Nutrition: Getting Ready for Winter

over 75 degrees:

• a) Getting ready for winter starts in early summer
• b) feed 5-6 times per day with pellets
• c) protein content of pellets should be 35% or more
  • 1. if you have a smaller pond and do not wish to have large koi, feed spirulina pellet all the time
  • 2. if you want large koi, do not feed spirulina while under 14"; koi grow faster when not colored; if color too early, may spoil color when older
  • 3. larger koi, in my experience, grow faster on staple food without spirulina, so I only feed spirulina for 3 months each year before shows
• d) feed pellets the size that your smallest fish can eat; I have found that fish grow better on medium pellets than on larger pellets {may be factor of digestion}
• e) supplement pellets with watermelon, oranges, grapefruit, freeze dried krill; do not use live food
• f) feed amount of food that koi can consume in 5-8 minutes and never feed more than your filters can handle

• a) feed same as above, but feed only 4 times per day
• b) start to feed bulk recipe 2 times per week to increase fat ( recipe at end of handout)

• a) feed 3 times per day
• b) stop krill

• a) feed 2 times per day
• b) use 50% wheat germ pellet
• c) start selective feeding

• a) feed once a day using all wheat germ pellets
• b) feed Cheerios for snack to wean owner off of feedings

• a) no food if temperature constantly below 50 degrees;
  • a) food can block intestines and will not digest

  Bulk Cube Recipe

  10 oz frozen collard greens, 10 oz frozen peas and carrots, 5 oz imitation crab meat, 1/2 cup chopped green pepper, 3 tbsp wheat germ, 3 cups water for puree, 6 pkts Knox unflavored gelatin, 3 cups boiling water.
  Combine first 6 ingredients in blender to puree {may need to do 1/2 at a time}. Place puree in large bowl. In separate bowl dissolve gelatin in boiling water and stir. Combine gelatin with puree mixture and stir. Pour mixture into small ice cube trays which have been sprayed with Pam. Recipe makes about 12 trays. Place in freezer with waxed paper between trays if stacking them to prevent sticking. Feed frozen cubes as needed.