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    Thread: Food.... so what should i get

    1. #1
      frenchsquared's Avatar
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      Food.... so what should i get

      What do you all recommend for feeding 1" to 3" koi to help them grow and build color?
      What do you recommend to feed these same fish in the winter when they don't need the color enhancers?

      Blackwater Color Enhancing Fish Food?
      Blackwater Max Growth?
      Blackwater Color?

      Thanks
      Last edited by frenchsquared; 06-16-2015 at 07:59 PM.

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    2. #2
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      Try mini pellets from hikari, 1"-3" is real small. I would feed wheatgerm in winter. Bwc foods are 3mm minimum, might be too large for those koi size..but if u like the same formula from Bwc then try drs foster smith for smaller size pellets.
      M.Nguyen


    3. #3
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      I ordered Hikari Gold mini and Hikari Stable.
      I saw the wheat germ but figured I dont need it yet.

      The Gold enhances color and the stable promotes growth and health.
      Or so they claim.

      Just got small bags to try and wait for others responses.

      Thanks

    4. #4
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      I would stay away from the color foods and just go with the growth foods and the staple foods as long as your biofilter can keep up with the amount you are feeding. Good color depends on genetics, and the so called "color enhancing foods" can make the whites turn pink.

      I agree that the small pellet size is best for koi that small. Even for the large koi, people are getting away from large pellets and sticking to the small and medium size. There is less waste when you feed smaller pellets.

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      Quote Originally Posted by RickF View Post
      ......I agree that the small pellet size is best for koi that small. Even for the large koi, people are getting away from large pellets and sticking to the small and medium size. There is less waste when you feed smaller pellets.
      Hi Rick,

      In my opinion "less waste" is far more a function of highly digestible ingredients and meal size. Let us not forget that koi do have grinding plate like teeth. Ingredients like soybean, alfalfa, bran etc; simple have lower digestibly than does fishmeal. Additionally higher carbohydrate formulas produce more waste.

    6. #6
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      I think he meant less wasted food.

    7. #7
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      Quote Originally Posted by mtsklar View Post
      Hi Rick,

      In my opinion "less waste" is far more a function of highly digestible ingredients and meal size. Let us not forget that koi do have grinding plate like teeth. Ingredients like soybean, alfalfa, bran etc; simple have lower digestibly than does fishmeal. Additionally higher carbohydrate formulas produce more waste.
      Show us the proof...
      people like to vehemently defend their purchases and find it incredulous that anything could be better

    8. #8
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      Quote Originally Posted by frenchsquared View Post
      I think he meant less wasted food.
      There are so many good Koi food brands out there and some of them even use the exceptional feather meal ingredient to help supply keratin.
      Last edited by SouthernStarr; 06-19-2015 at 07:06 AM.
      people like to vehemently defend their purchases and find it incredulous that anything could be better

    9. #9
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      Quote Originally Posted by mtsklar View Post
      Hi Rick,

      In my opinion "less waste" is far more a function of highly digestible ingredients and meal size. Let us not forget that koi do have grinding plate like teeth. Ingredients like soybean, alfalfa, bran etc; simple have lower digestibly than does fishmeal. Additionally higher carbohydrate formulas produce more waste.
      When the koi grid the large pellets, some of the food escapes out of the gills and is not swallowed. That is the waste I am talking about - food that is discharged through the gills and not swallowed. With small pellets, more of the food is swallowed and less escapes through the gills.

    10. #10
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      Quote Originally Posted by russell peters View Post
      matt likes to hype his fat, high protein food so he likes to tell stories to help sell it.
      lmao

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    11. #11
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      I would like to know how the OP can determine if his koi have "good genetics" or not.
      Tim can always be reached at 850-380-7824 or timnye850@gmail.com

    12. #12
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      Quote Originally Posted by Appliance Guy View Post
      I would like to know how the OP can determine if his koi have "good genetics" or not.
      From where I bought them.
      The fish I bought from amazon clearly look different then the fish i bought from next day koi.
      And the two I hand picked look even better.

