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    Thread: Kenzen for Winter feeding

    1. #1
      Simlaw is offline Member
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      Kenzen for Winter feeding

      Hi all, I have read that kenzen koi food is suitable for winter feeding, I have also read that it is not a good food, it is expensive and if not good I do not want to continue feeding my koi with it. Any advice for a novice in NJ would be appreciated.

      Simon

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      Hi Simon:

      I have fed my fish Kenzen for about a decade. My experience is from the Pacific Northwest and not NJ. Each of our ponds are different and so we have find what works best for us and our fish.

      All that being said: I can feed my fish with Kenzen and Breeders Choice to much lower temperatures than other foods that I have tried. The fish slow themselves down and I stop them at 38-40*F depending upon the weather and near Christmas. I have stopped feeding my fish year round (outdoors) and I do give them a couple of months of fasting during the coldest months we have up here in the PNW. I find they seem to be better off doing this the last couple of years I have tried it. When I have fed other foods I had much more detrius in the sieves and now it is virtually none existent. Other foods also gave me more problems during our Spring start up which can be very long. Some years into June.

      I still get a bag here and there of other foods during koi shows or the PNKCA convention and I use it with Kenzen. Yes, Kenzen does cost more than some foods. However I find that I feed about 40% less food when I use just Kenzen. So I believe it actually goes further pound for pound than some other foods. I do not believe it is priced any higher than comparable foods. I certainly would not feed my fish any but Kenzen below 50*F unless it was not available and then I would need to look hard and fast at any food I might consider or just not feed below 50*F. This is probably a whole discussion by itself.

      As far as Kenzen not being a good food. I would disagree but everyone has an opinion. There have been many "food" threads on this board in the past. Most of them heated and very few facts. So I will simply stick to what I know and for me Kenzen IS a good food and I am willing to continue using it.
      Last edited by montwila; 10-14-2018 at 11:34 AM.

    3. #3
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      Thanks for the info. Monte, I will continue feeding Kenzen and see how they react to the colder temperatures that are starting here in NJ. We can get some fairly harsh Winters here and I would expect the water to go below 50F early November then I will only feed sparingly if they appear to be hungry. I fed with Dainichi premium before Kenzen which is also fairly expensive but not so much as the Kenzen, I agree that the fish eat less of the Kenzen so cost wise it's about even.

      This is my first full year with a Koi pond so I have a steep learning curve, I had the pond built in September last year and have already faced problems like an unreliable pump, herons (Grey and Green so I use a net cover all the time) also green water which I solved by adding water hyacinths and putting a bag of activated charcoal in the skimmer box. I have 11 koi in an approximately 2500 gallon pond and I am amazed at the growth this year, they went from 7 or 8 inches to about 12 to 14.

      I am planning on putting a cover over the pond for Winter to stop the ice from getting thick as I am concerned that the water is not deep enough (about 24 inches max) so I have a clear plastic tarp and am thinking of placing 4x2 across the width. Do you cover your pond?, just wondering about the pros and cons.

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      Any Koi food on the market can be fed to your Koi in cold water. When I was in CA my ponds were outside and the water would get down to 36 degrees and I still fed every three to four days at those temps. I used a food, which I still use, made by Ultra Balance.
      people like to vehemently defend their purchases and find it incredulous that anything could be better

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      My fish are refusing food lately. Ever since my Ochiba died, they don't eat as well and are afraid of me, it seems. I even tried Manda fu, and they ignored it. Babies are eating like crazy.







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      Quote Originally Posted by nmtsaki View Post
      My fish are refusing food lately. Ever since my Ochiba died, they don't eat as well and are afraid of me, it seems. I even tried Manda fu, and they ignored it. Babies are eating like crazy.
      :off topic: Nancy, any chance a heron or some other predator has been harassing your fish? That always make mine nervous when they see me and my shadow.



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      Quote Originally Posted by Russell Peters View Post
      Any Koi food on the market can be fed to your Koi in cold water. When I was in CA my ponds were outside and the water would get down to 36 degrees and I still fed every three to four days at those temps. I used a food, which I still use, made by Ultra Balance.
      Yep - from 8 years ago but to the point. https://www.koiphen.com/forums/showth...e-Just-Snapped

      This is a good documentation as it occurred and just using a much less expensive food that I have used for over a decade.

    8. #8
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      Yeah I know it was off-topic, but I figured I'd throw it in anyway! I have not seen any herons or other predators, but that doesn't mean anything. My pond is netted, and nothing can get in anyway. They only seem to be afraid of me and their food. Thanks for responding though!!

      Quote Originally Posted by Koigrl View Post
      :off topic: Nancy, any chance a heron or some other predator has been harassing your fish? That always make mine nervous when they see me and my shadow.







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    9. #9
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      Quote Originally Posted by Simlaw View Post
      Hi all, I have read that kenzen koi food is suitable for winter feeding, I have also read that it is not a good food, it is expensive and if not good I do not want to continue feeding my koi with it. Any advice for a novice in NJ would be appreciated.

      Simon
      Can you post a picture of the feeding instructions on the bag. I can't seem to find it on google.
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      Over the years I tried just about every food out there and ending up liking Kenzen the best. I got better growth from Kenzen, and less waste as seen in my Sieves.

