Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

This topic is to cover Hybrid Carp.

I recently obtained some hybrid carp for my outdoor aquaponics system. Living in northern California we are not allowed to have tilapia so I selected carp because I wanted an edible fish with a fast growth rate that can handle the climate. I have tried catfish and bluegill - catfish seemed to be more prone to illness while bluegill have a slow growth rate.

If you have experience with hybrid carp I would love to hear about it.

Can you tell us about "Hybrid Carp" -- Do they use Lithium of Lead batteries ???
or do they eat gas..

I CAN understand the banning of Tillapia, having seen the spread of the pests in waterways in Queensland..

It is a year since massive floods in that state, where countless properties were swept away..
Has an AP'er had Tillapia, then they would now be in even more waterways, eating all the native fish..
..
.

The hybrid carp I have are a cross between common carp and goldfish. They have a good growth rate, about 2lbs a year. These Hybrids are commonly used in ponds as vegetation control because of how much they eat and the fact that they are sterile. Here in America not to many people eat carp. It probably taste like eating a Prius!

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Would it not be great to develop Hybrid Tilapia .. now that would be a great development for AP..
..

I had carp served to me by a friend for the first time a few weeks ago

Though very boney, the texture and flavour was good

Hi Max47
I have chosen to stock my main tank with carp also.
Here in the UK we generally refer to them as, common, mirror or crucian carp. A I understand it, ‘jarp’ are a Chinese hybrid that are particularly fast growing
My initial stocking of common are doing well. Slightly slower growth rates than I expected but tough fish. Crucian carp are a delicacy within the Eastern European market in the UK so my second stocking was Crucian. Problem after problem. With hindsight I think this was because I had a bad source.
Prepared correctly they taste great. Filleted and breaded they are a staple on Austrian Christmas Eve. Soak a whole large fish in salty water and clean off the slime. Fill the body cavity with lemon/herbs etc fantastic.
Some of the ‘pond’ websites have good tips on keeping carp