In order to raise healthy Nishikigoi, you must feed koi high-quality food and below are some tips on how to improve koi health, color, and pond water quality.
Why is High-Quality Koi Food Important?
High-quality koi food is important for your koi because it helps improve health, promote more vibrant colors, and increases water clarity in your pond. By providing essential nutrients, proteins, vitamins, and minerals; health is improved. Superior koi food improves koi fish’s appetite by being more palatable than lower quality koi food.
Better food can also promote more vibrant colors in your koi, especially with carotenoid that enhances the coloring of koi. The clarity of your pond is also increased by creating less pollution in the water from uneaten food.
What are Important Ingredients in Koi Food?
Important ingredients in high-quality koi food are Wheat Germ Oil and Spirulina. Wheat Germ Oil is health food for humans and we have learned that its health-boosting oil also improves the skin quality of koi. Spirulina is a nutritional supplement that is a good source of protein, vitamins, and minerals to improve immunity and flesh quality for koi. It helps to make food more digestible for your koi while also enhancing color. Due to its high carotenoid content, Spirulina is typically used to boost the red coloring of koi fish (also known as the Hi pattern).
When and How Should I Feed My Koi?
Feeding your koi usually depends on the temperature of your pond and air. Be careful not to overfeed your koi. The ideal amount of food should be consumed by koi within 5 minutes (10 minutes the most). If there are leftovers, make sure it is skimmed out or else it will pollute the water and lose nutritional value for the koi if eaten later.
There are certain types of koi food that can be fed year around, but you will find that their metabolism will slow down in colder months and thus are not as hungry. The summer is the best time to buy high-quality koi food as that is the time when koi are the most hungry and can achieve the most growth.
If you have more questions, please refer to our extensive koi food guide for color and growth to help explain more about the advantages of quality food.
We’ve compiled a brief list of our top recommended koi food to help you grow vibrant Nishikigoi.
Manda Fu Koi Food is superior because it’s highly palatable and adds extra enjoyment to your koi feeding by being a treat for your koi. It is perfect for all seasons and can be fed when temperatures drop as low as 45°F. Great if you want koi to eat out of your hand.
Color-Up Koi Food is fantastic because it contains top grade Spirulina to enhance your koi’s red color, immunity, and flesh quality. It is best used during the summer when the koi are most hungry and active.
Hi Silk Sweet Potato Koi Food is excellent because it is composed of sweet potato and vitamins. This koi food helps prevent infection from pathogens and bacteria while improving koi immune functions.
