« Making a cost plan for a sunroom | Home | Online marketing: Doomsday Queen »
Koi Feeding: How Much for Each Season
By Pamella Neely | November 22, 2008
Koi have been thought to bring good luck in Asia for thousands of years. But more than luck is required when feeding koi fish in the fall and winter. Knowledge, understanding and a thermometer take the guesswork out of feeding outdoor koi.
When and what to feed outdoor koi is determined by water temperature. Koi grow and build up reserves for winter during warm temperatures. During the summer months, koi need more protein because the bulk of their growth takes place at this time. They eat voraciously and can be a lot of fun to feed by hand since they are especially social creatures.
Seasonal adaptations to their feeding schedules need to be made to account for varying feeding habits. In spring and fall, when temperatures begin to drop, their food needs change, as their growth patterns decrease. It is time to add wheat germ to their normal summer food.
You need to keep a close check on water temperature and when the temperature begins to drop in the fall, getting below 60 degrees, use the wheat germ food only. Their metabolism slows when water temperatures get below 55 degrees and their feeding needs comparatively drops. Once the temperatures reaches 50 degrees or below, discontinue feeding altogether until spring when temperatures rise again. Remember the 70-60-50 rule. At 70 degrees, feed low protein and wheat germ. At 60 degrees, feed wheat germ only. At 50, stop all feeding until temperatures rise again in the spring.
Monitoring the weather as cold fronts and other weather systems come through is useful to determining when to end feeding. If the weather will be changing in the days after the feeding, stop feeding them just before the temperature change. Koi can not process food at colder temperatures and unprocessed food will begin to decay causing potential infection and disease. A mild antibiotic added to the last feedings of winter will help keep the fish healthy during the wintry months when the bacteria are low and the pond water’s balance is not in harmony.
If this all sounds a bit high maintenance, automatic koi feeders will do the work for you. While they won’t load themselves with the seasonal food needed, they will dispense the food you load into them at specific times and intervals. Research shows that it is better to feed koi small meals several times a day rather than distributing one large feeding. An automatic koi feeder also insures that the food is not wasted and the fish are not overeating.
Automatic koi feeders range from under 50 dollars to over 200 dollars. Some are a bit unattractive and detract from the beauty you value while others are beautiful pagodas that enhance the Japanese feel of a lovely koi pond. Either way, a vacation is much more enjoyable when the worry of your fish being belly up when you arrive home is eliminated.
When spring arrives and the temperatures begin to rise, you need to reverse the feeding process. As temperatures rise, increase the feeding. First, add back the wheat germ, then go to the wheat germ and low protein feed, and finally, go to the full summer feeding as the temperatures get above 70 degrees. Follow a reverse rule, the 50-60-70 rule. Careful attendance to koi feeding will keep you fish healthy and happy. They will then give you many hours of enjoyment.
Topics: Hobbies |
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.