      You can buy from breeders that trace the parents.

    13. #13
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      Yes, that would make a 'huge' difference in this conversation...
      people like to vehemently defend their purchases and find it incredulous that anything could be better

    14. #14
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      Quote Originally Posted by frenchsquared View Post
      From where I bought them.
      The fish I bought from amazon clearly look different then the fish i bought from next day koi.
      And the two I hand picked look even better.

      You can buy from breeders that trace the parents.
      I'll ask more the same question, but in simple terminology. What are the criteria to be considered "good genetics"?
      Tim can always be reached at 850-380-7824 or timnye850@gmail.com

    15. #15
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      I thought koi which are just carp, were fairly omnivorous.

      In the wild carp will eat almost as much vegetation as they will eat protein sources, probably more, especially vegetation that has a higher calorie count, like grain, seeds, fruit. I've seen mine eat the plum petals as they fall in the pond, they'll eat whole wheat bread with gusto, and will eat any grass or weed seeds that blow in the pond.
      In the wild, they would also ingest the vegetable contents of their prey's intestines. Carp are meant by nature to eat and assimilate a wide variety of food.
      I think a food with both vegetable and protein ingredients would be more balanced. Imo.
      Regards,BarbJ
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    16. #16
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      Quote Originally Posted by Appliance Guy View Post
      I'll ask more the same question, but in simple terminology. What are the criteria to be considered "good genetics"?
      You can not tell genetics of anything by looking at it. You have to know the blood line.
      That is why koi very so much in price. The genetics and potential of the fish are determined
      by who the breeder is and its parents.

      I am not sure how to better answer the question.

      The criteria for good genetics are to look at the breeder.
      How do they select the fish to keep?
      Do they have any top class fish?
      Have the parents produced great fish?
      Have the parents produces champion fish?

      If they fish are from petco they are pond mutts and do not have good genetics.
      Last edited by frenchsquared; 06-18-2015 at 01:22 PM.

    17. #17
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      Reminds me of the time we took our genetically superior Arabian Horse and breed it to a genetically superior Arabian stud. Stud fee was not cheap. That did not work out to well. BUT, SHE HAD GREAT GENETICS.

    18. #18
      Appliance Guy's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by frenchsquared View Post
      You can not tell genetics of anything by looking at it. You have to know the blood line.
      That is why koi very so much in price. The genetics and potential of the fish are determined
      by who the breeder is and its parents.

      I am not sure how to better answer the question.

      The criteria for good genetics are to look at the breeder.
      How do they select the fish to keep?
      Do they have any top class fish?
      Have the parents produced great fish?
      Have the parents produces champion fish?

      If they fish are from petco they are pond mutts and do not have good genetics.
      Do you consider the koi you are asking about foods for to be "good genetics"?
      Tim can always be reached at 850-380-7824 or timnye850@gmail.com

    19. #19
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      Little better then pond mutts.
      I'm not spending thousands of dollars for fish that will probably get eaten in the first day or two.

      The two Kin Kikokuryu Butterflys, are better then average.
      But clearly not one of the thousand dollar fish some people buy.

      That said... even pond mutts deserve good food.

    20. #20
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      I have 100 fry in a 300 gallon tank that are between 1-3.5". Unfortunately, they eat differently based on their size. Another factor is that some feed on the top and some never come near the top. Since I have been feeding them since they were born, I have used a variety of food. Currently, I am feeding large growth pellets either ground up for the top feeders or softened and squeezed to fall to the bottom. Also I grind up both mysis shrimp and dehydrated blood worms and sprinkle it on the top of the water. Blood worms are the most popular (we call it "crack")!

      I have the luxury of feeding heavily because I have the tank connected to a 12,000 gallon pond which filters the water at a rate of 240 gallons an hour.

      This company on ebay might have some options for you. http://www.ebay.com/usr/aquaticfoods...53.m1438.l2754
      Anne-------American by birth; Southern by the grace of God!!




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