When to start feeding koi?

[teeemkay]

Hi all, it’s been a while since I last posted. The pond has been great. I have a feeding question, though, maybe particularly for the Midwest members... I am usually feeding my koi spring food by now. However, it’s been on the cold side here in Chicago, especially at night—I checked the water temperature a couple days ago and it still wasn’t even 50 degrees. The koi keep swimming over to the edge and are begging for food when I approach. They’ve been nibbling on algae around the edges. Is it still too early to start feeding them even the lighter spring koi food?

 

[Tula]

If your water is hovering around 50 degrees most folks say to not feed yet.....let them nibble on the algae.

 

[brokensword]

yep, like Tula said; I wait until it's at least 50F. It's a good thing to make your fish fend for themselves sometimes; they're more appreciative then when they DO get you to feed them...

 

[Lisak1]

@teeemkay - I started feeding fish last weekend. They were so happy to see me, they didn't even take the usual ten minutes to decide if I was safe or not.

 

[poconojoe]

Agree.
Wait for water temperature to reach at least 50 F. Then feed wheat germ spring and fall food.

 

[teeemkay]

Thanks all. I’m definitely holding off a little longer. Now the weather forecast is calling for frost on Friday night, so there’s no warm-up in the immediate future.

 

[teeemkay]

@teeemkay - I started feeding fish last weekend. They were so happy to see me, they didn't even take the usual ten minutes to decide if I was safe or not.

The koi were happy to see me for about a month as things started warming up. And then the raccoons started terrorizing the pond at night—now the koi are suspicious of ANYthing that approaches the pond. They dart away and then slowly come back to the edge when they realize it’s just me!

 

[Lisak1]

Oh boy!