Fish Tank Soil
Koi Nutrition Is Important and Simple by James Whitman
Having a pond in your backyard simply ups the extravagance and beauty to your outside domain. By simply adding a few fish, Koi for example, creates an even more beautiful pond. Having fish in a pond is like having a big open fish tank outside, but better. Keeping the water and their environment clean is a vital task and the Koi food that you offer is also important.
Koi fish are essentially a variety of the Carp species, but all decked out in an array of colors and patterns. Koi can be found at your local pet store but these fish do not meet the standards of the more sought after Koi that will tend to have the brilliant colors and patterns Koi are known for. Regardless if you have the $5.00 Koi from your local pet store or have a more expensive Koi that was purchased from a breeder, they still need to be fed and will eat the same foods.
Is in the nature of Koi to eat almost anything they can get into their mouths. Koi have been known to eat a variety of fruit and vegetables and there are a number of products on the market today specifically designed as Koi food. We know that in their natural habitat, Mother Nature provides for them. When we take Koi out of their environment, we then need to ensure that we care for them properly.
When we view our ponds or water gardens, we will think about the time we spent on several weekends creating and building. We watch the Koi swim around in the water and ponder what they think. Isn’t Mother Nature grand? She can provide the soil, the luscious plants and the exotic fish that you are able to enjoy in your own back yard.
Enjoying your Koi is an experience in itself. Offering Koi food can be fun as well, especially when you hand feed them kibbles. Most Koi food that is available today will float on the surface of the water. The process of floating allows you to view them more closely to ensure their bodies are free of ulcers and/or parasites. This is a benefit to you as well as your Koi so that you can give a visual health check and keep their environment, as well as each other, healthy.
Koi food can be purchased at pet stores and online. There are a number of brands that you can choose from and each will vary slightly in their ingredients as well as price and weight. Keep in mind that pricing of Koi food is just like any other foods, in that the most expensive is not always the best. Choose the food that will keep your Koi the healthiest. If you purchased your Koi from a breeder or online, you can inquire from them as to what they were feeding the Koi so that you can continue the same or similar diet.
You can offer Koi food once a day and it can be primarily pellets. You could offer treats such as earthworms or fruit as an occasional treat. The healthier your Koi are, the brighter their colors will be but remember you don’t have to spend a fortune on quality food.
About the Author
James Whitman was born in the UK and became interested in Koi during a trip to Japan. He is very active in local koi groups, loves anything to do with Koi, especially sharing his koi feeding guidelines and has written his own e-book, “Starting the Koi Fish Hobby” which is available along with a free ten part email mini-course at his website.
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