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Seasonal Feeding of Your Koi
Koi have been thought to bring good luck in Asia for thousands of years. But more than luck is required when feeding koi fish in the fall and winter. Knowledge, understanding and a thermometer take the guesswork out of feeding outdoor koi. When and what to feed outdoor koi is determined by water temperature. Koi grow and build up reserves for winter during warm temperatures. During the summer months, koi need more protein because the bulk of their growth takes place at this time. They eat voraciously and can be a lot of fun to feed by hand since they are especially social creatures. Seasonal adaptations to their feeding schedules need to be made to account for varying feeding habits. In spring and fall, when temperatures begin to drop, their food needs change, as their growth patterns decrease. It is time to add wheat germ to their normal summer food. Monitor water temperatures closely during the fall. When the temperature drops to 70 degrees, feed a combination of low protein food and wheat germ. At 60 degrees, feed your koi only wheat germ. When temperatures drop still lower to 50 and below, discontinue feeding altogether. It is important to keep close watch on temperatures during weather changes. If the temperature will be dropping in the days immediately following a feed, stop feeding them earlier. Koi metabolism slows as the temperatures drop to the point that they are unable to digest food at all. Any leftover food will decay and cause illness in your koi. Adding a mild antibiotic to the last few feedings of the year will help keep illness at bay. Automatic koi feeders will do the work for you if your schedule is too hectic to maintain daily feedings. Automatic koi feeders dispense the nutrients you load into them at various times and intervals. Research shows that feeding koi small meals several times a day is healthier than giving koi one large feeding. Too much food allows the koi to overeat and the pond skimmer can filter the food away before the koi have an opportunity to eat it. Though the automatic feeders are convenient, they can be expensive. They range in price from $50 to over $200. They range from some rather unattractive ones on the lower end of the price range to beautiful pagoda style ones at the higher end of the price range. The beautiful ones can both feed and enhance the look of your pond. However, the lower price range feeders will still serve the purpose and protect your fish when you are away on vacation, or just make maintaining them so much easier. Once spring arrives, reverse the process and begin including wheat germ. As temperatures rise even more, add low protein foods to the wheat germ until the temperatures rise above 70, when you need to resume summer feeding. Your koi will become energetic and ready to entertain and calm you for another season.
Pamella Neely writes about koi feeding and how many fish to keep in a pond.
This intel first appeared on: http://zeeol.com/craft-hobby/seasonal-feeding-of-your-koi
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This intel was contributed by Erichansa
Erichansa
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May, 2012
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