Which Bugs Can Baby Koi Eat?

Baby koi, like their parents, are omnivorous and will happily feed on a variety of insects as well as plant matter. Koi enthusiasts can fortunately either collect or culture the bugs which their developing koi require. Brine shrimp and white worms are particularly easy to culture, while water fleas and mosquito larvae can be found in most bodies of water, including water containers standing in the average garden.

  1. Brine Shrimp

    • Koi fry will be free swimming at a week of age. These tiny fish have not yet developed taste buds at this early stage of development and rely on sight to source their food. Newly hatched brine shrimp are an ideal food for koi of this age. Brine shrimp are found in the great salt lakes in North America. The eggs, which look like fine pepper, are readily available through pet dealers. These eggs are hatched in a salt solution and the day old shrimp, which still have their yolk sacks, are highly nutritious. Week old koi should be surrounded by brine shrimps, so they can feed without having to expend excessive energy looking for food items.

    Daphnia

    • Daphnia are water fleas which are small enough to be easily eaten by baby koi. These tiny creatures are abundant in natural ponds and dams, mainly because females do not need to be fertilized by a male in order to produce young. Through the process of parthenogenicity, each female can produce up to 10 identical offspring and young females can begin reproducing at four days of age. Daphnia can be cultured in buckets, but can normally be found in plentiful supply in nature. These water fleas have a protein content of approximately 50 percent, but this can be boosted with the use of commercial formulas, if the daphnia are being cultured.

    Mosquito Larvae

    • Mosquito larvae hatch from eggs which float on the water surface. The larvae remain in water, but need to surface in order to breathe. Mosquito larvae, which are typically seen hanging at the water surface, shed their skin a number of times before changing into pupae. These larvae feed on micro-organisms in the water and are readily consumed by baby koi. Mosquito larvae can easily be collected from almost any container that holds water. Aquarists tend not to culture this food source.

    White Worms

    • These tiny worms range in size from approximately ¾ inch to 1 ½ inch in length. They are relished by baby koi and are easy to culture. White worms will propagate in a mixture of soil and peat moss, in a small plastic container or bucket. White worms have a protein content of almost 70 percent and should be fed as part of a more complete diet and not as a sole food item.