C. carpio grows rapidly, achieves sexual maturation in the second year of life, and is highly fertile (about 2 million eggs per female). Common carp dominate wetlands and lakes because of their long life spans and large size. They are the largest of the Cyprinidae family and can weigh well over 9 kg and span more than 60 cm
It generally inhabits freshwater environments, especially ponds, lakes and rivers, and also rarely inhabits brackish-water environments. It is naturally distributed in its wild form from the piedmont zone of the Danube Rover to the Black, Caspian and Aral Sea basins, as western dispersant in central Asia and as eastern dispersant in Siberia.
Now, it is widely distributed in almost all countries of the world but is very popular in Asia and some European countries.
The fish can tolerate a wide range of water quality parameters. In natural water bodies, this species can survive in very low water temperature and it can tolerate low concentrations and supersaturation of dissolved oxygen.
Common carp is frequently called an ‘ecological engineer’ because it can modify ecological characteristics of aquatic systems.
Habitat of common carp
