Catla

Katla/Catla is one of the most well known carp fish in the southern part of Asia especially in the Indian subcontinent. It is a sweet water carp that can grow up to 40 kilo or more but it is a matter of fact that Catla rarely found in the ponds or men cultivated water land where this fish gained the weight of up to 20-25 kilo.
Meanwhile Katla found bigger in the current flowed rivers which means Catla live a fresh life in river or flow water than in the ponds or closed water land. Catla is a very well known and a common fish for the people of Indian subcontinent and southern Asia.
It is good to mention that in the Thailand and its surrounded areas Catla can grow bigger than any other parts of its territory. This fish Catla often found in Tahiland with the weight of up to 60 kilos which is just look like giant fish with a heavy body.

Body Structure of Catla

In the entire carp fish family Catla is the most powerful and muscled that it can fight very sharply whether it caught on the fishing net or in the fishing hooks. Catla is a local water filtering fish. It has a big round mouth by which this fish swallow water and emerge through the big air. Creator has created this fish in the way that it can filter the water and collect its tiny food. Catla has a wide body from belly to upper side with a big and wide size of ear and its color often depend on the water color and the mud.

Food habit of Catla

Catla’s natural food is mostly zooplankton and phytoplankton but it is good to mention that a grown up Catla mostly eat zooplankton as Catla is a surface and midwater level fish so thse type of planktons are very common for Catla. When to talk on the matter of commercial production? This fish grown and cultivated mostly in the Indian sub-continent for commercial purpose, where fish farmers are mostly feed the Catla wheat bran, rice bran, mustard oil cake and other supplementary fish feeds for quick growth.

Pond Environment for Catla

As we have just mentioned that Catla is surface and midwater level fish and for this reason it is better to mention that fish live in this type of level of water means they need proper oxygen supply. If you are setting up a regular pond where natural oxygen is only source for the fish to live then you have to check or keep in mind that exact air flow that can rotate the water of pond is active or not. If the natural air flow can’t rotate the water then you have think about water rotating machine especially for Catla. As because the rivers always have flowing water that means there is huge natural supply of oxygen by which a Catla live a long life and grow huge in size. Same time, as we are talking on the matter of Pond environment so we have to discuss about the natural food for Catla too. There so many chemical and fertilizer to enhance the production of Zooplankton and phytoplankton if there is no natural production of those natural food for this fish. If you are thinking to cultivate this fish commercial purpose then you should concern on the matter of quantity of food in daily basis. Over feeding can be harmful for the water quality.

Common problems of Catla

This fish is a major part of Indian major carps and that is why just other common carp of this sub continent this wide mouth fish has some very common problems.

• Fungus/bacterial attack


• Skin problem


• Itch


• Fin rot


• Gil rot


• Water damage (multiple reasons)


• Ammonia Gash (lower part of pond)

Just make sure that you are making balance feeding and to keep the environment of the pond natural, using proper chemical and fertilizer. Even then if any problem found then immediately contact with an expert.
As a regular and common carp fish of the pond, Catla is a most targeted fish for the anglers and fish hunters to hook it up in fishing rod. Catla’s is a unique fish in the entire carp family for its exceptional feeding habit. It is like an art to hook up a Catla with the bait it like. This fish is fighter, it can fight like bull when you hook it up on your fishing rod and that is the most amazing part of fishing a Catla.
There are several reports about Catla to make fisherman injured while this fish inside the fishing net. Catla has a strong tail until this fish get tired by trying escape. You are not interested to make it tired then you must alert about its tail punch.