Koi Food: Fads/Trends & How Winter makes Fish Slim (Part 4)

This last blog of this multi-blog series discusses two last topics with koi food. We will be discussing food fads & trends, and also how winter can help your fish.
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Fads/Trends

There have been fads for koi food, some which have been proven, and others that provided little nutritional value for fish. Let's take a look at a few popular ones.

One fad to come along was vitamin C. It was praised by food manufacturers, and was put into every type of fish food. It eventually lost its appeal after being on the market for a while, but made a comeback when stabilized vitamin C was introduced.

Later on, color additives started to become popular. They are still used today, but have decreased in popularity and usage after researchers found that too many additives caused undesirable pinks and whites in koi.

Other fads that came around were high protein (read past posts about how much protein a koi really needs), and additives to boost the fish's immune system. Supplements also hit the market such as bugs (protein), shellfish (skin health), and garlic (encourages appetite).

One of the fads going on today (or possibly yesterday), is saki (for digestion). Saki can be found in Hikari-saki food.

Winter Weight Loss For Fish

It's been observed that fish down south are more obese than fish up north, but why? Well, because fish have a chance to burn up the fat they gain during the fall. But, southern states have shorter winters than the north, so the fish down south don't burn off as much fat.

A lot of veteran pond owners warn not to overfeed fish. But, this is in the hands of the owner of the fish. Just remember, fish don't need much food because they expend very little energy to sustain life.
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Well, this concludes our blog on "koi food". Our next blog will start diving into gardening. We don't call ourselves "Ornamental Pond & Garden Experts" for nothing. Tune in tomorrow for more information on your pond and gardening needs.