Balanced Koi & Fish Food for Healthy Ponds
More Top Pond Keeping Tips: Click image right for UK pond products. A waterfall adds oxygen to a pond by creating a large surface area across which air can be absorbed into the circulating water. A simple fountain also adds large amounts of oxygen to pond water. A fountain is cheaper than a waterfall. The oxygen added to pond water serves 2 important purposes... fish and bacteria in the pond biofilter need oxygen to survive. More oxygen is added through the pond surface on windy days and water in winter can hold a higher concentration of oxygen than in summer. This is why trout live in colder climates... they need more oxygen than koi.
Koi nutrition, as opposed to practical, scientific fish keeping aspects like filtration, is a widely debated subject. Unfortunately, many koi keepers are not in a position to question fishfood manufacturers and so-called experts concerning koi nutrition. The outcome is that we are forced to blindly accept the information that we are given.
In an attempt to aid your understanding of koi health and nutrition, this article will look at the key components of a balanced diet. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to examine the ingredients and quantities label on the fish food you purchase and understand the relevance of the information displayed.
How Much is Too Much?
It’s important that you realise how your pond environment differs from the ‘natural’ environment in which you would usually find koi.
In the clay ponds of a koi farm, koi can forage for food all day long at their leisure to satisfy their energy and nutritional needs. In our crystal clear garden fishponds, however, our koi depend on us to give them a healthy, balanced diet.
A balanced diet consists of food from the range of nutrient groups in sufficient quantities.
Just like if we were to overindulge in fast foods, we would encounter health problems – our koi need to be fed a diet that is not deficient in certain nutrients, otherwise their health will suffer.
Sponsored Products...
In the long run the most expensive part of fish pond keeping is the cost of food. It pays to buy the best yet most economical.
Bradshaws Koi Food (and winter Wheatgerm) is fantastic value for money in modern sensible koi food packaging.
The natural solution to green water and blanketweed. Viresco is specially made in the UK
Viresco sold worldwide is A natural algae solution.
Keep that fish pond bottom clean with reliable
Pond Vacuum from Bradshaws
25 year guarantee
pond liner
Testing
pond water can in itself become an intriguing and interesting hobby.
Get a
reliable test kit however.
The Main Nutrient Groups Proteins
Vitally important for the growth of your fish, protein is also one of the determining factors in the price of koi food. Furthermore, protein plays a significant role in the repair of damaged tissue and the making of eggs and sperm. There are twenty-four amino acids which make up proteins, and koi need ten of these amino acids to be included in their diet, as the rest they are able to manufacture themselves.
Sources of these ten essential amino acids are fishmeal, wheat germ and poultry meal. Young koi that are growing will require more protein, making up approximately 35% or their diet. Older koi, on the other hand, will require less protein which will have to be adjusted according to their seasonal metabolic requirements.
Carbohydrates
Koi require carbohydrates in large quantities as this food group is their primary source of energy. Carbohydrates and complex sugars like starch are found in vegetables, which are also a source of fibre that aids the movement of food through the gut. Artificial fishfood compared to a natural fish diet will contain less fibre in order to reduce the amount of waste entering the pond.
Ensuring the correct quantities of carbohydrates is important. Insufficient carbohydrates will cause fish to use protein to meet their energy needs, which will be more costly in the long run. It will also cause decreased growth rate and an increased secretion of ammonia. Excessive carbohydrate intake, however, will lead to overweight fish.
Lipids
Another source of energy for your koi, lipids are also responsible for the development of cell membranes and for transporting fat-soluble vitamins. Less than ten percent of a koi’s diet should be made up of lipids which can be found in fish oil or vegetable oils. Trout pellets, however, are very oily and are discouraged as a primary source of nourishment. Just as in a human diet, it is recommended that you feed your koi unsaturated fats as opposed to the unhealthier option of saturated fats.
Vitamins
Vitamins are required in minuscule amounts, but they remain indispensable for optimum growth and the healthy functioning of koi. Many vitamins are very unstable and can become less potent and effective over time. In this regard, it is always good to check up on expiry dates and to use within the specified time-frame.
Of all the vitamins, vitamin C is one that is deserving of special attention as it is responsible for combating disease and the repair of injured tissue. Koi won’t obtain vitamin C naturally in your garden fishpond, so it is important that it is included in their diet. Vitamin C is also unstable and likely to deteriorate during the manufacturing of fishfood, and you should therefore check that vitamin C is included in a stabilised form in any food that you buy.
Minerals
Like vitamins, minerals are also needed in trace quantities. They function by supporting metabolic functions and the health of tissue, which in the case of fish is their skin, scales and bones. The primary source of minerals in fish food is ash, but koi are also able to obtain many of the minerals that they require from the pond water.
Healthy Food for Healthy Fish
Whether we’re talking about our own health or the health of our treasured koi, there is no denying the fact that diet plays a fundamental role in good bodily function. Our fish are dependent on us for their nutritional requirements as they are unable to get everything that they need from their environment.
What can you do? Make sure that the food you are feeding your koi contains everything that they need to for optimum health. You can do this by checking the labels of fish food for nutrient and vitamin quantity declarations and for expiry dates. Another aspect to look out for is whether the food contains a pleasing balance of animal and vegetable ingredients.
