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Feeding Koi: The Hows and Whats June 14 2017, 3 Comments
When feeding your pond-dwellers, there are three main aspects you need to consider for proper nutrition. These are: Feeding your fish the appropriate foods, feeding them the proper amounts, and feeding them food that’s best for the season.
Determining what and how often to feed your fish depends primarily on water temperature. In warmer water (60-85 degrees) the metabolism of the fish is high and they can be fed 2-4 times per day. At this time you should be feeding a food with a high protein level such as Kenny’s Vibrant Vittles, which contains 35% premium protein. As water temperatures begin to rise in the spring, koi will become more active and require higher amounts of protein. However, during spring and summer, younger koi have a higher protein requirement than adults. Our premium koi food is 100% guaranteed to be nutritionally balanced.
In spring and fall when your water temperatures fall to 50-60 degrees, you should reduce feeding to once every 1-2 days and feed your koi a low-protein food such as Kenny’s Chillin’ Chow, which contains 28% protein.
Hot Times in the Summer
If the water rises to 90 degrees or above, you should stop feeding. On hot days, the fish may become active and "beg" for food. Don't be fooled. It’s important to stay strong and do not feed them. If the fish do need a little food, they will find enough growing in the pond. The algae that coats the pond liner is all they should need.
Winter Woes
America’s Best Koi Food has feed for every season. It is important for you to measure the temperature of the water in your pond. Once the water temperature drops to less than 50º F, the koi will become less active and their appetite decreases as metabolism slows down; they will not be able to process the high protein in their food. However, many koi owners let the fish be their guide, and offer food if they appear active and hungry. If koi appear hungry, Kenny’s Chillin’ Chow may be offered for approximately 2 minutes once or twice a week.
If water temperature hovers at 50º F, Kenny’s Chillin’ Chow may be offered for approximately 2 minutes once or twice a week. Keep in mind, the protein requirements are the same for all ages of koi during the winter feeding months.
Timing for Feeding Fish
Whether you choose to feed three times a day or three times a week, you need to make sure you feed only what your fish will consume in five minutes. A little experimenting can teach you how much to feed. If, five minutes after feeding, there is still uneaten food you know to not feed that much next time.
The main step you can take to ensure you keep a pond full of healthy, beautiful koi is to feed them the best koi fish food. Order economical koi food from America’s Best Koi Food today and give your fish the right diet to help them thrive.
The Art of Koi: Varieties and Symbolism March 22 2017, 2 Comments
Raising koi is a fun hobby, and a pond featuring these beautiful fish can be a delightful addition to your landscape. But, do you know the whole story of these living paintings? Many people think koi and goldfish are interchangeable, but they’re not. An easy way to distinguish the two: Koi have barbels or whiskers on their lip; goldfish don’t. Koi are ornamental varieties of the common carp that were originally domesticated in Eastern Asia in the early 400s (that’s not a typo!) as an important source of food.
It wasn’t until much later, around the 1820s, that the carp moved off the dinner plate and began being bred for their unique color variations. However, the general public wasn’t aware of the development of these stunning fish until 1914, when the Niigata koi were exhibited at an annual exposition in Tokyo. From then on, the hobby of keeping koi spread worldwide.
Types of Koi
Koi breeders have identified and named a number of specific categories of the fish based on color, pattern, and scale formation. The major colors of koi are white, black, red, yellow, blue, and cream, with more exotic colors such as solid metallic silver and gold being bred more recently.
The most notable and popular category of koi is Gosanke, which is made up of more than twenty varieties; however, you can find more than 120 varieties of koi if you look at other categories.
The most common koi are easily found by contacting breeders or farms and even stores such as Petco.
Kohaku, the oldest and most well-known variety of koi, have a solid white base with patterns of red overlaid on top of the white.
Showa Sanshoku, or just Showa, have white and red/orange patterns over a black base color that wraps around the body. Showa also has black patterns on its head.
Tancho is a hugely popular variation of Kohaku. The only red pattern on this fish is a single red dot on its head, which is symbolic of the Japanese flag.
Symbolism and Koi
A couple thousand years ago, a legend in China was formed that told how carp that swam up a waterfall and through the dragon gate were magically transformed into dragons. Through perseverance and endurance, the carp become mythical beings. Two thousand years later and the koi fish still symbolize perseverance and endurance, as well as strength and individualism.
Because koi can develop such variation in colors, it shouldn’t be a surprise that each color also has a specific connotation. Of course, gold koi such as Kigoi represent wealth and prosperity. Metallic koi such as Matsuba symbolize business success. A blue koi such as Asagi brings serenity and also symbolizes positivity. Black koi symbolize love and overcoming adversity.
One step you can take to ensure you keep a pond full of healthy, beautiful koi is to feed them the best koi fish food. Order economical koi food from America’s Best Koi Food today and give your fish the right diet to help them thrive.