One of the most relaxing pastimes that you can ever indulge in is Koi feeding. Koi fish are quite intelligent and know their mealtime well. Most Koi owners marvel at the way their fish gather precisely at the point they are standing and almost wait for the food. Some feel they are almost like dogs that recognize their master when he comes to feed them. You will also find that any time you clean the pond; your Koi will fearlessly come towards you and try to tickle your arm or your leg. It’s quite a nice feeling to have your pet bond with you. Koi are one of the liveliest fish around. No wonder most owners hate missing the Koi feeding time.

The Koi fish are generally omnivores. Omnivores are animals that eat both plants and animals. Hence, Koi love to eat both fauna and flora. It’s generally been observed that these fish feed best in the water with a temperature level between 61 to 75 F. They are quite active in the summer months and hence need a wholesome diet of good quality. It’s a well known fact that besides eating the food given by the owner, Koi fish love to eat insects and other small organisms that happen to come into the pond. In the monsoon months, you will find your Koi fish feasting on the worms that come into the pond. Live plants are another hot favourite with the Koi. They treat it like a gourmet salad and the next day you will only get some shreds of your precious plants. Hence, if you are thinking of decorating the pond with some plants to avoid a desolate kind of look, you will be better off with the plastic ones rather than the live ones.

Koi feeding time is also a good time to assess the general health and well-being of your fish. You can use fish pellets for this purpose. You would generally get pellets that are specially made for the Koi fish in the market. Pellets tend to float on the surface and hence you would see the Koi milling around it. This will help you to ascertain if your fish are doing well or not. You will also be able to see if there are any open sores and if your fish are eating well. Pellets also help Koi to get a balanced diet so that there are no deficiencies. Apart from these pellets, you can also feed some lettuce and peas as well. This will help them to maintain a good digestive system and healthy pigmentation.

Koi feeding is quite minimal in the winters. This is because if the temperature of the water remains below 50 C, then the food in their intestines tends to rot which will lead to health problems. Since they don’t need much food in winter due to a slow metabolism, you need to restrict your Koi feeding. They generally survive on the algae in the pond in these months.

Efe Giolla is a koi expert. For more information on koi feeding and how to care properly for koi fish visit http://koicareadviser.com.

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