeds and quagmire ponds, the crucian can not grow properly, because their food there is only plankton and protozoa.

Algae are also food

It is curious that carp can eat not only animal, but also plant food. Moreover, they eat grass growing in the water, and slime! There is always such a food, and he will not escape you anywhere. By the way, the carp is very toxic! They are not indifferent to the smells of valerian, dill, garlic, corvalol, sunflower oil, kerosene, gasoline and even dog excrement.

An amazing feature of these fish

As we have already noticed, the food for carp in ponds and lakes depends on their depth: the deeper the pond, the more nutritious the feed, and hence the larger the fish. But scientists who examined these creatures in the laboratory for a long time could not understand how the carp could manage to notice the live food that falls to the bottom beyond the limit of their "review sector".

It turned out that they are helped in this by a special side line. There is almost all fish on earth. Outwardly this lateral line is similar to a stitch running from the head to the tail of a fish. It is thanks to this feature that the brains of the carcass are able to record in a matter of a few seconds the slightest fluctuations emanating from the small edible animals. So eat fish nourishing and thoroughly.

The behavior of the crucian during fishing

Carp is a popular commercial fish. Perhaps, it is the most unpredictable of the whole family of cyprinids. Yet no fisherman has accurately predicted exactly how the carp behaves in this or that weather. His fishing absolutely does not depend on the weather, nor on the time of day, nor on the bait. So good to you biting!