How many of us really read our Koi Food Ingredient Label when purchase food for our koi? Quite often, we look at the price of the food, not the quality. While it is okay to have ‘fast food’ every now and then, it’s not wise to have a steady diet of poor quality food. Koi will suffer from the use of low quality koi food.
Like any living creature, Koi need high quality koi food to avoid illness and death during their life.
Do you know what to avoid in Koi food ingredients? Here are a few examples for you to keep in mind when you read those labels:
Do not purchase any food that has CORN listed in the top three ingredients. It is best to avoid corn in the ingredient list as they cannot digest corn.
Do not purchase food that is not manufactured specifically for Koi. Example, avoid catfish food, for example.
Low Protein, High Fat content. High fat content can contribute to fatty liver disease in your koi.
High Quality Koi food will have the following:
High Protein (>36%).
Spirulina, Fresh Wheat Germ, Fish-based protein (not plant based), silkworm, minerals, including Calcium Montmorillonite Clay, and vitamins, especially L-Ascorbyl-2-Phosphate (Vitamin C).
If Calcium Montmorillonite Clay is not in your koi food, it can be purchased separately. You can simply add some to your koi feed or put a ‘ball’ of it in your pond for your koi to enjoy.
Happy Feeding!