Different Kinds of Koi Fish Food

Koi, also called nigishikoi, are popular and colorful ornamental pond fish that descended from common carp. Although koi fry can be kept in aquariums, they will outgrow most aquariums within 5 to 10 years, according to the Koi Society of Australia. Koi can become so tame as to take food from their caretaker's fingers. Koi need feeding more often in summer than in winter. Koi appreciated a wide variety of foods.

  1. Commercially Prepared Foods

    • This is the base diet of the koi. These are commercially made fish flakes, floating sticks and sinking pellets sold in pet and gardening stores and websites. They are often made of fish meal, corn meal, grains and added vitamins. These foods need little room to store, last for weeks and require little preparation before giving to the koi. Other pond fish such as goldfish or catfish can also eat these prepared foods. Do not feed goldfish food to koi as it does not have the calories and nutrition required for such large fish. Soak the koi food in water taken directly from the pond for 30 seconds before feeding. This helps the fish digest foods better.

    Frozen or Freeze-Dried Foods

    • These are insects or small aquatic animals that are frozen or freeze-dried in order to stay fresh before feeding. These include daphnia, brine shrimp, bloodworms, tubifex worms and plankton. These are excellent foods to give to koi in the spring and summer to encourage spawning and to bring out the best color of the fish.

    Fresh Meat and Vegetables

    • Koi are omnivores and enjoy fresh vegetables such as squash, pumpkin, lettuce and peas. These should be washed to remove any pesticides, blanched or lightly boiled and then allowed to cool. Never dump frozen vegetables in pond water. Koi also enjoy fresh shrimp and earthworms, clams and plain fish fillets. Fresh foods should be fed as occasional or weekly treats.

    Found Food

    • Koi are opportunistic feeders and will eat many edible treats found in their ponds. These include insect larvae, snails, algae, live plants, worms and insects drowning on the surface of the pond. Although these make tasty treats for the koi, they should not be relied on as the sole source of food for koi as they come unpredictably. Keeping live plants in koi ponds can be difficult as koi like to uproot live plants in order to eat the more tender shoots, according to "Koi" by George C. Blasiola.