Koi fish are becoming very popular in the United States, so people are having custom made Koi fish ponds built in their back yards. They originally come from Japan and they are called the fish of “love.” It is their spectacular colors and growth the fish can achieve that attracts more and more people to these exotic fish. When it comes to having Koi fish as pets, their diet is very important.
Koi fish are bottom feeders, so they will eat food off the bottom of the pond. It is recommended to not feed the Koi fish more than once a day, because their metabolism is a bit on the slower side. Especially in the winter time, their metabolism almost comes to a halt. The water becomes colder than in the summer time. This means they do not expend a lot of energy, therefore do not need to eat a lot of food.
You would think that it would be expensive to feed Koi fish, but it really is not. All Koi fish are omnivorous, so they will eat both plants and animals. You actually have food right in your refrigerator or cabinet that you can feed them. I bet you did not even know that. Koi fish will eat bread, cheerios, peas, spinach and even earthworms. If you want to give your Koi fish a special treat, give them some watermelon. One thing you should not ever feed your Koi fish is lettuce. Lettuce has no nutritional value and is made up of mostly water, so the Koi fish will gain nothing from it. If you do not have these foods, then make sure you buy some high quality protein sticks that will sink to the bottom of the pond.
Another thing to consider is the type of Koi that you have. What are the primary colors, what is the average growth rate and size that your Koi fish is capable of reaching. When you consider all these factors, this will also determine how much those particular Koi fish will eat. After some time, when the fish have become familiar with you, some have even been known to eat out of their owners’ hand. How cool would that be?
Overall, you need to know exactly what kind of Koi fish you have and its characteristics. This will in turn help you to determine the proper kinds of foods and how much you should feed them.