How To Feed Your Koi
AMOUNT & FREQUENCY:
Koi should be fed one time per day MINIMUM to maintain their body weight and health. Twice a day during the warmest months of the year is recommended. Feed your koi as much as they eagerly consume in about 5 minutes to maintain their health and keep them happy.
The amount of food, and how often you feed your koi will depend on whether you are trying to maintain your koi’s health or trying to grow your koi larger. Koi can be fed as little as once a day or as often as 8 times a day. The amount and frequency that you feed you koi will impact the amount of maintenance that goes into the pond in order to keep your koi, and pond as a whole as healthy as possible. If your koi are ever not interested in food and water temperatures are 50F or above please contact your local professional as this may be a sign of stress. Happy koi are hungry koi!
WATER TEMP:
Other than letting the activity of your koi dictate how much and how often to feed, every pond owner should have a thermometer to help guide their feeding schedule. 40F and below STOP FEEDING, 45-55F Feeding will be dependent on koi activity levels…If they are begging for food it is good to feed them a little bit of low protein food. 56-60F feed your koi 1 time every, every other day depending on activity and level. 60F and above feed your koi 1 time a day at minimum.
KOI POND FILTRATION:
Make sure you have a proper filtration system capable of handling daily feeding. You may find that as you koi grow and the amount of food you feed increases that you will have to upgrade your pond filter system.
TYPE OF FEED:
There are many types of koi food on the market today. Just like other types of pet food there are many different grades and lots of companies trying to sell you the latest and greatest food. It is best to feed a high grade koi food that is trusted by seasoned hobbyists and professional alike. It is also important to feed a lower protein type feed in the cooler months when water temperatures are in the 45F-59F range, and a high protein type feed during the warmer months of the year when water temperatures are 60F or above. The higher quality feeds reduce the amount of pond maintenance needed.