This article is about how to feed koi fish properly and what the best feeding habits to cultivate are. The article will give you tips on how to feed in order to allow the koi to grow the fastest, including information about when you shouldn't feed them.
There's a whole lot to consider when setting up a koi pond or any other habitat that will act as a home to this Japanese species of carp. Properly cultivating and caring for koi isn't as easy as taking care of that fish tank you had as a child. Throwing in a filter and a few algae fish won't be enough, a little bit more attention and tender loving care will be required.
Different size koi need different types of food, depending on how large you want them. Needless to say, koi are very unique pets. When you're first introducing small koi fish to your pond (that is hopefully ready for inhabitants), you will want a slighter warmer water temperature to keep them in. The warmer water will enable the fish to grow faster, and in warm water, you can feed the fish twice per day or until they reach their limit.
On the flip side, feeding koi in colder waters (64 degrees F or lower) slows their digestive system and thus slows their growth. In colder waters below 50 degrees, you want to refrain from feeding the koi at all until the water temperate is higher.
You also have to take into account the actual size of the fish. All koi less than 8 inches in length, as a rule of thumb, should eat around 5% of their total body weight. This may result in two or more feedings per day, depending on the feeding schedule you choose. Bear in mind that koi will eat whatever you give them and will rarely turn away food, so this means you're in complete control of what they ingest.
Keep track of it, whether it's a cereal-based diet, high proteins, or even fruits, over feeding could be disastrous.
Koi exceeding 8 inches in length should only consume around 2% of their body weight. Again, this requires discipline on your part and not on the part of your fish. With a basic fisherman's scale, you can weigh your fish in a matter or minutes and have a gauge for feeding. The warm/cold water system will allow you to properly control their growth and also give you a feeding gauge.
You will know if you're properly feeding your koi fish from their skin colour. A healthy koi is very bright and you can tell that this fish has a healthy diet. A malnourished fish, on the other hand, will have a duller coloured skin or perhaps even spots on the skin where the colour has faded. The latter means you have to provide a more nutritious diet.
Most agree that the best diet for your koi is a mixture of processed pet food and some live treats every now and again. Feeding your koi strictly one or the other may result in malnourished fish.
Koi pellets are available at nearly every pond supply or fish supply store. You can get them in different balances of vitamins and minerals, the combination to which you must determine based on the size of your fish. To keep koi vibrant and lively, mix in a few live treats like earthworms, prawns, or cockles. These are all koi favourites and will help to offer a balanced diet.
Read more about constructing your koi pond at http://www.koi-pond-construction.com where Eddie tells you more about building and maintaining the perfect koi pond.
Read more about constructing your koi pond at http://www.koi-pond-construction.com where Eddie tells you more about building and maintaining the perfect koi pond.
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