Koi have complex diets, and like most animals, they require a balanced diet offering a variety of foods in order to remain healthy. Regular Koi feeding also requires regular water changes. Koi health involves more than simply the right fish food—it involves proper husbandry.
Choosing a Staple Koi Food
Staple Koi foods, the fish foods that will comprise the core of the Koi’s diet, are usually packaged dry foods that can be obtained from a local pet store or pond supply store. When choosing staple food, it is important to choose a high-quality food made with high-quality ingredients.
Take time to look at the nutrition and ingredients label for any pond fish food you might purchase. The Koi food should contain a generous amount of protein and low amounts of moisture and fillers.
Staple Koi foods should also contain more natural and whole foods similar to what carp would encounter in the wild. These ingredients can include fish or fish meal, shrimp, krill, algae, seaweed, and others. Avoid low-quality Koi foods that contain primarily wheat, corn, starch, and other substances that are not typical of a fish’s natural diet. These foods do not provide enough nutrition for long-term Koi health.
Supplemental Koi Foods
In order to provide Koi with a healthy, well-rounded diet, the aquarist must look beyond feeding only packaged or prepared foods. There are many alternative foods that will provide essential vitamins and minerals that will improve overall Koi health.
Fresh vegetables such as romaine lettuce, zucchini, peas, and garlic are usually eagerly accepted by Koi. Peas should only be fed to Koi occasionally, as they act as a natural laxative in fish.
Fruits such as oranges, bananas, and grapes are great occasional treats for Koi, and they contain vitamin C and potassium that help Koi fight off fish disease.
Live fish foods are some of the most nutritious and natural fish foods available to feed Koi. Koi can be offered small, healthy feeder fish such as minnows, white clouds, and small goldfish. Shrimp, fresh shrimp or fish flesh are also excellent alternatives. Worms such as tubifex/bloodworms and earthworms are high in nutrition and favored by Koi.
Feeding Koi During the Winter
When temperatures drop during the winter, the metabolism of the Koi slows down significantly. As a result, the aquarist’s feeding habits must be adjusted, as well as the fish food provided.
Due to their drop in metabolism, Koi cannot process most foods that would ordinarily be fed to them. Unless Koi are kept in warmer waters or moved indoors during the winter months, their diet should be limited to a wheat germ based food. The wheat germ is palatable and easy for the Koi to digest. Any other Koi foods can cause the fish to suffer from digestion and constipation problems. Severe blockages in the fish’s system can result in death.
Winter Koi feeding should only be performed once or twice per week. Minimal food should be used, not only because of the Koi’s slow metabolism, but also because wheat-germ tends to cloud and pollute water more that standard packaged Koi foods.
Choosing the right fish food is critical when it comes to keeping Koi healthy long-term. With proper diet, the aquarist will note a definite improvement in color, behavior, and overall Koi health.
Aaron Guzman - Aaron Guzman currently lives in Eureka, California and works as a freelance writer. He spends his spare time writing fiction, playing ...
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