The white amur, a vegetarian, is a natural alternative for aquatic weed control. In many situations, stocking white amur is more cost effective than chemical applications. The amur is a native of China and has been used for more than 700 years to control excessive aquatic weed growth. Grass carp should not be confused with common carp (Cyprinus carpio). The white amur has a silvery green body and no barbels, whereas the common carp is golden yellow and has barbels. Special precautions should be used when stocking amur. Overflow drain pipes should be protected with bar guards and the use of copper based chemicals should be limited. Since the white amur is sterile and does not feed as heavily after reaching maturity, 20 percent of the original stocking should be added annually to renew the original population over a 5–year period. Stocking rates for white amur are determined by the amount and type of vegetation present in your pond. Typically, 8 to 30 fish per acre are stocked. The white amur may eat up to three times its body weight per day. One-year-old grass carp are approximately 12 inches in length and adults may weigh 35 pounds or more.
Tadpoles eat filamentous algae and mature in 2 years. Then as Bullfrogs they will control nuisance insects, including mosquitoes, in and around the pond.
Mosquito Fish will control mosquito larvae populations.
For backyard ponds, Koi and Goldfish eat algae and mosquito larvae while adding color as friendly “wet pets”.