PDA

View Full Version : What To Feed...What to Feed...



koiingaround
05-18-2004, 10:55 AM
That is the question I think a lot about! There are so many kinds of koi & pond goldfish food on the market that it is mind boggling! I have read that it is good to go to wheat germ food in the fall and winter and then I have read that it is not necessary. (I feed year around because even in the winter our water doesn't get much below 50*, although Nov~Feb I feed a lot less).

I would like to know what everyone's favorite manufactured koi food is & what they add to that!

Thanks to everyone for any thoughts and advice and pros and cons given here! :D

gander
05-18-2004, 12:03 PM
Since I do not raise show fish i feed mine what I can afford. I use Mazuri platinum nuggets for Koi.Gary

koiingaround
05-18-2004, 04:06 PM
Gary...I know what you are saying....I am not in the position to spend several dollars a pound on koi food...

what I am wanting is a good discussion on what is good or not good, what is worth the money and what is not, what is a waste of time and what is not? It seems to me that a new wet pet food is coming out on the market every 6 months or so, and I would just like to hear everyone's for choosing the food that they do!

BickalDIYPond
05-18-2004, 04:20 PM
I feed mine what I can afford. Aqua-Max 4000. 36% protein. $25 for a 50 pound bag. (I go through 4 pounds a day).

ma barker
05-18-2004, 07:28 PM
I feed Rangen. Also give them some imitation crab meat. They love that stuff! Romaine lettuce too. They wouldn't touch iceberg with a ten foot pole! :D

JgR
05-18-2004, 07:41 PM
I feed a mix of foods in both pellets usually 3 varieties mixed together, some more expensive than others and fresh food, some free found in the garden. The are spoiled and often get shrimp or other seafood. I look for it on sale or sometimes go to the chinese market as I can get dried shrimp (small) they use in soups for $2.98 pound. Last them a long time and they really like it.

I will give them veggies as well as fruit. They don't seem to mind there is a spot or something on the fruit or veg so that's almost free as well. I do not feed them old moldy stuff....

Kewsh
05-18-2004, 09:36 PM
Wow, I wish I had that selection of food up here. At Big Al's Fish Emporium, we buy the tetra floating sticks (green box) at 45 dollars canadian for 2 and a half pounds (if that). That'll last about a month if we're lucky.

schildkoi
05-18-2004, 10:07 PM
I use Niigata cooperative mills wheat germ. About $2.38 per pound "landed". During the peak summer months I'll mix in about 1/3 Hi Silk. The monthly "snack" of ****tail shrimp and during July/August ,some silkworm pupea.


One thing to remember....you typically "get what you pay for"....but with some Koi foods, that may not necesarily be true :)

Steve

luke frisbee
05-18-2004, 11:02 PM
Kewsh, buy it off the 'net.You are being ripped.

I feed 'em a mix of whatever I get at the Koi show raffle table and Mazuri. And oranges when they're inseason and shrimp heads with the horns crushed when they shrimp are running..All I gotta do is go th the bridge late at night and get them for free or nearly free.

Kewsh
05-18-2004, 11:24 PM
Yea, I kinda noticed that =/.

Whats a good place to buy from that ships to Canada? I imagine shipping a 50 pound bag of food up here has got to be pretty **** pricey though.

Also, we have fed ours shrimp, oranges, strawberries, and bananas. Only once for the strawberries and nanners though. Some didn't seem to like it too much, but 30 minutes after I came back, all of it was gone, so someone must have ate em.

luke frisbee
05-18-2004, 11:47 PM
If nothing else works try ebay, but next time you drop down below the permafrost line go in a feed store....Mazuri nuggets Platinum.....pretty standard fare.

Blammo
05-19-2004, 08:07 AM
I use Niigata cooperative mills wheat germ. About $2.38 per pound "landed". During the peak summer months I'll mix in about 1/3 Hi Silk. The monthly "snack" of ****tail shrimp and during July/August ,some silkworm pupea.


One thing to remember....you typically "get what you pay for"....but with some Koi foods, that may not necesarily be true :)

Steve
Link to it, Steve ?

Carol
05-19-2004, 08:43 AM
I don't go through much food right now!!!!!!!!!! But hopefully I will soon.
Feed the higher protein foods (like 35%) when the water is warm but when the water cools down you go to a lower protein food. When the water is really getting cold give them something worthless like cherios (no protein)

Carol

JgR
05-19-2004, 08:47 AM
You can search the cnadian sites using google. Ian and Terri of this forum sell food, maybe be a higher end than you are looking for. I think Clark Ponds ships as well. Lots of places on the net. If buying from e-bay I'd want to know how old the food was.

koiingaround
05-19-2004, 10:48 AM
QUESTION!!!

