One of the many wonderful things about owning a koi pond is feeding the fish. Throwing in a few pellets and watching your finned friends swim around with joy as they eat up the delicious food. It is an activity that the whole family can enjoy, but there are a few tips to keep in mind while feeding your koi. At Amen Corner Ponds we have compiled a list to help this process be smooth and easy as well as fun.
1: Feed Koi & Pond Fish High Quality Food
Fish food is not all as high quality as they may seem. Studies have been done to see which foods fish digest the best. What did it reveal? The best food for your koi is fish. Makes sense when you think about it. In the wild fish eat other smaller fish. We recommend Aquascapes fish food for your fish food needs.
2: Stick To The 5-Minute Rule
When feeding your fishy friends, make sure not to feed them more than they can eat in five minutes. Your fish will be able to consume what they need in that time period. If you find your larger fish are eating your water lilies and other plants you may want to up the amount a little.
3: You Don’t Have To Feed Your Fish
If you are worried about your beautiful butterfly koi or the one you call Moby Dick while you are on vacation, they will be just fine. If they are living in a proper ecosystem pond they will have plenty to eat while you and your family are away on holiday.
4: Store Fish Food Properly
It is extremely important to keep your fish food stored correctly. It’s best not to buy more fish food than you need in one season, unless of course you don’t mind storing large bags of food in the refrigerator over the winter. You don’t want to freeze fish food because freezing damages the fats in the food and the fat-soluble vitamins will be compromised.
If your pond fish food begins to smell funny and develops a fuzz on it, changes color, sticks together, or crumbles down, it should be discarded. Giving your finned friends bad food can cause a whole host of problems with your fish. Much of what grows in fish foods produces what are known as aflatoxins. These can cause injury, deficiency and even broken backs in the fish that eat it.
5: It’s Not Only Ok, It’s Awesome To Give Your Fish A Summer Snack!
It’s not necessary, but it is a lot of fun to give your fish some summertime snacks. Koi enjoy watermelon, orange slices, peas and even Honey Nut Cheerios. They love it and so will you! It’s also a great way to get them to interact with you and your kids or grandkids.
6: Establish A Consistent Schedule
It will be easier and more enjoyable to stick with a consistent feeding schedule. The fish get used to seeing you at the same time each day and you’ll be more successful at getting them to eat out of your hand. It takes patience and time but can be so enjoyable to hand feed your finned friends.
We hope you have enjoyed this article and that it will help you with feeding your finned friends. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at Amen Corner Ponds. Also please feel free to check out our other free resources to help you with your water feature needs. Thanks for reading!
