Koi Fish Food

Did you know that you can train your Koi to eat right out of your hand?  Koi are intelligent fish and will recognize the person who feds them.  Of all your responsibilities as a Koi owner, Koi feeding is the most fun.  That’s why having a Koi keeping hobby is so satisfying and enjoyable.

Koi fish are omnivorous which means that they will both meat and plant matter.  They are also ravenous eaters with voracious appetites.

Hungry koi feeding

The one factor that affects Koi’s eating habits is water temperature.  During the summer months, Koi fish are the most active owners so you should feed them a diet of high protein pellets combined with fruits and vegetables for variety.  Koi fish food can include vegetables like lettuce, duckweed and even brown bread.  Do not feed them white bread, though for it contains chemical additives that are harmful to Koi.  Live food that Koi particularly like include shrimp, worms, tadpoles and cockles.

During the winter months the digestive systems of Koi fish slows down.  It is not necessary to feed them.  During winter, Koi may nibble on algae at the bottom of the pond.  But if you wish you could feed them carbohydrate rich foods that are easy to digest like cereals.  Do not give them a protein based food because they are harder to digest and any food left in their stomachs can become rancid and cause illness to the Koi (especially once the water temperature dips below 50 F).

When buying pellet food, buy the type of Koi fish food that float on the water rather than those that sink.  This gives you the opportunity to observe your Koi as they feed.  Make sure they have good appetites and see if there are any that display signs of sickness (such as loss of appetite, staying by itself especially near the waterfall or fountain, discoloration on the body etc).

Since Koi have such great appetites, you do not need to put a lot of attention into how much they are fed or how they are being fed.   Because of this, one of the best and most relaxing parts of the day for you is feeding time.  You can try to train your Koi to eat from your hand or just watch them eat hungrily away at the food you give them.  This is why Koi feeding is such a joy.