Detailed Explanation of Koi Feed Formulas and Feeding Precautions
Perhaps many people are not very familiar with koi. In the aquaculture industry, fish farming is currently the largest developing sector and is also the most common in rural areas. We all know that fish farming has a relatively low threshold, a relatively short cycle, and relatively low farming costs.
What Are Koi
Koi (Cyprinus carpio haematopterus) biologically belongs to the family Cyprinidae. Cyprinidae is the largest family among all fish species, with more than 1400 species. It is a high-end ornamental fish popular throughout the world today, and has the fine names of “living gem in the water” and “swimming artwork”. Because it does not have high requirements for water quality, has omnivorous feeding habits, and is easy to breed, it has won people's praise and affection.
Raising good koi and outstanding koi is the wish and goal of every koi keeper. But what feed should koi usually be fed to raise them well? Below we recommend several feed formulas for reference.
Ingredients and Proportions of a Koi Feed Formula
Dried fish: 2 parts (using fresh fish meat can produce fish gelatin when heated during cooking, so the food material can be bound together and does not easily dissolve in water.)
Dried shrimp: 2 parts Soybean powder: 1 part Flour: 2 parts Coarse oatmeal: half a part, which can supplement a large amount of crude fiber and is very beneficial to the intestines, stomach, and health of fish!
Fresh grass carp or other fish meat 2 parts, deboned and ground into a paste
Nori: half a part, soaked in water and then ground into a paste Eggs: 1 part Vegetable oil: half a part (vegetable oil must be added, to increase calories and speed up fattening. It can also effectively promote the digestion of the fish's intestines and stomach.) Carotene: one-thousandth, which can stabilize the fish's color and increase the saturation of the color.
Spirulina: one-thousandth, a very good supplemental source of mineral elements and trace elements. Vitamin C: one-thousandth (the claim that it cannot be used together with shrimp is a rumor), a very important additive that promotes fish growth. It can promote the expansion of fine blood vessels, enhance the absorption capacity of cells, and so on. Fish can rarely obtain it in ordinary times. Adding it is beneficial to fish growth, and the efficiency is more than 10% higher than the comparison group without it. Betaine: two-thousandths, the MSG of fish. Fish love food containing this additive the most, and it is harmless to fish. Fishy peptide: one-thousandth (the kind of fishing bait additive used for fishing, specifically for carp), an effective additive that stimulates the fish's sense of smell, allowing fish to quickly find food and compete in group feeding.
Production Method of a Koi Feed Formula
Fully mix the above ingredients, add water and stir until paste-like, and ferment for 20 minutes
Place in batches onto a vegetable dish, then put into a microwave oven and heat for 10 minutes
After cooling, put into the refrigerator and freeze for about 4 hours
Then make into pellets (a small amount can be cut), and dry in the sun for later use.
Precautions for a Koi Feed Formula
Note that because fish love it too much, they can easily become little fatties! This formula is currently the most popular feeding formula in Japan. It has sufficient and balanced nutrition and low cost, and is suitable for the daily feeding of high-grade fish or for rush feeding ordinary koi before sale. It takes effect quickly, is highly efficient, and once feeding is stopped, the fish body changes little. In addition, fish have a very strong absorption capacity for this feed, the finished product does not easily crumble into water, does not easily pollute the water body, and will not make the water turbid. In spring and autumn, one part of pork liver and pig blood can be added as nutritional enhancement, with special effects for overwintering, promoting pregnancy, or storing energy for reproduction. The color-enhancing formula is to add one-thousandth natural astaxanthin on this basis. Note that it must be natural astaxanthin or heterotypic astaxanthin; if synthetic astaxanthin is added, it is useless.
Spring weather temperatures change relatively greatly, and it is also the season when all things revive. For koi that have just been moved from indoor koi ponds to outdoor koi ponds, feeding is very important, and care should be taken not to feed urgently. When the weather forecast shows that the temperature will drop, the fish pond should be covered with plastic film to keep the pond temperature stable. In the spring koi revival season, koi have a weak constitution. When raising them, the feeding amount should be gradually increased and must not be changed all at once, and foods of the plant type that are easy to digest and absorb should be fed.
In summer, the water temperature may rise. In order to maintain normal koi growth, or to prevent koi diseases and algal blooms, a shade net cover should be placed over the koi pond to maintain a constant temperature. If possible, the light intensity should be set at 5500——5800 lux. According to reliable information, appropriate ultraviolet light has certain benefits for koi coloration.
Autumn temperatures are not as high as in summer. The autumn sky is clear and the air is crisp, and the temperature is also very suitable. The water temperature of the pond will drop. At this time, the water temperature is most suitable for koi growth, so more feed can be fed to let the koi eat their fill, and the feed selected for feeding should be feed with high protein content.
In winter, the temperature drops significantly. When the water temperature is 0°C, koi swimming becomes slow and their food intake also decreases. Koi should be promptly transferred to an indoor pond or a large koi tank, and the water temperature should be maintained at 2——10°C. Koi food should be fed appropriately, and remember not to feed too much.
Fellow fish keepers can first try this koi feed formula in small amounts. If the fish can adapt to it and the benefits are obvious, why not do it? In aquaculture, what we should do most is reasonably reduce costs to obtain greater profits.