Carp growing on pond questions

[Jonathan Robinson]

My pond will go to almost 30 degrees on a hot day, but like I said we have bad days too and fluctuation is high, also my pond is on a hill facing full south, both regions you are looking at are pretty cold (I went camping in the Eifel foothills in August 2015 and froze my ***off).
Also, remember that while our summers are of course better, winters here are colder and longer than in Britain - I don't feed my fish between the beginning of November and early to mid march in a normal year, that's 4 to 4.5 months! While in mild regions of the UK you can feed year round (I used to only miss a month or two of feeding when I lived in England)
Koi Keepers combat this by covering their ponds (which can get them up to 8 degrees Celsius) and feeding small portions of sinking food, however your pond would again be too big.
What farms are you looking to get the Carp from and which UK lakes are you looking to sell to?
The thing is, I know these UK lakes do seek large fish for instant gratification but AFAIK they source theirs from large farms in the UK/France, I doubt you could keep up with their prices on the small scale you are doing?

Regarding growth rates, that's the part I'm least doubtful of. While the 50lbs fish you speak of are mostly in highly fished lakes with a lot of artificial feeding(and are often stocked at large sizes), 10lbs in a few years is doable with very heavy feeding, good water quality and warm water. I know some carp breeders put 5lbs on each fish per year, although you have to remember luck is always involved (you'll need good genetics and weather)

What I'd like to know, does it have to be Carp? In or near the hills raising trout and sturgeon can be pretty easy and very fun.

Whilst the UK might get mild weather allowing feeding throughout the winter (I have fed my carp all winter, according the water temperature) but we lack the long, hot summer that really allows them to grow rapidly. Up here in Scotland, growth rates of carp in fisheries are painfully slow unless particularly fast growing strains are used. They'll definitely grow quicker in Germany than here. As an example, wild carp in the Great Lakes system in North America routinely grow to over 30lbs (but a very long and lean 30lbs - a similar length fish in Europe would be 50lbs) feeding on nothing more than wild food. The winters there are savage, but the superb summers more than balance that out.

At this stage I would rather not divulge potential customers or suppliers.

I think perhaps the advantage I'll have is that because I'm doing it to on a small scale, I'll be able to produce an exceptional quality of fish. We shall see though.

It's great that the growth rate is lowest on your list of concerns. It was highest on mine, so hopefully it will be a non-issue.

I'll get some photos of my present pond in a few weeks once the vegetation in and around the pond has grown. We're still in early spring here and the plants are somewhat patchy!

 

[Jonathan Robinson]

I've checked with the government body that regulates the import of fish into the UK. It's straightforward and I feel confident that I can fairly easily negotiate the process.

I've costed the pond out, including a standby generator in case of power cuts and the sums make sense. The idea has gone from being a possible little sideline to something that makes good commercial sense.

I'm considering removing the requirement for it to be a swimming pond and simply building a different pond for that purpose. I would still swim in it from time to time (maintenance requirements would probably call for it for it occasionally).

 

[itrebebag99]

I don't know if this helps, but I frequently see and catch carp averaging 8 pounds in little retention ponds, drainage ditches, and creeks. Carp can grow surprisingly big in small bodies of water. Obviously your not going to find a 30 pounder in a little body of water like you would in a lake, but still....

I really doubt that you're going to have any problem with the carp not eating after being moved, especially if you are feeding them. If you are feeding them, they will associate you with food.

Here in the US, we consider common carp to be vermin, so asking how to farm them would be like asking the best method of farming rats, haha.

 

[itrebebag99]

I don't know if this helps, but I frequently see and catch carp averaging 8 pounds in little retention ponds, drainage ditches, and creeks. Carp can grow surprisingly big in small bodies of water. Obviously your not going to find a 30 pounder in a little body of water like you would in a lake, but still....

I really doubt that you're going to have any problem with the carp not eating after being moved, especially if you are feeding them. If you are feeding them, they will associate you with food.

Here in the US, we consider common carp to be vermin, so asking how to farm them would be like asking the best method of farming rats, haha.