A Blueberry Story

[Dale Torok]

I have an unusual, funny observation about feeding some blueberries to our koi. Some of you may have experienced or seen the same thing, so save yourself the read. Otherwise, you might find it interesting.

I know lots of people feed vegetables and fruit to their koi to get fresh food in their diet. Last night we had a fruit salad with dinner with a lot of blueberries in it. My wife has bought LOTS of blueberries recently and has cooked and worked them into a lot of our meals.

There was maybe a cup full left in the refridgerator out of scads of them we have had around here. We are about 'blueberried out' so she was going to throw them out. She asked me, "Do you think the koi would eat blueberries?" I said I didn't know, but we could give it a try.

I went out to the pond and started throwing blueberries in one berry at a time. The koi go screaming after ANTHING I throw in the pond because it's always food or a treat. The koi that got the 1st blueberry worked it around in the mouth for maybe 5 seconds and spit it out. Another koi grabbed it and the same thing happened again. I threw a few other blueberries in and it looked like the koi were playing volleyball with the blueberries as koi would suck the blueberry in and then spit it out a few seconds later to be sucked in by another koi. It was kind of fun to watch, but I knew all the blueberries were going to end up going down a bottom drain and into a filter if no fish were going to eat the berries.

I didn't throw the blueberries away, though. Just threw them back in the refridgerator. It was almost dark when we had our little blueberry game and I wanted to try it again in full sunlight when the koi were really hungry to see if it made any difference. I had fed pretty heavily less than an hour before they played with the blueberries. Maybe the fish were just full and playing with the food?

Today I go out and throw one blueberry in. Blueberry volleyball commences. It's in the mouth of 4 or 5 different koi in short order. I start thinking, blueberries have a pretty tough skin. Koi teeth are at the back of the throat. I'll bet they can't crush the blueberry in their mouth & it's not making it back to the teeth. Maybe that's the problem.

I got a knife and cut a blueberry in half. Threw in one half a blueberry with the pulp inside exposed. Wham! It's in a koi's mouth. 5, 10, 15 seconds go by..........no spitting out the blueberry. Another half goes in the pond. WHAM! Same story. I start slicing blueberries in half and throwing them in the pond. All are pounced on by koi. None are spit out. Down the hatch for every one. Or I guess I should say every half one! All are eaten.

Conclusion? Do koi 'taste' in their mouth? Maybe a blueberry with a complete skin has no taste? I know that when I see seeds or leaves or little twigs get blown or fall in the pond, the koi will suck them in their mouth, then spit them out. Just like they did the blueberries.

Well, that's my blueberry story. The whole truth and nothin' but the truth. Anyone else try to feed blueberries? Did your koi eat them whole? If so, maybe I just have a bunch of sissy fish that can't crush a blueberry?

The ramblings of a koi nut with time to kill this afternoon.....

Dale

[dick benbow]

NOW YOU KNOW WHY i BREED MY BABIES AT A BLUEBERRY FARM AND WHY i LIKE BLUE KOI ( AND BLUEBERRIES)!

oURS JUST INHALE THEM PERIOD CAUSE THEY KNOW, BUT WE USUALLY FEED THEM THE OVER RIPE ONES OR ONE'S THAT'S SQUASHED.

GREAT STORY DALE, LOVE THE URBAN LEGEND TYPE STORIES!

[Dale Torok]

dick,

Do you really have a blueberry farm? You grow blueberries? That's pretty neat.

Koi. Bonsai. Blueberries. You are a busy guy.

I wasn't worried about the blueberries being harmful, I just thought it was really funny to watch the koi chase the a berry all over the pond sucking it in and spitting it out. It was like a game.

No spitting berries out when they can taste it, though! I suppose after a few feedings, they'll know what it is and crunch 'em.

Dale

[dick benbow]

I don't own a blueberry farm. Just breed koi within the boundaries of one as thus have access to them. have learned tho that the labor of protecting and picking is pretty time intensive. I have a full time job and the koi babies keep me as busy as i like( well too busy)

[111whalen]

Did the whites turn blue?

[Dale Torok]

Quote: Originally Posted by 111whalen Did the whites turn blue?

Oh my! Now you've given me something to worry about!

Dick? Oh, Dick? Is this why you have your breeding ponds "within the boundaries" of a blueberry farm?

I KNEW you had something up your sleeve. Is the 'ol blue fish man trying to develop a blue and red kohaku? Or maybe a red, white and blue showa?

Just how many blueberries are you feeding your fish, Dick?

Dale

[mulberryjen]

Dale,

You can really turn a phrase - great imagery. Blueberry fish volleyball.

You never know what kinds of foods they will take a shine to. Some of my fish like oranges, some don't touch them. Only one will eat squished-out peas (Kohaku) and boy, does he love them! I quit feeding him peas a while back because I started thinking his face had kinda lime greenish tint. I dunno.

A few weeks ago I found a cicada larvae on the ground beneath a chair while I was picking up pears. (Every day, pick up the pears.... ) It hadn't broken out of the shell just yet & I set it on the chair arm so I wouldn't step on it. Then I bumped the chair and it bounced into the water. Sanke slurped it and chewed and chewed and chewed. (It was one of the bigger 1 1/2" long kind) I kept waiting for her to spit it out, but she ate that big ol' yucky, crunchy thing.

All of the koi really like nightcrawlers as well. I go outside at night after a good rain with a flashlight and yank them out of their holes with a big pair of glass-making tweezers. Yet another backyard activity at our household that frightens the neighbors......

[Dale Torok]

Quote: Originally Posted by mulberryjen Dale, You never know what kinds of foods they will take a shine to. Some of my fish like oranges, some don't touch them. Only one will eat squished-out peas (Kohaku) and boy, does he love them! I quit feeding him peas a while back because I started thinking his face had kinda lime greenish tint. I dunno. A few weeks ago I found a cicada larvae on the ground beneath a chair while I was picking up pears. (Every day, pick up the pears.... ) It hadn't broken out of the shell just yet & I set it on the chair arm so I wouldn't step on it. Then I bumped the chair and it bounced into the water. Sanke slurped it and chewed and chewed and chewed. (It was one of the bigger 1 1/2" long kind) I kept waiting for her to spit it out, but she ate that big ol' yucky, crunchy thing. All of the koi really like nightcrawlers as well. I go outside at night after a good rain with a flashlight and yank them out of their holes with a big pair of glass-making tweezers. Yet another backyard activity at our household that frightens the neighbors......

Jen,

I think ALL my koi eat oranges, peas, sweet potato, watermellon... that kind of stuff.

I've never found a cicada larvae, but find lots of crickets around here. The koi know when a cricket hits the pond & the bug doesn't last long. They like those little white grubs I find when digging in the yard. The koi crunched those green June bugs this summer, too.

Nightcrawlers and redworms are devoured as soon as they hit the water. I haven't done the 'flashlight hunting with a big pair of tweezers' yet, but as you say, there's no sense in upsetting the neighbors!

Dale