Feeding koi food down to 5c new claims by feed manufacturers

[Dave 54]

Whist Val and I were not feeling well I spent time talking to one of my many contacts in the koi world from around the world.
The conversation was about the nutritional needs of our koi.
We got to talking about the claims of food manufacturer's claims on the newer feeds that it is safe to feed your koi down to 5.c somehing that I for one wont take with pinch of salt.
The guy I was talking to turns out to be a bit of an expert when it comes to koi nutrition as he runs a food company for koi, when we got to these new claims he simply said dont.
Now think about this your fish are already shutting down for the winter and we know that at 2.c koi are nearer to death than they are alive....
However if you have fed them right throughout the year they should sticking to the recomended feeds for the season such as wheatgerm and garlic spring (above 10c) leading up to summer foods.
Then switching to your koi's summer food whilst finally as we come to Autumn switching back to wheatgerm.
If done correctly your koi have lain down enough in the way of fat reserves to carry them through their lean period of no food when we dip down to bellow 10c again
We all know koi have as such no stomach and as such have to take their nutrition directly through the wall of their intestine.
So claim or no claim if we follow the makers instructions to feed down to 5.c it leaves us with a problem food in the gut, which will then rot causing your koi no end of problems ebding in most cases in death.
So I suppose the warning is this, no matter what is claimed on the instructions of these feeds its best to do as we have always done stop feeding at 10.c and dont be tempted to feed again untul spring.
Koi need the winter to digest their fat reserves it's healthy for them, its somehing they have gotten good at over millions of years of their evolution they know what they are doing.
Who are we to try and change this ?

Dave

 

[dieselplower]

I also stop feeding my fish when it is cold but I dont think throwing food in the pond at 5 c is trying to rewrite history. We are keeping these fish in a much smaller habitat than they stay in in the wild. A natural lake or pond will generally have a lower stocking level than a garden pond and there will also be more food available. Who can actually say how much a fish eats under the ice all Winter? If they don't eat under the ice or in cold water in nature, I don't see why they would eat a piece of fish food if they didn't want it either. I hear a lot about this gut rot but haven't heard of it actually happening yet. Also, what do you mean more dead than alive? Is a hybernating bear also more dead than alive?

 

[Dave 54]

The problem is Diesilplower that koi in reality are sub ropical fish and are ot built to handle what our winters throw at them , yes the Doiitsu being of German origin are supposedly more hardier but sadly this isnt the case.
They dont need the complication of some novice koi keeper feeding them that low in temperature because they have read on the back of the pack that they can do so leding to somewhat disasterous conciquences .
Of course we all quit at 10c leaving them to live off their reserves which is what nature intended but if you were new to the hobby didnt know about fish forums you'd go ahead and probably kill your koi all in one fell swoop .
Thus putting yourself off the hobby before you know what your doing .

Dave

 

[sissy]

If your pond is frozen and you only have a small hole in the ice it could be a real task hitting the hole .Much like a game .

 

[Phil]

I'm no fish expert, but fish eat all winter. Maybe not as much as they do in the summer, but they still eat. Just ask any ice fisherman. In fact, if you google "ice fishing carp" you will find 825,000 results. Wild carp apparently feed quite actively under the ice, and will seek out holes that have been chummed and readily take bait. I'm not saying that this means that captive fish should be fed all winter, I'm just saying.

 

[sissy]

I give mine a little wheat germ but they are not interested in it and I end up having to scoop it out after an hour .They won't even come up for it and I don't want to put food in there that sinks to the bottom because that could cause poor water quality if they don't eat it and how would I know until something goes wrong and my fish die .

 

[dieselplower]

Ok so I feel the last couple posts show that if a fish is hungry, it will eat, and if it is not hungry, they won't. That is what I expected.

Sissy, if you are worried about your water quality all you need to do is test the water. I usually only test for ammonia and nitrate. It only takes a few minutes. Then you won't have to worry.

 

[sissy]

I don't worry because I don't feed them .I read that the tests also are not as accurate when the pond temps get low .11 years and I have never fed my fish in the winter and I have never lost one to death .Well except that a shubby jumped out and that was a long time ago ,I did not know they did that during spawning .I have given lots and lots of babies away though .

 

[Dave 54]

I'm no fish expert, but fish eat all winter. Maybe not as much as they do in the summer, but they still eat. Just ask any ice fisherman. In fact, if you google "ice fishing carp" you will find 825,000 results. Wild carp apparently feed quite actively under the ice, and will seek out holes that have been chummed and readily take bait. I'm not saying that this means that captive fish should be fed all winter, I'm just saying.

Quite true phil I wont dispute that but they are as you say wild, koi sadly now have a very week auto immune system and are not like their wind cousins this immune system can and does end the life of our koi, we dont need to complicate matters further by feeding them food that will kill them as it rots in their gut.
There is not the gene base to correct this something the Japanese are accutely aware of hence the recent introduction of the Indoneasian River carp and magoi to try and address this issue sadly though the colours are dull and are not in the eyes of the breeders fit for sale as of yet.
I suppose they are a product of their success but with that comes as I have already said complications which the wild koi through natural selection dont suffer from plus they probably have some sort of atural antifreeze to cope with such cold temperatures

Dave