Feeding Your Koi Fish

Koi fish will eat both vegetable and animal matter, or in other words are omnivorous.

This article will give you important tips about the proper feeding of your Koi fish.

A Koi fish’s appetite is actually determined by the temperature of their water. This is because their metabolism is controlled by the water temperature. They are what scientists refer to as exothermic. The Koi are much more active at higher temperatures, between 68 to 72 degrees, and will therefore eat more to replace the energy they have lost. When the water temperature drops below 50 degrees Koi will eat little or nothing.

The whole body of the Koi speeds up when the temperature is warm. They experience growth spurts and burn much more calories, which means they need to eat more. Food is even digested faster when the temperature is warmer. In warm water a Koi can digest their last meal in under two hours. Conversely, food sits in their stomachs for long periods of time when the water temperature is cold.

To grow properly and maintain their bodies Koi require a diet rich in protein. It is best to give your Koi lots of protein during the warmer months as it takes longer to digest. Food that is easier to digest, such as wheat germ, should be fed to Koi during cold temperatures. It is not healthy for your fish to have food sitting in their stomachs for extended periods of time. Think about how you feel after a heavy meal with all that food just sitting in your stomach. You don’t want your fish to feel like that for a long time. Feeding your Koi protein in very cold temperatures will do just that.

Koi also need fatty acids in their diets. This gives Koi the ability to dissolve fat soluble vitamins, as well as some extra energy. Other nutrients needed by Koi include vitamins and carbohydrates. Most high quality commercial Koi food products will contain all these ingredients. Almost all the different types of food come in a variety of sizes, with some in the form of pellets and others as sticks.

Much of the food that is produced for Koi floats, even though they are bottom feeders by nature. Floating food allows you the opportunity to see your fish eat. Most of the commercial brands that are available for a reasonable price will be fine for your fish. It is a good idea to watch your Koi eat so you can get an idea of which fish are eating fast and which are slow. Some of the less aggressive fish will end up with less food. Larger pellets will be difficult for some of your smaller fish to eat. You can fix this by giving your fish a blend of different brand and sizes at each feeding.

Mixing the various brands of food also helps to ensure that your fish are getting a well balanced diet, even if one brand is lacking in a particular element. Smaller pellets can be distributed first, kind of like an appetizer. You can then feed your feed larger pellets one at a time.

It won’t be long until you are a pro at accurately tossing pellets to your Koi. Your Koi will pick up on this method of feeding quickly as well. The brighter fish will find a comfortable location and just wait for the food to come to them. Sometimes it appears that the fish have as much fun as you will. This is also a great way to ensure that none of your fish are going hungry, as you can watch out for the slower and smaller fish and make sure they get their share.

Feeding time is a great time to check in on all of your fish. You should do a general headcount and see if any of the fish are injured, appear ill or are acting strangely.

More available information to help you with your yard:
Outdoor and backyard ponds
Landscaping around your pond
Pond furniture for relaxation
Home pools
Animals and pets

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