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    Thread: what's your favorite "winter" koi food?

    1. #1
      koisan's Avatar
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      what's your favorite "winter" koi food?

      Wheatgerm has always been my koi food of choice for winter, just would like to know what all of you are using. Anyone cares to share his/her thoughts?

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      hmm. Mine don't get anything once the cover goes on until it comes off (late Nov- early March??). I feed a fall/winter food mostly wheatgerm for a couple weeks before and after but it is mostly an afterthought.

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      My winter food is the same as my food any other time of the year, I just feed less of it.



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      I used AM Wheat Germ last winter. It produced a lot of waste. My Nexus cloged very easy. I will try Hikary Wheat Germ this winter.

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      Winter here in SoCal is relatively mild, so aside from intentional fasting between January and February, I pretty much feed year round with varying amount of food depending on the temp.

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      my fish get no food for 5-6 months..... but in early spring I feed hikari wheat germ. never had an issue with it.

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      osi wheat germ..

    8. #8
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      I've been using JPD All weather with wheat germ. I do feed this once water drops below 60 but similar to you, we may get down below 50 for only a few days at a time. So as long as water is in that 55-60 range I feed sparingly depending on if they are wanting food or not. I have found I like to stop feeding from Late Dec. to late Feb. This helps in egg absorption in the females and naturally preps the Koi for the following spring. My second choice if I couldn't get or changed from JPD would be Hikari. To many people seem to like it not to give it a try.

    9. #9
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      Quote Originally Posted by jimfish98 View Post
      My winter food is the same as my food any other time of the year, I just feed less of it.
      -Rain

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      Quote Originally Posted by fishin4cars View Post
      I've been using JPD All weather with wheat germ. I do feed this once water drops below 60 but similar to you, we may get down below 50 for only a few days at a time. So as long as water is in that 55-60 range I feed sparingly depending on if they are wanting food or not. I have found I like to stop feeding from Late Dec. to late Feb. This helps in egg absorption in the females and naturally preps the Koi for the following spring. My second choice if I couldn't get or changed from JPD would be Hikari. To many people seem to like it not to give it a try.
      Thanks, hikari wheatgerm seemed to be a popular choice, but it's a bit pricey.
      Quote Originally Posted by rainblood View Post
      what are you feeding?

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    11. #11
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      Whatever falls in the water. I cover mine, and there are tons of bugs in there, that I'm sure the koi love to snap up. The water temps drop to about 50 under there, so technically I could feed them, but I don't.







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      pearled barley. koi love it

    13. #13
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      Same food as I feed year round. Kenzen and the fish let me know how much going into Winter. The filters let me know how much I can feed in the Spring (the fish have to stay hungry).

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      Sakai Hikari Multi season

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      Blackwater Wheat Germ


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      We've been using Hikari wheat germ for the last few years.

    17. #17
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      Quote Originally Posted by koisan View Post
      Thanks, hikari wheatgerm seemed to be a popular choice, but it's a bit pricey.

      what are you feeding?
      BWC Max. I'm not made of money people...

      They prolly get feed once a week (or less) in Dec, Jan, Feb...depending on how cold it is.
      They usually remain fairly active during those months unless there's snow and/or ice which used to be a rare occurrence but the past few winters here have been a little wonky.
      -Rain

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      I use OSI growth but not much of it. It's interesting to see the number of folks who think wheat germ should be used in the Winter months and where in the US they are located. Most wheat germ based foods don't really do much except fill the gut of the fish and keep them interested in looking for food, so I've never used it once I found that out. There are a couple brands that do more, and because of that, they are quite expensive, like the Tomigai which has a high % of protein as well. Hikari foods are a very good line of products, and though they cost more up front, if the fish derive more from the food and produce less waste, then your cost actually goes down due to reduced filter maintenance and better overall water quality. Water quality is usually considered by many only during the growing season. The fact that the Winter is just as important with regards to this fact seems to slip by folks mostly due to their weather and location but keeping filters, if running, in good clean shape is important for the health of the fish when making the transition into Spring. It keeps the level of toxins, gasses and parasites to a minimum which allows the fish a chance to get a stronger start ahead of the problems as the water warms up.

      And starting to feed your fish too early in the Spring will cause egg development rather than good strong growth/body conformation. So, feeding in early March or even April or May can be detrimental to the overall condition of the fish throughout the growing season.
      Mike

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    19. #19
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      Thanks for chiming in on this topic, but I thought wheatgerm was quite beneficial for skin development and prevent gut indigestion the way that fiber does for human? Where can you get OSI food btw?

    20. #20
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      Not really. I've used OSI mixed with Saki Hikari Growth for many years and then just switch to OSI only during the off-season periods. You should be able to get the OSI from a few shops in SoCal. If not, try DreamPond.com. He offers it with free shipping.
      Mike

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