Ikan Mas

Habitat

Carp exploit large and small man made and natural
reservoirs, and pools in slow or fast moving streams.
They prefer larger, slower-moving bodies of water
with soft sediments but they are tolerant and hardy fish
that thrive in a wide variety of aquatic habitats.
(Froese and Pauly, 2002; Page and Burr, 1991)

Physical Description

Carp often grow 30 to 60 cm in length and weigh 0.5 to 4 kg (Tomelleri and Eberle 1990);
it is not uncommon for common carp to reach 15 to 20 kg (McCrimmon 1968).
Males are usually distinguished from females by the larger
ventral fin. Carp are characterized by their deep body and serrated dorsal spine (Nelson 1984).
The mouth is terminal on the adult and subterminal on the young (Page and Burr 1991).
Color and proportions are extremely variable, but scales are always large and thick.
Three sub-species with slightly different scale patterns are recognized. C. carpio communis
(scale carp) has regular concentric scales, C. carpio specularis (mirror carp) large scales
running along the side of the body in several rows with the rest of the body naked,
and C. carpio coiaceus (leather carp) with few or no scales on the back and a thick skin
(McCrimmon 1968). (McCrimmon, 1968; Nelson, 1984; Page and Burr, 1991; Tomelleri and Eberle,1990)


Reproduction

Carp generally spawn in the spring and early summer depending upon the climate.
They segregate into groups in the shallows to spawn. Carp prefer shallow waters with
dense macrophyte cover. Males externally fertilize eggs, which the females scatter over
macrophytes in a very active manner. The eggs stick to the substrate upon which they are scatter
ed. A typical female (about 45 cm) may produce 300,000 eggs, with some estimates as high as
one million over the breeding season. Incubation is related to water temperature and has been
documented at three days at temperatures of 25 to 32C. Fry average 5 to 5.5 mm in total length.
Temperature, stocking density, and availability of food influence individual growth.
By the time the fish reach 8 mm the yolk has disappeared and they begin to actively feed.
Males typically become sexually mature at 3 to 5 years and females at 4 to 5 years.
(Froese and Pauly, 2002; McCrimmon, 1968


Breeding/spawning season
spring and early summer; year round in tropical areas

Number of offspring
300000 (average)

Time to hatching
4 days (high)

Age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
3 to 5 years

Age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
3 to 5 years



Lifespan/Longevity
Extreme lifespan (wild)
13 to 20 years

Extreme lifespan (captivity)
47 years (high)

Average lifespan (captivity)
47 years
[External Source: AnAge]


Lifespan/Longevity

There is a report of a common carp living an astounding 47 years, probably in captivity.
Other reports of 17 to 20 years are probably more typical. (Froese and Pauly, 2002)


Behavior

Carp can typically be found in small schools, although larger carp often lead a solitary
existence. (Smith, 1991)


Food Habits
Carp are primarily selective benthic omnivores that specialize on invertebrates that
live in the sediments (Lammens and Hoogenboezem 1991). Newly hatched carp initially feed on
zooplankton; specifically rotifers, copepods, and algae (McCrimmon 1968). Young of year carp
feed on a variety of macroinvertebrates including chironomids, caddis flies, mollusks, ostracods,
and crustaceans (McCrimmon 1968). Adult carp are known to eat a wide variety of organisms
including, insects, crustaceans, annelids, mollusks, fish eggs, fish remains, and plant tubers
and seeds (McCrimmon 1968, Lammens and Hoogenboezem, 1991). Carp feed by sucking up mud from
the bottom ejecting it and them selectively consuming items while they are suspended
(McCrimmon 1968). The feeding galleries of carp are easily recognized in shallow waters as
depressions in the sediment (Cahn 1929). (Cahn, 1929; Lammens and Hoogenboezem, 1991; McCrimmon,
1968)


Animal Foods:
fish; eggs; carrion ; insects; mollusks; terrestrial worms; aquatic crustaceans; zooplankton .

Plant Foods:
leaves; roots and tubers; seeds, grains, and nuts; algae; macroalgae .



Predation

Predators on young carp include large fish such as northern pike, muskellunge, walleye, and
largemouth bass. (Froese and Pauly, 2002; Baldry, 2000) Birds such as great blue herons
probably also eat them. Adults have no predators other than people. (Baldry, 2000; Froese
and Pauly, 2002)

Ecosystem Roles

The unique method of feeding employed by common carp has important ecological implications.
The feeding of carp has been shown to decimate macrophytes and decreases overall water quality
(Drenner et al. 1997). Carp tend to reduce macrophyte biomass in three ways; 1) Bioturbation-
Carp often uproot aquatic macrophytes when feeding, 2) Direct Consumption- Carp have been known
to feed on tubers and young shoots, 3) Indirectly by increasing turbidity which in turn limits
the available sunlight (Lougheed et al. 1997, Fletcher et al. 1985). Carp have been shown to
decrease water quality by increasing turbidity and increasing the amount of nutrients in the
water column (Lamarra, 1975; Brabrand et al. 1990). Carp increase turbidity directly by resuspend
ing sediments and indirectly by increasing nutrients and thus increasing phytoplankton in the
water column. Carp increase nutrients in the water column in two ways. A minimal amount of
nutrients are introduced into the water column directly by sediment resuspension but the majority
of carp introduced nutrients are acquired by excretion (Lamarra, 1975; Brabrand et al. 1990).
Carp act as "nutrient pumps" when they consume the nutrient rich benthic sediments and then
excrete those nutrients back into the water column in a form that is available to other organisms
ency to cause a general decay in water quality and the high fecundity of the carp has caused them
to be generally regarded as a nuisance (McCrimmon 1968; Page et al. 1991). (Brabrand, Faafeng,
and Nilssen, 1990; Drenner, Smith, and Threlkeld, 1996; Fletcher, Morison, and Hume, 1985; Lamar
ra, 1975; Lougheed, Crosbie, and Chow-Fraser, 1998; McCrimmon, 1968; Page and Burr, 1991)
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

Common carp are an introduced species throughout most of the world and are generally considered
a nuisance. (Smith, 1991)

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Carp are an important food fish throughout most of the world except for in Australia and
North America where the fish is considered unpalatable (McCrimmon 1968; Banarescu and Coad 1991). The world catch rate of carp per year exceeds 200,000 tons (Banarescu and Coad 1991). The more colorful carp, called Koi, are bred in captivity and sold as ornamental pond fish. (Banarescu and Coad, 1991; McCrimmon, 1968)