Hi,

I have an outdoor Koi pond and feed them Hai Feng quick grow food. Only 2 of our Koi are about 10"big. The rest range in size (we like to get them smaller to watch them grow). I have a few questions about food for you all.

1. Is this a good food?
2. Do the expensive color enhancing foods really work and are they better?
3. Does anyone have a source to buy the food at a better price on line?

I have done some searching and by the time I add delivery the food I buy now from a store is about the same price. I don't know if I should switch brands or have just not found the best priced web site.

Thanks

Hi Bluiis,

The Hai Feng is known as a good food, but don't overdo color foods period. Too much of the color formulas can lead to brassy color. I feed a mix of Dainichi growth mixed with Saki Hikari and OSI growth personally. 5 lbs Dainichi, 2 lbs Saki to 2 lbs osi. Mixing foods is good, one kind of food has things the other two do not.

With the Dainichi, I get a 42% protein value, it has Koi Clay, the Saki Hikari is a 38% protein but has acidophilus which is good for digestion and less poo, and the OSI at 36% protein so I'm averaging the protein values out at levels where they should be, about 38%. The osi was recomended to me from one of the dealers helpers. Its pretty reasonable and seem's to help create a shine.

Also I feed vegies, fruit and some Koi gourmet treats in mixed flavor.

Try Russ at PS Koi for the OSI, I get the Dainichi and Saki Hikari at Fosters and Smith along with the fruit treats though.

Thanks so much Kathy,

There are not alot of people on this site that seem to know about Koi I found.

You seem to be an expert. I am going to use your recipe. The places you mentioned are they web sites or stores in your area?

I have a large red eared slyder turtle in there too. She loves bananas and finely chopped carots. The fish don't seem to care a bit about them.

Once in a while I chop up left over sushi fish for the turtle and drop it in for her. The fish never seemed to care about it but yesterday one of them ate 3 small pieces of salmon and 2 small pieces of shrimp. I was surprised.

Is that ok? do you think something was missing in this fish's diet that she wanted the sushi?

One more thing, what fruits and veggies have your Koi liked?
thanks

Sorry it took so long for me to get back to you, things have been crazy here!

With Koi its kinda like goldies, trial and error with the different fruits and vegies. Each has a individual personality as well so some can be finicky or picky eaters while others will eat anything you toss out. However, its just getting them to take a taste of some things. Offer them more then once, give em a chance to get a taste or two.

Both stores are online, Dr.s Foster & Smith, and PSKoi, You have to email Russ & Kari for current prices and orders. Nice folks there. F&S can send a catalog out also. I usually get both for AQ's and Ponds.

Well, as for the fruits, I couldn't get them to touch the fresh fruits at first, but started giving them the fruit treats and started slipping in real blueberry's as I have blueberry bushes in the yard, so then I slipped in real oranges pieces on them. Pineapple, watermelon, Kiwi fruits are some other folks have gotten theirs to eat.

Zuchinni and Yellow squash, green beans and peas are favorites.Spinach, leaf lettuces (not iceburg).. Cauliflower and broccoli are loved as well. You can also get some plain knox gelatin and make a vegie gel food. Shrimp, sardines, tuna any of the fish is good for them also. I make my own gel food for the goldies so the koi get gel food treats once in awhile. They go nuts for that.

I don't call myself a expert though, I believe we learn more and new things everyday, so a student would be a apt description, LOL!

Thanks, I got the foods you mentioned and have started them on the mix. Funny how some of them really don't want to eat the color enhancer. But the ones that do I can already see a difference, more like a sparkle like gold glitter flecks in them I never saw before.

I bought some of the Koi fruit treats too, and they all like the blueberries the best. Those are my favs too so maybe they take after thier Momma!