How to Care for Your Koi

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Koi fish are very hardy  and with the right care can live up to 50 years and above.  They are peaceful and friendly fish, but have been known to pick on smaller and slower fish. Over time your koi will begin to recognize you and can be trained to take the food right out of your hand. They eat both plant and animal matter, including prepared. live, frozen, or freeze-dried foods and certain types of vegetables.

Koi are not big eaters, and not very choosy about their diet. They will accept most types of prepared koi food. They like plant matter the most in their diet. You can feed them chopped fresh or frozen spinach or other vegetables and algae flakes.

For their best health you may feed them as much as they will eat in a 1 to 3 minute time period twice a day. If your koi are kept outdoors in a pond, it is normal for them to stop eating when the water temperature drops below 45 degrees F (7 degree C).

A healthy Koi will eat vigorously and swim actively together in a pond or aquarium. Their eyes will be clear and skin and fins smooth and free of any type of scrapes or lesions. Gill movements are steady and calm.

Things to watch out for would be if you notice them lying at the bottom of your pond of tank. Poor growth or weight loss. Inflamed gills, skin, or fins, along with fins clamped to their sides. Finally if you see them scraping against rocks or the bottom of the tank. If any of these things are noted check your water for PH balance and abnormal nitrate levels.