All summer long we get calls stating “I just bought some koi fish, how much and how often do I feed them?” Well, wonder no more because Continental Ponds is here to teach you all about feeding your fish. Whether your pond has koi fish, goldfish, butterfly koi, shubunkins or just native fish we have one simple method that works for them all.
How Often to Feed your Koi Fish – We recommend that you feed your fish once a day. This will provide enough nutrients for healthy fish and a healthy pond if the filtration is correct. Feeding them too often can put an excess amount of nutrients into your pond which can cause algae issues. With that being said, if you have clear water and would like to feed your fish twice a day you can. Feeding your fish twice a day will help to promote growth, and give you happy plump fish. By getting into a feeding pattern your fish will learn when it is time to eat, and they will begin to eat closer to the location where you feed them from. After some time they will get so familiar with the feeding time and place they will eat right out of your hands! With all this being said, it is not the end of the world if you miss a feeding here and there.
How Much to Feed your Koi Fish – When feeding fish we like to give them a few small handfuls at a time. We follow the three minute rule while we do this. The three minute rule is only giving the fish as much food as they can eat within a three minute time period. If they eat everything you give them within three minutes its alright to give them some more. If after three minutes there is left over food floating around its time to put the food away.
Our Way – You’re probably wondering why it’s ok to miss feedings now and again, and why your fish should eat so little fish food. This is because it is not their only source of food. Fish in a proper ecosystem can thrive off of eating the algae and plant matter that surrounds them. If a feeding is missed the fish will end up eating algae and other things growing in the pond. The fish are given a small amount of fish food at a time for a few reasons. One reason is so that they do feed on the algae growing in your pond, because it will help keep the algae growth in check. Also, large amounts of food that don’t get eaten would then flow into your filtration system, break down and then can cause algae growth from the excess nutrients that are broken down. Tip: If for any reason your water is starting to look cloudy stop feeding for a few days. If the pond clears up this will let you know you are over-feeding and stressing the ecosystem.
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