The right fish food will help you raise healthy and active koi fish. It can also enhance the beautiful colors of your koi fish and create bonding opportunities as you interact with them.  

Consider these three factors when selecting your koi fish food:

1. Choose a complete koi food with key ingredients

Look for koi food that offers complete nutrition and is fortified with vitamins and minerals. Complete koi food has everything your fish need to stay healthy – no fish supplements are needed.

When scanning koi fish food ingredients, look for:

• High levels of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin C to help support your koi’s immune system

• Spirulina algae and carotenoids for vibrant koi fish coloration and pigmentation

• High protein levels to help promote tissue and muscle development

• Wheat germ to support digestibility and keep your koi’s gastrointestinal (GI) tract healthy

• Sustainably sourced fishmeal for an eco-friendly choice

2. Select a floating koi food

Floating nuggets are best since they support your fishes’ natural foraging behavior and allow you to monitor food intake to prevent overfeeding. Overfeeding can harm fish health because the excess food decomposes and decreases water quality.
 
Another benefit of floating koi food is that it encourages your fish to come to the surface of their pond, tank or aquarium while feeding. By feeding floating nuggets, you’ll be able to see your koi better, are able to interact with them and you can even train your koi to eat from your hand with patience and perseverance.

3. Find a koi food that fits your fish size

Your koi may start as tiny fish, but they grow quickly, averaging 3-feet in length as adults. Choose koi food designed for the size of your fish.

Mazuri^® koi fish feeds offer complete nutrition and come in a variety of specialized shapes, sizes and textures for your koi needs:

• For fish up to 6-inches long, choose Mazuri^® Koi Platinum Bits – 1/16-inch long extruded bit particles.

• For fish 6- to 12-inches long, choose Mazuri^® Koi Platinum Nuggets – 3/16-inch long extruded nuggets.  

• For koi over 12-inches long, choose Mazuri^® Koi Platinum Ogata – 5/16-inch long pellets made of extruded nugget particle.

 
If you’re feeding multiple sizes of fish, select koi food for the smallest fish in the pond, tank or aquarium. This strategy ensures the feed is safe for all fish.

Other feeding tips

Feed your koi one to three times per day when the water temperatures are above 60°F. It’s important to feed only as much as the fish can consume within five minutes. Overfeeding will decrease the water quality, which will lead to poor fish health.

Store your Mazuri^® koi food in a container with a sealing lid and keep it in a cool, dry location. Freezing will not harm the food and may extend freshness.

Have koi food questions or feeding challenges? Ask our team of nutritionists for advice.