For those of you that mix several brands together...how do you select the brands you mix??? What do you look for in manufactured koi food???

Inquiring minds want to know!!! ;)

Kewsh
05-19-2004, 11:03 AM
Yea, I found clarke's site last night. Do Ian and Terri have a website? I figured clarke's was a good price, 54 bucks canadian for 20 pounds + shipping. Thanks for all the advice.

luke frisbee
05-19-2004, 11:07 AM
I mix what I win at the raffle table...except those nasty wheatgerm stix that turn to koi pooh as soon as they hit the water.....nasty stuff my fish won't eat it. Turns to goo.

And Carol,
I'm in the other camp. When it gets cooler i feed a higher quality food just in lower amounts.
I base it on NOTHING I've read specific to koi, but what I've gathered about animals in general.
First, koi are ecto-thermic (cold-blooded), they do not need energy to maintain their well-being in regard to body temp, and they can store energy. But they can't store, nor create protein. So when it gets cool ( I live in FL, you wouldn't call it "cold.") I increase protein and decrease carbs and fat. Protein is needed to maintain tissues/organs. But the koi aren't zooming around the pond like when it is warm, so I decrease the percent of calories.
This also coincides with what wild koi "get" in their diet. In Winter there aren't the vegetative food sources available, virtually ZERO. And their is not much protein available in Winter, but there is some.
yeah there are holes in why I think what I think (I don't know them, I just know it can't be TAHT simple)...but at least i thought about it.
And the flipside...in Summer a more balanced diet is available to omnivores, so in Summer a well-rounded diet would be more appropriate, a much larger quantity of food would be consumed.
too simple.

koiingaround
05-21-2004, 10:39 AM
My koi like cucuembers too... :D And the leafy tops of celery!!! :D

JgR
05-21-2004, 04:01 PM
Kewsh, go to members find Ian & Terri click and see. Yes Canadian Koi or something. Now Terri will make me pay for lunch next week. Sorry in a hurry folks arriving in 5!

JgR
05-21-2004, 04:03 PM
Oh you know you ae having a bad day when you agree with Luke :p Just kidding buddy

But feeding my dogs the BARF bones and raw food to those who don't know, its based on the wolf's natural diet, I'm sort of BARF Lite... and am not that strict as they do get cooked but it makes sense to think about what a fish will eat in the wild to base its diet on. Over processed pellets are like eating ceral all the time. OK but not necessarily the best thing for you.

kntry
05-22-2004, 12:36 AM
I usually feed Rangen mixed with Ultra Balance. I add in a color food, also.

I grow a lot of veggies and fruits, so during the harvest season, I feed fresh string beans, tomatoes, zuccini, figs, oranges, blueberries, blackberries, lettuce and cucumbers. Frozen peas and carrots. I buy watermelon, cantaloupe, bananas, oranges and strawberries to supplement what I grow for them.

WOW, while I was typing all this, I won the camera that Stephen so generously gave away. CAN't BELIEVE IT! I'LL NEVER GET TO SLEEP TONIGHT, I'M SO EXCITED!!

Back to food! When you feed shrimp, do you leave the shells and heads on?

What about brine shrimp? I used to feed them in my smaller ponds. My koi love them. I haven't been able to figure out how to grow them myself, though, and they are too expensive to feed all the koi I have now.

Sandy

Lynda in Arkansas
05-22-2004, 10:00 AM
Sandy, if you get a small aquarium you should be able to hatch brine shrimp. I used to do that years ago when I had seahorses because it's all they'll eat and sometimes the aquarium store couldn't get them in. AES has brine shrimp eggs - it's not that hard and actually kind of fun. Watching them under a microscope when they hatch is a fun project for kids! Wow, hadn't thought of that for the koi - I've just been buying the frozen ones. Uh oh, new project - WILL THIS NEVER END????? :D

koiingaround
05-22-2004, 11:50 AM
Sandy! Your koi have a great diet!!! Heck! They eat better than I do LOL!!! :)

I am thinking that getting several manufactured foods and mixing them together is good??? Yes??? :confused:

koiingaround
05-22-2004, 10:30 PM
Good thing my koi can't read this...they would be wondering why they don't get shrimp...

Then I would have to explain to them that they are lucky to get koi food...and they would never come to the surface when DH is out there!!! LOL :eek:

kntry
05-22-2004, 10:40 PM
Koiingaround, here's a recipe for homemade koi food. I haven't had time to make any yet, but I'm sure they'll like it.

