Mirror Carp spend most of their time on the bottom of the aquarium scavenging for food, so you will want to make sure you choose a soft substrate so they do not injure themselves. Filling their aquarium with planted plants, driftwood, and floating plants is a good idea to give them cover, places to explore, and places to hide.

The question of how much the world’s absolute biggest, hitherto uncaught mirror carp could weigh remains! How Long Can Mirror Carp Live For? I myself was born in the former state of Eastern Germany and remember the traditional carp blue dish that my family would serve for Christmas. An important rule to consider when choosing a tank for Mirror Carp is that you need at least 10 gallons per every inch of the fish you want to house in it. You will also want to remember how large Mirror Carp can get. It is said that Mirror Carp kept in a home aquarium will not grow as large, but it is a good idea to have a plan in mind for them if they reach that size. An easier choice for keeping Mirror Fish is in an outdoor pond. The pond needs to be over 1000 gallons and at least 3 feet deep to house Mirror Carp. Mirror Carp are not often kept in home aquariums due to their tank requirements. Mirror Carp will eventually grow too large, requiring large home aquariums to match. Juvenile Mirror Carp can be kept in the home aquarium, but ultimately they must be transferred to an outdoor pond setup. When setting up a tank for Mirror Carp juveniles, you will want to try to set up their aquarium to mimic their wild habitat closely.a b Casas, Laura; Szűcs, Réka; Vij, Shubha; Goh, Chin Heng; Kathiresan, Purushothaman; Németh, Sándor; Jeney, Zsigmond; Bercsényi, Miklós; Orbán, László (2013). "Disappearing Scales in Carps: Re-Visiting Kirpichnikov's Model on the Genetics of Scale Pattern Formation". PLoS One. 8 (12). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0083327. e83327. Mirror Carp are omnivorous. In the wild, Mirror Carp will eat a diet of aquatic plants and search the bottom for food. They are scavenger fish that will eat plant matter, insects, crawfish, and worms. The mirror carp is also a common fish in North America and can be found in many lakes and rivers in the U.S. and Canada, where it was first introduced in the mid-1800s.

Mirror Carp are a genetically mutated form of Common Carp. This mutation makes their scales larger and more sporadic on their bodies. These scales resemble mirrors, and this is where they get their name. Leather carp are another variety of common carp that resemble mirror carp, but are permitted a few scales either along the dorsal line or the wrist of the tail. a b c d Hubert, Jean-Noël; Allal, François; Hervet, Caroline; Ravakarivelo, Monique; Jeney, Zsigmond; Vergnet, Alain; Guyomard, René; Vandeputte, Marc (2016). "How could fully scaled carps appear in natural waters in Madagascar?". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 283 (1837). doi: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0945. 20160945.

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The most striking difference between mirror and common carp is the presence of large mirror-like scales on the former. The mirror-scale phenotype is caused by a genetic mutation present at one of two scale trait loci, denoted by their S and N alleles, respectively. The genotype that produces a mirror scale phenotype is "ssnn" (all recessive), while wild-type carp may have either SSnn or Ssnn genotype. [1] :13–14 The "S" locus has been identified as containing the gene encoding fibroblast growth factor receptor Fgfr1A1, which was duplicated during the course of carp evolution and consequently does not typically produce lethal phenotypes when only one locus is mutated. [3] The "N" locus has not been identified, [4] but is hypothesized to have bearing on the development of embryonic mesenchyme. [1] :17–18

Mirror Carp are not usually kept their whole lives in an aquarium due to their large size. If you keep juvenile Mirror Carp in your home aquarium until they are too large, you will be happy to find that they are a peaceful and slow-moving species. You will still want to ensure that you keep them with other fish that match their temperament. It is not a good idea to keep them with fish that are territorial or food aggressive. Goldfish and Koi are a good choice for a Mirror Carp tank or pond mate as they are similar in temperament and require roughly the same water parameters to thrive. Do Mirror Carp Exist in the U.S.? This unique and irregular scale pattern is the reason why individual mirror carp can be recognized so easily by anglers who catch them. It’s also the reason why many of them have gotten names.The average weight and size of a mirror carp is 15 to 30lb and 25 to 25 inches. The mirror’s average weight is somewhat higher than that of the common carp, due to its fuller and deeper body shape and larger fat reserves. The easiest time to tell the difference between males and females of the carp species is after they spawn. You will be able to look at the fish and see the vent of the male fish has a concave opening, while the vent of the female fish is more rounded and convex. Why Are They Called Mirror Carp? Mirror Carp are fish that require a lot of oxygen in their water, and you will want to ensure that you provide them with a good air pump to ensure they are getting enough.