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Hi Tom,
Seasons greetings! I think the most important aspect of feeding is temperature.
In dramatic weather change climates you need to be mindful to not feed when you might anticipate a weather change and drop in temperature.
After temperatures get to the lower 50's it's best to stop feeding. Don't resume until the weather is stablized with lows at 55F. here in the northwest for non heated ponds people stop in early november (52-53 F) and don't feed again until the end of april when temps get back to 55F. There is a period which varies among keepers for duration but most agree it's best to alow several months of non feeding.
Feeding at ending and start up time should be vegetable protein like wheat germ. CAREFUL THO! some of ther REALLY nice folks who produce koi food label theirs as wheatgerm and then you read the ingredients list and find that
other animal protein is listed prior.
I think in California you could let your pond rest for two months in the dead of winter. then start up with wheatgerm and then once the temps stabilize at
65-68 go to the higher protein fish meal foods mentioned in this thread. I think the secret is small amounts more frequently. Like some of our contributors who would rather mix their own food and augment it with various others, there is a place in this world for pellets. probably a good concept would be a varied diet to cover all the bases as opposed to just one food type. variety is the spice of life even in a koi's life!
we look forward to your thoughts and contributions to this board!
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