Best Koi Fish Food - Guide and Top Picks for 2019

The Koi fish has a reputation of being resilient to hard conditions. Koi fish can easily get accustomed to most environments and nearly all kinds of ecosystems. Generally, they can outlast other fish in colder climates. Koi fish have a similar tendency with their diet where they can consume most plants and protein sources.



But this is only half the story. Studies have been taken out extensively to study the true effects on the life of the average Koi. It’s been found that while the humble Koi can manage to take on its surroundings physically; this isn’t the best for its longevity and quality of life. Cold temperatures and unfulfilling meals can leave a Koi fish with a disturbed immune system and more vulnerable to diseases.

This is why it’s important to monitor your Koi’s living habitat and make sure it’s in a comfortable state. Many people often have trouble figuring out what the best Koi food is. We’ll be looking at different Koi food mixes so you can have the best Koi food for proper nutrition and growth.

Koi fish are always an enjoyable experience, often part of a beautifully landscaped home, but keeping your Koi healthy is a job all of its own. Picking the best Koi food for your pond can be a pain, so we took the top three best Koi food brands and listed them for you below...

Quick Top Picks for Koi Fish Food

Below are the top picks for koi fish food that ranges from general feed to growth food. Feeding your koi fish a variety of foods will help build their immunity and encourage growth into adult koi. Always check the needs of your koi based on the stage of life it's in, younger koi will require more protein for growth, adult koi will require different diets based on age and maturity.

Best Everyday Koi Food

Feeding your koi fish can get expensive, so mixing, in general, every day food should be a priority to help save a few dollars and provide a variety of proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Below are top choices for general everyday koi food selections to help keep those hungry koi fed and growing. Blend this into your daily feeding times to help round out a general koi fish diet and break the routine of similar food.

TetraPond Floating Koi Sticks

TetraPond Floating Koi Sticks has been designed with the special nutritional needs of Koi fish in mind and has been specially formulated by experts to ensure your fish are ingesting everything they need and more.

Did you know that the diet of a Koi has a direct impact on their overall coloration? It has everything to do with just how bright and shimmering they grow up to be – and we all know the coloration and beauty is the reason why many people choose to keep and/or breed with Koi fish in the first place.

TetraPond Floating Koi Sticks promises to bring out the best in your Koi population’s color, and you should see the difference almost immediately. Try it!

Hartz Wardley Floating Koi Fish Food Pellets

These floating fish food pellets have no artificial colors, and is made for all types of pond fish – so you don’t have to worry about special diets or requirements. The Hartz Wardley brand of fish food products is also fortified, in this case with extra Vitamin C to ensure that your fish are getting allot the nutrients they need through their diet.

If you’re interested in this product, the manufacturer has also kept the needs of individual owners in mind, and you can order just as much as you need at one time – in bags of three, five or ten pounds, depending on how much food you will need at any one point in time.

If you’re in the market for a quality food product that will improve the overall health of your pond fish and leave them in excellent, sparkling condition, then you should switch over to Harz Wardley Pond Floating Fish Food Pellets for their needs today.

Best Premium Koi Food

So you are willing to spend a little bit more for premium food, I don't blame you, your koi fish are worth it and they will thank you for it. Premium food is not really that much more, yet you gain the satisfaction of knowing you didn't skimp your koi fish food. Superior nutritional formulas and ingredients will go a long way to keep your koi fish growing and healthy. Below are our picks for best premium koi food.

Kaytee Choice Premium Koi Fish Food

Kaytee’s Choice Premium Fish Food is affordable and available in five, ten or twenty-five pound bags – so you can buy just as much as you need for a little while at a time, or you can purchase enough of it for the long haul if you’re preparing or happen to have a larger tank that needs taking care of: It’s even a pro-choice fish food amongst aquariums all over the world.

It’s perfect for any forms of pond fish, including Koi,, and it’s specifically been designed with the best health of your pet in mind – while still being affordable for your pocket at the same time.

Dainichi Premium Koi Food

Dainichi premium koi fish food features five source of protein, plus color enhancing spirulina, krill and shrimp. Top Japanese koi breeders and koi fish keepers choose Dainichi as an all-time favorite. Dainichi koi fish food features a unique vitamin and mineral combination to bring out the color and white of koi fish.

