Fish Care
Summer is the most active season for pond fish, when water temperatures are warm and plants are growing. Keep your fish healthy and colorful by providing the right diet in the right way.
- Feed at the same time every day. Fish respond to a regular feeding routine by coming to the surface at feeding time.
- Spread food over a wide area to ensure that smaller fish get a chance to eat. Choose dry food that dissolves slowly as it sinks, so that fish at all pond levels have an opportunity to nibble.
- Pond fish survive on fish food, microorganisms in the water, and plants. Enhance microorganism levels by using pebbles and stones beneath the water level to provide a place for beneficial bacteria to live.
- Goldfish don’t devour pond plants the way that koi can. Koi like to feast on plant roots, so they’ll dig to unearth them. Protect pond plants by placing rocks on soil around their bases.
- Summer koi food should provide no more than 30 percent protein.
- Provide fish as much high-protein food as they can eat in 5 minutes. Food not consumed in the 5-minute window won’t be eaten, but will decay.
- Observe fish while they feed to inspect them and reduce food waste.
- Koi prefer to feed several times a day. Feed at least twice a day, more frequently if your schedule permits.
- Select food to enhance koi and shubunkin coloration. Foods high in carotene, such as plankton, krill, shrimp, and spirulina (a type of algae), create brighter reds and oranges.
- To train koi to feed from your hand, don’t toss food into the water. Hold it in your hand at the water’s edge and the fish will come.