10 oz. Frozen Collard Greens
10 oz. Frozen Peas and Carrots
5 oz. Imitation crabmeat
1/2 cup chopped Green Pepper
3 tbsp. Wheat Germ
3 cups water for puree
6 pkts. Knox Unflavored Gelatin
3 cups Boiling Water

Combine first 6 ingredients in blender to puree (may need to do 1/2 at a time). Place puree in large bowl. In separate bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water and stir. Combine gelatin with puree mixture and stir. Pour mixture into small ice cube trays that have been coated with non-stick spray. Recipe makes about 12 trays. Place in freezer with waxed paper between trays if stacking them, to prevent sticking. Feed frozen cubes as needed.
SOURCE: Art Lembke http://www/akca/org/library/nutri.htm and AquaScape Magazine.

Hope I'm not breaking any rules by posting this since I gave credit, Lord knows I wouldn't be able to come up with something like this :confused:

Sandy

koiingaround
05-22-2004, 10:43 PM
OH Cool!!! :D

Thankie Sandy!!! :D

JgR
05-22-2004, 10:58 PM
Bil at koivet posts recipes all the time, not quite as simple as this one.... perhpas... can't temember - I'm OLD!! Still a variety of foods is the best thing for all of us including our dogs, cats, fish and yes, husbands ;)

kntry
05-22-2004, 11:03 PM
Jackie, was that you that posted the other day about feeding BARF?

koiingaround
05-22-2004, 11:07 PM
What the heck is BARF??? :confused:

Please someone I hate being in the dark on these things!!! LOL!!!

Lynda in Arkansas
05-22-2004, 11:11 PM
Bil's recipe is so complicated and has so many things in it that I've never seen, I haven't had the courage to try to make it! I think it's full of stuff only available in England - I know that most of the ingredients are not available at WalMart, and since I live in the land of WalMart, it's the only grocery store in my town. This one seems simple - I'm going to try to make it tomorrow. Jackie, you are NOT OLD! If I remember correctly, we are about the same age, and that is definitely not old!!!!

Meagain #1b
07-11-2004, 06:57 PM
bumping this up

kntry
07-11-2004, 07:13 PM
Thanks, Lisa. I was just getting ready to re-type the whole thing!!!!

This is the one I've been feeding. My koi LOVE it! It's very easy to make and very inexpensive.

koibie
07-11-2004, 07:24 PM
[QUOTE=kntry]10 oz. Frozen Collard Greens
10 oz. Frozen Peas and Carrots
5 oz. Imitation crabmeat
1/2 cup chopped Green Pepper
3 tbsp. Wheat Germ
3 cups water for puree
6 pkts. Knox Unflavored Gelatin
3 cups Boiling Water

I like this recipe better than bills, I can get all of these easy! My koi will think I am a gourmet chef! ;) Thanks for posting the recipe!

kntry
07-11-2004, 07:28 PM
No problem, Koibie. It was in the AS magazine in the fall of last year. I saved it and finally tried it about a month ago. They love it!

Instead of freezing it in ice trays, I put it in a gallon zip lock and lay it flat in the freezer. When I want to give them some, I nuke it for about a minute. I break off a piece that's still partially frozen. By the time it goes in the water, it's thawed out enough for them to fight over!

I don't follow the quantities too strictly either. Next batch is going to have some extras in it. Tomato for one thing.

koibie
07-11-2004, 07:35 PM
I was searching for a good recipe a while back and could only come up with something so complicated, with hard to find ingredients. My guys loooove imitation crabmeat, they should be very happy!

fishtales
07-11-2004, 09:47 PM
Do you add this to the pond in frozen chunks that the fish chew bites from? If you add it to the pond frozen, why does one need the gelatin?

This sounds like alot of fun to try. Wonder if bok choi could be substitued for collard greens?

Thanks, FT

kntry
07-11-2004, 10:18 PM
FT, the gelatin holds everything together. Even in the water, it stays together.

I thaw it out slightly. I grab a chunk and hold it underwater while the koi eat it out of my hand. Some of the food separates, but most of it stays together. The big koi will come up, grab a BIG chunk and take off.

It is a lot of fun to feed them and very healthy for them. It will definitely get them hand feeding, that's for sure.

My Brady koi were eating out of my hand while inside. I put them outside a couple of weeks ago in a pool and haven't seen them since. Today I broke out this food and within minutes all 4 were eating out of my hand again!