Dainichi is a premium, when you are ready to take your koi nutrition to the next level, for show competition or just giving your koi fish the very best, Dainichi is the brand for you.

Why You Should Always Feed the Best Koi Food

There’s all kind of different fish feed available on the market. Most people don’t think twice about what kind of feed they should get for their fish. It’s easy to get tempted to go for the cheapest generic feed that’s advertised to be suitable for all fishes. However, without taking your fish’s nutritional requirements into consideration you’re just feeding them fodder.

The Koi fish isn’t a picky eater by any means. Owing to their omnivorous nature, they have a wide selection of nutrients available to them. They can consume everything from plants to grains, and even small sea life. But if you’re looking to get your Koi living in optimal conditions, you need to have the best Koi food to feed your fish. There are a number of benefits you can experience from that. We’ve listed some of the key reasons below.

Digestion

Although Koi can consume just about anything, it doesn’t all get digested in the same way. More complex food matrix blends will tend to take longer to digest. They may even take a toll on the fish’s ability to digest food. Since Koi are cold-blooded, they don’t have traditional stomachs. This means they cannot store food in their stomach to digest it in one go. They have to individually digest food as it enters the fish. Some hard to digest food will need warmer temperatures to ensure that the food gets digested properly without any issues.

Water Quality

One of the things people don’t consider when buying fish feed is how it will affect the water quality. By having mineral-rich fish feed you can cause the water turbidity to rise and create an ion gradient for you Koi. It will also cause your water to get cloudy from bacterial spread from waste food and fish excrement.

Better Immunity

The best Koi food is meant to be more than just a source of nutrition for your Koi. It also manages to help create better immunity for you Koi. Generally, the Koi used in display aquariums tend to have weaker immune systems. Getting a good fish feed source can help your Koi build immunity against various diseases and aquatic parasites.

Advanced Growth

The basic function of any kind of food source is to help provide enough nourishment for growth. The best Koi food will help your fish grow at a decent rate. You can see your Koi develop much more naturally and quickly over time.

Koi Color and Patterns

Koi are meant to display fish which is why you want to keep them properly fed. Koi have the ability to express more vibrant visual patterns and colors as they get healthier. The better the Koi food is, the better you can expect those patterns and colors to be vibrant and visible.

What to Look For in Best Koi Food

Now that we know how important it is to have the right Koi food, it’s time to look at what we should look for in the food. Generally, you want to make sure that whichever feed you get is appropriate to your Koi and its requirement. We’ll be looking at some basic ways you can judge the actual quality of the Koi feed.

Fat

A fat source is necessary for the Koi to build up fat. This will help the Koi brave colder climates and help maintain its body heat. It will also give it a store of energy that is easily accessible to it.

Protein

Protein is very important for growth and development of bones, cartilage, skin, and enzymes. One of the easiest sources of protein in Koi feed comes from small aquatic life. These include brine shrimp, and even anchovies and fish meat. Since Koi are natural omnivores they can easily digest small portions of meat. It’s a good idea to have at least 35% protein in your feed.

Color Supplements

While not essential to the Koi’s overall nutritional health, color supplements may be something you’d want in your feed. These include algae that a Koi will feed in its natural habitat. Algae help enhance the color of the Koi’s vibrant colors and make them stand out.

Vitamin and Mineral Resources

Last but not least, a decent Koi feed needs to contain the appropriate amount of vitamin and mineral resources. Koi can make good use of these sources to maintain their health. Vitamin A, C, B, and K will help your fish regulate its bodily functions better and maintain it better. They can also build their immunity up and fend off any endo-parasites or diseases.

Final Thoughts...

Now that you know what to feed your Koi, you can make sure they maintain their health to an utmost degree. You can now enjoy a stunning aquarium of healthy, stunning, and vibrant looking Koi that will manage to stay in peak fitness for a long time coming.

If you think that your fish food might need switching, consider trying out Kaytee Koi’s Choice Premium Fish Food and document if the health your fish and tank improves over time. It’s a trusted product for a lot of others, so give it a try.