What do koi fish eat? An introduction to common feeds and feeding methods

Koi are temperate freshwater fish native to Asia. They like to live in warm lakes on plains, or in rivers with slow-flowing water, and are distributed throughout the world except Australia and South America. They were used as ornamental fish or food fish in China and Japan very early on, and are farmed as food fish in Germany and other European countries. Let's take a look below at what koi fish eat!

What do koi fish eat

Koi are benthic omnivorous fish, eating both meat and plants, with a broad diet. They have a well-developed snout bone and often root through mud to feed. Under natural conditions, their food leans toward animal matter, such as chironomid larvae, snails, river clams, freshwater mussels and other benthic animals, as well as aquatic insects and shrimp. Their favorite plant foods include the seeds and young shoots of higher aquatic plants and fallen plant debris.

Koi bait formulas

1. Koi hand bait: 100 ml of Old Ghost Sanheyi, 80 ml of Old Ghost Tianxia Li, 50 ml of Old Ghost Luo Li, 100 ml of Old Ghost Jiuyiba Wine-Scented Crucian Carp.

2. Koi nest bait: 3 jin of local pellet feed + 1 bag of Old Ghost Chao You, 4 bottle caps of Zhuolite Xiao Yao Q You Li, 4/5 bag of Mishuang Li No. 2, 5 bottle caps of Jianghu medicinal wine, 4 liang of wine rice.

Making koi bait

1. Hand bait part: First mix all the hand bait together, soak it open with pond water, and keep it dry and crumbly.

2. Making the nest bait: First soak the Xiao Yao Q You Li, Jianghu medicinal wine and Mishuang Li No. 2 open with brown sugar water and honey, then pour them into the pellet feed and let it soak for 20 minutes (the water level should be level with the pellets), then pour the other nest bait ingredients into the nest bait and stir thoroughly.

3. Mixing the bait: Take out a handful of the prepared nest bait (about 400 ml) and put it into a bait basin, then take out 600 ml of the hand bait part and combine it again with the nest bait, stirring. When it is dry and crumbly, you can squeeze it into large baits and hook them for fishing. If it feels too dry, add a little water according to the fishing ground's requirements and knead it, then hook it for fishing when it becomes a bit softer.