The best thing about Koi is the fact that they lack fear when it comes to humans. Once they see you as someone who feeds them food and the one who takes care of them, they're likely to eat through your hand (provided with proper training). Hand feeding your fish can be one of the most funniest and entertaining experiences you're going to get into!
The Koi are non-aggressive fish. They don't have teeth, so you don't have to worry about getting bitten if ever you decide in attempting to feed them with the use of your hand. This activity will also attract smaller kids, as they will be delighted and entertained by the fish's gentle nature and beautiful patterns and colors. Like all of the other wild animals out there, they will have that fear of you in the start.
Their instincts are the ones that tell them to fear you, which keeps them alive and lets them survive in the wilderness. So, you have to build up trust with your fish, and this will take a certain amount of time and patience in your part. Keep in mind that hand feeding your Koi is not acheivable overnight!
They feed on both meat and plants, as they are an omnivorous species. Being omnivorous as they are, it brings adaptability in their diets. They'll eat almost anything they are given, not caring whether it's good for them or not. Since they don't have the ability to judge what's good or bad for them, you should control their diet.
Overfeeding is another problem, as they might get overweight from eating foods that are not nutritious for them. The healthiest treats for them are the natural ones, such as tadpoles and earthworms. Also, you can feed them with veggies, bread, lettuce and fruit. Be careful when feeding them with food like corn, beans, and grapes as they come with outer casings. These outer casings will be harmful for your fish if these are not properly digested by them. Make it a point that you remove the outer casings before feeding them.
Now, the trick here is to start slow in feeding your fish. Don't make any sudden movements, because this will scare them away (even the most trusting of your Koi). What you should do is start hand training your pet right from the moment you get them (which is also applicable for those that are in your current population). Start by placing few of the pellets or snacks in your hand and then put your hand under the water.
Then allow the food to fall from your hand slowly. Now, it may seem that your fish may not seem to pay any attention, but the reality is that they are aware of your hand (and that your hand is the ones giving them food). This can be done within a period of two days.
Doing this will help you gain the interest of your pets. Then as you have now gotten their interest, let the fish remove the food from your hand. Now, if your pet will refuse to take food from your hand, don't feed them on that day (and do not stare at them during this process). They will have the notion that they must get the food from your hand if they want to feed. Doing this everyday will be able to make your fish comfortable with you.
Once you have fed the fish out of your hand, you can start feeding them from your fingers. And the same thing applies here: if they're not going to feed from your fingers, don't feed them on that day. The food will serve as your motivator in feeding wild animals, guaranteeing that no Koi will simply stare itself as it isn't sure of the situation it's in.
And once you’re successful in making your Koi feed from your hand, you can then have an alternate routine between regular feeding and hand feeding. There is no reason in trying to take the time in hand feeding if your hurrying. And once you get your fish to feed from your hand, be careful always in allowing your visitors to feed them. Supervise the kids and adults as they feed your pets; there should be no sudden movements and give your fish the right treats for them.
Filed under Fish and Aquarium Care by on Jun 7th, 2009. Comment. 
It is very important to know the basic rules of feeding koi.The next step is really important. It is recommended how and when to feed these delicate yet lovely fishes and what are the types of food that is all right to feed them.
Koi Diet
Ready and prepared foods for koi are available in the market nowadays. It comes in different varieties that you can choose from: it comes in flakes, pelleted or extruded, pond stick formulae. While these kinds of food are all right, other types of food can be given as a sort of treat just to break the monotonous regimen of feeding koi. It is also possible to choose between the following food: edges of orange, watermelon slices, cultured earthworm and prawns. This is an easy way to give the koi some change and make them feel good.
However, there are some foods that should not be given as food to the fishes. Foods like peas, sweet corn and potatoes should not be fed, as these foods are high in moisture and carbohydrates. Foods that are high in solid fats are also the ones to be avoided, especially meat and dairy products like cheese.
Here is fact about koi: they do not have stomachs. They digest their food through the long gut, and the more they are going to eat, the more time it will take for them to digest it. This is because of the humble water-temperature. The food will be eaten, and then it will be partly digested inside the digestive system, and then drop the unwanted loading in the biofilter.
Feeding Koi the right food and time
In feeding koi, you need to be dependent in the temperature. It is never a problem for koi keepers that are living in a tropical climate, as they can feed them all year round. When you are living in a northern climate, where it snows and gets cold in the autumn and winter, you need to know the preferred food in different seasons.
When the temperature rises to 50 degree Fahrenheit, it is recommended to feed the koi with easy-to-digest sinking pellet that are wheat germ based. With increased temperatur you can use more protein enriched food. When the temperature is shooting down, slip back to wheat germ based foods before cutting the food feeding for the hibernation period. This is when the koi’s metabolism slows down and the energy stored in them is going to be used all throughout winter.
A lot of people do not even care as to how much is the amount of food to be fed per day: the recommended amount is between one and two percent of the body each day. There are other people who apply the 5 minute rule: the process of which is to feed them at a certain amount and let them eat for five minutes, after five minutes, cut back the amount if there is leftovers.
Filed under Fish and Aquarium Care by on Feb 23rd, 2009. Comment.
Koi come in different kinds of color, but not a lot of information has been read or heard about black koi. It comes in different varieties and in different names. Koi fishes come in brilliant and vivid combinations of white, red, orange, and black colors among some others. Names such as Kawarimoro (non metallic koi), Asagi (pale blue koi with red belly and fins), and Kohaku (white in color with red markings) are just some of the popular species of the koi. Only the full black colored koi are able to bequeath their unique color. Here, you can learn a bit more about this truly unique kind of koi.
Japan, Malaysia, China.. and so an or all eastern countries where you can find the special black koi. It can grow as long as 36 inches or approximately 3 feet. Black koi can live for a very long time, longer than 200 years. But most of the time, they live for about 25 to 35 years. These traits make Black Koi one of the rarest qualities of all koi.
The male species of a black koi can be easily recognized by their concave anal section and at times, you can spot some breeding marks on their head. The black Koi produce more than 1 thousand eggs. The water temperature is important for the fish spawn; They will surge in four to seven days. You can feed the fry with small live foods or preferably frozen daphnia on its 3rd to 4th week. At that time, Change their diet in small baby steps into crushed flakes and pellet foods. Do not worry though if you haven’t seen any color yet when it is still young; the color will be gradually visible within 3 to 12 weeks.
In taking care of your black koi, you must know the basic necessities for the fish in order for it to survive longer. The preferable setup for a Black Koi to live is a pond that can carry a thousand gallons or plus. It is also advisable to put some gravel or rocks on top of the soil in the potted plants inside the pond. This is to ensure that the koi will not dig up on the plants and can cause further damage and mess, since koi are known to eat plant’s roots and live creatures in it. Just like any other koi ponds, it needs proper filtration, in order for the water to be clean and suitable for koi.
Feed black koi with the diet that most koi fish follow, but you can feed black koi with quality pellet or flake food. The general rule there would be the higher the price, the better the quality of the food.
Black koi can be aggressive eaters at times. But in due time, black koi can be a friendly pet and in much longer – but not sooner, it can be taught to eat food from your hand.
Filed under Fish and Aquarium Care by on Feb 22nd, 2009. Comment.