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      Quote Originally Posted by KoiRun View Post
      Can you post a picture of the feeding instructions on the bag. I can't seem to find it on google.
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      Quote Originally Posted by OCkoiFan View Post
      Translating food instructions to feeding Saki Hikari Multi-season which is making me feed koi at least once daily in winter temps.

      Rough estimate imo:

      4-5 pellets Kenzen ~ 12-15 pellets Hikari per koi. (one pellet of Kenzen ~ 3 pellets of Hikari size/wt/protein-wise)
      I have 5 koi so I should feed at least 60 pellets of hikari daily which is about 5 grams.
      Which is how much I fed last winter!! 54F+ water temps. They all came out of winter nicely BUT 2 my females were eggy resulting in me having to do a summer fast.
      This winter I will feed the same amount of 5 grams but feed most of it to my 2 males and the 1 female that does not tend to egg up. Would I be risking the health of my 2 other females? Does anybody else have similar problems with Kenzen or Saki Hikari when when fed in winter?

      I would personally use Kenzen if it was available here in Canada since I trust the author (I believe Matt Sklar (?)), but I wish it contains some sort of pro-biotic though.
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      I would personally use Kenzen if it was available here in Canada since I trust the author (I believe Matt Sklar (?)), but I wish it contains some sort of pro-biotic though.[/QUOTE]

      Hi Marthe, it does not have pro-biotics but it does have pre-biotics in the form of Fructooligosaccharides which are probably better as they they feed the existing gut bacteria.

      As far as me feeding Kenzen through the Winter is concerned, my little posse are hardly eating anything now and the temp has only just got down to 60F. I can't even see my black one, although come to think of it, I can't normally see him anyway.

    14. #14
      *Ci*'s Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by KoiRun View Post
      I would personally use Kenzen if it was available here in Canada since I trust the author (I believe Matt Sklar (?)), but I wish it contains some sort of pro-biotic though.
      Lol, drive down to New York and pick it up! I get mine in the states when I go down to CA to visit my mother. Totally worthwhile, IMO, especially when compared to the lousy brands available to us in Canada.
      That being said, I do like this food from Northfin, a Canadian manufacturer. Although pricey, and have been feeding it since I ran out of Kenzen. I may switch permanently, I really like the ingredient list:

      https://www.northfin.com/services/koi-supreme/
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      Questions to all who are feeding with Kenzen (not necessarily winter only):

      What were you using before you switched to Kenzen?
      Do your fish go for Kenzen "enthusiastically"?
      If so, have they from the beginning or did it take time for them to adjust when changing from another food?
      Do you supplement it with other brands ? Which ones?

      I'm asking because I purchased 5 10lb. bags of Kenzen (it will store better / don't have one large open bag). Finished Saki-Hikari. So I started one bag of Kenzen, and I guess I expected them to be really going at it, and they weren't. I thought it was just transitional; we finished the 10 lb. bag and started on the next and they're still 'ok' with it, but not as much as Saki-Hikari, or even Blackwater Creek Gold-N IIRC.

      3 Bags left. Before I open any more, I'd really like to know what you all have to say. Thanks!
      Last edited by DarkStar; 10-16-2018 at 05:22 PM. Reason: added content
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      Koi and goldfish - both enthusiastic from day 1 of switching to Kenzen. I also feed a sinking food for my shy fish - Ken’s Earthworm sticks and NorthSea Veggie pellets. Plus loads of fresh bugs and worms, and homemade gel foods with kelp, spirulina, seaweeds and fish, shrimp, etc... recipe changes all the time.
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      Quote Originally Posted by GoldieGirl View Post
      Koi and goldfish - both enthusiastic from day 1 of switching to Kenzen. I also feed a sinking food for my shy fish - Ken’s Earthworm sticks and NorthSea Veggie pellets. Plus loads of fresh bugs and worms, and homemade gel foods with kelp, spirulina, seaweeds and fish, shrimp, etc... recipe changes all the time.
      Thank you GoldieGirl, I'm going to edit that to ask "What were you feeding before you switched to Kenzen?"
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      Pre-Kenzen: All the fresh foods plus Sho-Koi Premium Koi Food. Best I could source locally ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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    19. #19
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      Quote Originally Posted by GoldieGirl View Post
      Lol, drive down to New York and pick it up! I get mine in the states when I go down to CA to visit my mother. Totally worthwhile, IMO, especially when compared to the lousy brands available to us in Canada.
      That being said, I do like this food from Northfin, a Canadian manufacturer. Although pricey, and have been feeding it since I ran out of Kenzen. I may switch permanently, I really like the ingredient list:

      https://www.northfin.com/services/koi-supreme/
      Thanks for the link. I do like the ingredient list of Northfin and it's also cheaper than Saki Hikari. I don't know why I don't just feed them worms in the cold months, like I have a bin full down in the basement. I do remember Andrew (at Andrew's koi) saying to feed worms only at above 22C, but I think this is considered old school now. I also remember Matt saying that worms are the perfect food and that it produces hardly any waste. One day I might just try and compare to see if it will make a difference in the of amount of fish waste produced.
      Last edited by KoiRun; 10-16-2018 at 09:54 PM.
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      Quote Originally Posted by GoldieGirl View Post
      especially when compared to the lousy brands available to us in Canada.
      This is no longer the case,it's possible to buy Tomigai,Nijikawa and JPD in Canada.

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