There could be truly ancient fish of well over 80, perhaps even 100 years out there somewhere in a long-forgotten pond in the middle of nowhere! Mirror Carp are a genetic mutation of the Common Carp and have almost identical needs. Mirror Carp are slower and more peaceful than Common Carp. Mirror carp have a rather long dorsal fin, a wide and big tail fin, as well as large and roundish anal fin, pectoral fins, and pelvic fins. 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. 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.

Mirror carp, regionally known as Israeli carp, [note 1] are a type of domesticated fish commonly found in Europe but widely introduced or cultivated elsewhere. They are a variety of the common carp ( Cyprinus carpio) developed through selective breeding. The name "mirror carp" originates from their scales' resemblance to mirrors. They can grow in excess of 60lb (27kg) – the last few British record fish have all been mirror carp. Mirror Carp are a common fish, and they can be found fully scaled. It is not as common to find them on the wild fully scale, but it is possible to catch them. Even when fully scaled, they maintain their visual difference from Common Carp. Why Do Mirror Carp Lose Their Scales? It’s not that this proves fish are as smart as chimpanzees,” said Jordan. “It shows that in this task the fish can perform in a similar way. They can understand what the mirror does and use the mirror to see its own body.” The mirror carp is an omnivore. As such, its natural diet both consists of plant-based food sources and smaller animals that live on or in the bottom. These can include the following: 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.

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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. The cooks of that time noticed that it was rather difficult to prepare the carp for dinner, as they had large and tough scales all over their bodies.

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 The mirror carp’s mouth is rather big and it enables the fish to scoop up large amounts of feed off the bottom. The mirror’s extendable lips remind one of a vacuum cleaner, and this fish doesn’t have many limits when it comes to food!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. The question of how much the world’s absolute biggest, hitherto uncaught mirror carp could weigh remains! How Long Can Mirror Carp Live For? He added it did not necessarily imply fish were self-aware, but the findings challenged the idea that animal intelligence follows a continuum, with chimpanzees at the top and fish, insects and reptiles at the bottom.

Their findings suggest that a small, otherwise unremarkable species called the cleaner wrasse has joined an elite handful of others to have passed the so-called mirror test, which has been used for decades as a gold standard measure of animal intelligence. The mirror carp has its origin in Europe and is a slightly genetically altered version of the common carp. Mirror Carp are commonly found in many lakes and rivers in the United States but are an introduced species. This means they did not occur naturally in the wild, but they were caught and bred somewhere else and released into waterways in the United States. Mirror Carp Breeding The maximum age of mirrors, on the other hand, is not really determined. Specimens older than 50, and even 60 years have been captured and observed in captivity, but no one really knows how long they can live for! But, this carp type does not stop at such weight levels, it can grow even larger than that! Mirrors of over 80lb have been reported, many of which were caught in the big carp fisheries of France and Hungary.In the olden days, people used to eat carp much more, both in Europe and North America, as life was hard and food simply was not easy to come by. The research concludes that roughly 36% of the original mirror carp population, in both wild waters and fish farms, were fully covered with scales. 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. 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.?