Koi Foods?
August 29, 2010 by KOI Section
Filed under Koi Facts
I just got a few Koi for my pond and I am wondering what is the best commercial fish food to feed them? I am looking for growth right now and will later go for color. I know that you are suppose to change the protein intake with the seasons, but I am unsure of what you are suppose to feed for each season. I am looking for something that has small pellets, due to the fact that my koi are only about 4 inches long, and food that is easily available.
Thank you for any help.
I live in Northern California and it rarely gets below freezing in the winter.
hi,
where do you live? do you actually have 4 complete seasons?
during summer time, where water temp about 20-24C, you can feed them high protein food for growth (protein minimum 40%), there are several brands that has “hi growth”: saki hikari, tetra, nozomi, etc.
when temp is above 8 c up until 15C, you can feed koi food that contains wheatgerm that is easier to digest then regular koi food, do not feed if water temp is below 5 c, as carps metabolism do not function below that temp, they could actually die from the food rotting in their gut.
in between 15 to 20c, all season food and sizes are readily available with major brands. the decent koi food ranges from 5 bucks/kg to 15bucks/kg
cheers
I have fed my koi commercial trout chow available at my local IFA – it is inexpensive and great for growth, but not much for color. Right now I am feeding Aquatic Gold, and am really happy with that. I get it on e-bay. And of course, you really can’t go wrong with Hikari. I see that in Petsmart and Petco all the time. You can feed any one of these as a staple, as they all come in various sizes.
You can supplement their “koi kibble” with frozen or freeze-dried krill, blood worms, frozen peas, orange slices, watermelon chunks, spinach or other leafy greens (no iceberg lettuce, though – it doesn’t have enough nutrition in it to do anything), zuchinni and/or cucumber slices, etc. – just stay away from “land-based” proteins like beef, chicken, etc., as it has fats and amino acids (proteins) that koi are ill-equipped to process. I have even fed mine pieces of wheat bread, Cheerios, and pizza crust. Just remember that these are treats, not the main diet.
For best growth, when the weather is really warm, you can feed all they will eat in about 5 minutes or so, 3 or even 4 times a day (though once or twice is sufficient). Once the water temps start cooling off, say, down in the low 60′s (F), taper off the number of feedings to only once a day. Once your water goes below 55 degrees F, do not feed at all. Koi digestive systems slow w-a-y down and the food will rot in their stomachs before they can actually process it. What little they can digest, comes out almost the same way it went in and can really foul your water parameters.
In the spring, do not feed them until your water temps go above 55 degrees F again. Then, start out with low-protein foods to ease their digestive systems back into good working order. As the weather (and the water) heats up, add more protein and more feedings into their diet, and you will be surprised at how quickly they grow.
To get really good growth, though, you need to make sure their water conditions are pristine. Koi won’t grow where they are cramped or stressed because of high ammonia or nitrates. Take care of the water, and the koi will take care of themselves.
Also, females will grow faster and bigger than males, and the colors that most closely resemble the wild carp (the chagoi and sarugoi, or copper and gunmetal gray) tend to grow faster and bigger than the “fancy” colors. The utsuris tend to grow slowest of all (one color pattern on black background).
Oh – and you don’t want them to grow *too* fast. Fish that grow too fast are at greater risk for scoliosis (curved spine) and other deformities.
Hope this helps – good luck!
well, i don’t really care about pellets…
sometimes i gave my fish natural foods, like veggies or some meat^^
worms are excellent for fish too!