Feeding your pet is always an interesting experience. You can feel comfortable and warm in your heart and mind when you do this. Koi is one of the best pets that you can see interestingly from your aquarium or pond. And of course, you want to see your koi is healthy. Feeding them with nutritious food can be a necessary activity to create healthy Koi, but how is nutritious food? How do we feed the koi? Below, we will discuss koi feeding guide.
Feeding Koi with Nutritious Food
There is some cheap koi food that is sold in the pet store, but does it contain enough nutrients for your Koi? If you buy the cheaper one, you can get a lot of food and your Koi will waste it all, but is that good for them? The fact of using cheaper Koi food is that it lacks carbohydrates and vitamins.
Let’s compare with other Koi food that has more expensive price. You can see the food is just eaten a little by Koi, but the effects are great. Your Koi is healthier and the skin is brighter. The movement is more energic.
In conclusion, if you want to give the best food for your Koi, buy the best one that contains high nutrition. Although it is more expensive, it will not make your pond dirty and it is good for your Koi.
Feeding Koi with Your Hand
Koi lovers like to feed their Koi using hand. This is not wrong. It will build a closed relationship between the Koi and the owner, but you must be careful to do this action. We usually feed fish by throwing the food into the water and if there is movement on the surface of the water, your Koi will appear.
Don’t make them become surprised with your hand. Your Koi needs a common way. If you are not usual to feed them by hand, give your Koi a time to feel comfortable with your hand.
The first you give your hand to the water, your Koi will feel that it treats them, but if you frequently do it with food on your hand, they will realize that your hand gives them food not to treat them. So, make your Koi as comfortable as you can do. Don’t force them to accept your hand’s presence in a short time. It needs time to make them comfortable with your hand.
Feeding Koi Based on the Temperature
Because koi is cold-blooded creature, Koi can not control their body heat temperature. That is the reason to feed Koi based on the temperature. Koi will become more active in warm water. Furthermore, Koi needs a lot of food in the warmer water. The warmer the water temperature is in the pond, the more food koi need to consume.
It means you need to pay attention to the water temperature before feeding your Koi. If the water is cold, you don’t need to give koi much food. It will make bad effects on Koi’s body. Below, you can see the table how much food that you can give to your Koi based on the water temperature.
| No. | Feeding frequency | Water temperature | Feed type |
| 1 | Do not feed your Koi | 4.5 degrees celcius | None |
| 2. | Once until twice a week | 5 – 10 degrees celcius | Wheat |
| 3. | Twice until three times a week | 10.5 – 13 degrees celcius | Wheat |
| 4. | Three times until four times a week | 13.5 – 15.5 degrees celcius | Wheat |
| 5. | Four times until five times a week | 16-18.5 degrees celcius | Wheat and protein |
| 6. | Once until twice a day | 19- 21 degrees celcius | Aquatic, wheat, and protein |
| 7. | Twice until four times a day | 22-24 degrees celcius | Aquatic, protein |
| 8. | Twice until three times a day | 24.5 – 27 degrees celcius | Aquatic, protein |
| 9. | Once every other day | 27 – 29.5 degrees celcius | Aquatic, protein |
| 10. | Reduce feeding | Up to 30 degrees celcius | Wheat until none |
Besides feeding your Koi based on the water temperature, you can feed your Koi based on the weight of the Koi. You can give food 1 until 4 percent from the bodyweight of koi. That is the ideal rule to feed your Koi. You can try this way and find your koi to become healthier, brighter, and more energic in your pond.
You need to know that koi don’t have a stomach. So, Koi needs a little food at once feeding session, because of it, Koi is very easy to be hungry, especially when the water is warm. Besides, Koi is a cold-blooded creature that makes them can not control their heat body’s temperature.
Below, some factors that you need to know to decide the amount of Koi food
- The Water Temperature
The higher the water temperature the pond has, the more food the koi needs. So, feed them as the table given above.
- The Size of Your Koi
The bigger size of the Koi, the bigger the amount of food koi need. It is about 1 to 4 percent from the body’s weight
- The Cleanliness of Your Pond
The cleaner of the fish pond, the easier digestive system of the Koi to process the food in its body
- The Amount of Oxygen in the Water
The more oxygen in the water, you can give more food to the koi. Because clean water contains high oxygen that helps to process the food in Koi’s body.
- Pumps Ability to Filter the Poop
If the koi eats much food every particular time that we make, please pay attention to the pumps. Because if koi eats much food, of course, the production of its poop is bigger and pumps are very needed to filter the water. To make the water contains high oxygen, it needs a good quality pump. If the water is clean and rich with oxygen inside, it will help the digestive system of Koi. And the result is, your Koi will be healthier than before.
In conclusion, you need a koi feeding guide to form your shining Koi. Your Koi will be shined and in a healthy condition if you care about the way they eat.