What are the rules for feeding? Can you feed growth food all year round or should you vary a Koi’s diet throughout the year?

Ian Wellby

Rules for feeding include:

  • Once temperatures are consistent at below 10˚C in winter you should
    stop feeding.
  • Do not start feeding again in spring until the temperatures are steady above 10˚C. Then start feeding with a high protein diet.
  • During the summer provide a variety of high protein growth diets.
  • As the fish move through autumn (below 14˚C), switch onto diets that contain wheatgerm and are lower in protein.
  • Koi are omnivorous and graze continuously; they should therefore be fed little and often.
  • Judge the amount of food you give your Koi by what they will eat in five minutes. Then feed at least two or three times a day.

 It is also good to feed a variety of diets mixed together; store food in a dry, cool, dark place; do not use food that is older than six months; and do not use food that has been wet. Finally, give your Koi treats such as worms, blanched lettuce or prawns. 

Linton James

The feeding pattern, and

25th July 2009
marvin

The feeding pattern, and thus the growth rate, of koi depends on many factors, such as water temperature, water quality, stocking density and genetic background Koi feed most actively at temperatures in excess of 15c(59F), thus sexually immature fish can grow rapidly during the summer months when the temperature is warmer. Once koi are mature, their growth rate slows considerably; in sexually mature fish, most of the food eaten is utilized in producing eggs or sperm in preparation for breeding. I want a file recovery software because I have lost my data due virus attack.However, unlike many other vertebrates, fish continue to grow throughout their lives and it is easy for pampered koi to reproduce and continue to grow because of their artificially high feeding rates. I have a web site about types of fishes but I can not find dedicated hosting .The cycle of rapid growth in summer and retarded growth in winter produces rings on the fish's scales (much like the growth rings of a tree) and a koi's age can be determined by counting these rings. online marketing is very important to promote your web site.Some koi-keepers, however, who heat their pools in the winter, continue to feed their koi throughout the year. If a koi has continued to feed during winter its rings will not be clearly defined and it will therefore be difficult to age.