Paste foods

[koiholic]

Yes i know its a bit early in the year to be thinking about paste foods, but im looking for ideas to encourage my koi to eat the paste foods this year, as i had little success last year.
I tried the following methods to get them to eat the paste foods during 2006.
Plain, with water to moisten.
Dipped in thawing prawns to add fish flavour.
Dipped in honey.
Dipped in orange juice.

So any ideas?

Im open to any suggestions

[mstrseed]

I know nothing about paste foods, but at yeaterday's meeting we were told to soak the food which was fed early in orange juice.

[111whalen]

Try not feeding for several days. I believe my fish like Izeki paste as well as pellets. I just started feeding yesterday after 2 months of fasting and they were good to go on the paste. It is way easier to digest and you can add all kinds of things. Good luck.

[koiczar]

Quote: Originally Posted by mstrseed I know nothing about paste foods, but at yeaterday's meeting we were told to soak the food which was fed early in orange juice.

The info you got at your meeting about "soaking" food was referring to pellets.

I have never had problems getting my fish to eat paste food. I have tried mixing with water, which works fine, but when you replace the water with orange juice concentrate(don't dilute it), cranberry juice or grape juice it adds another level of vitamins and minerals. It's a little sticky at first, but if you let it sit for an hour or so, it works fine. The fish really go after it then. As already said, you can add a lot of things to paste food. Besides being able to be assimilated better than pellets, it's a more versatile base for adding healthy and fresher ingredients.

[dick benbow]

My experience with pastefood is that izeki seems to be the most preferred by serious students of nutrition. ( altho sometimes hard to find) and the harm I've seen done is feeding in too low a temperature and too early in the season.

[koiczar]

Quote: Originally Posted by dick benbow My experience with pastefood is that izeki seems to be the most preferred by serious students of nutrition. ( altho sometimes hard to find) and the harm I've seen done is feeding in too low a temperature and too early in the season.

Weather and water temp dependant, I usually feed paste after mid-July and no later than mid September.

Mike

[redhead16]

Hi! I am no expert but I will tell you what I do. I buy the Ezeki and use orange juice as my liquid. I have a commercial blender so I blend my orange juice and whatever I have on hand into the juice, Garlic, collard greens, sweet potatoes (precooked),codliver oil,cooked shrimp(tails included. These are just a few of things that I might add at one time or the other. The blender completely liquifies this. I then add enough paste food to make a dough that I can roll out between plastic wrap. I cut it into small squares and then toss with koi clay (the koi clab keeps it from sticking together. I mix no more than 3 days at a time and keep refrigerated. The koi will come out of the water and crawl over one another to get this food. I have fed this in my inside tanks this winter and have got quite a bit of growth but the luster of their skin is unbelieveable.
firechief

[koiczar]

Good job firechief

What's the water temp on your indoor setup?

Mike

[redhead16]

74 With the cold weather my fish have loved their inside tank. I only had 5 smaller size koi in it this fall and I just didn't want to put them in the big pond. My big pond got down to 42 when we had the cold month of January here in Oregon. Although it is covered and I never get ice over it, it is still cold.
firechief

[koiczar]

Nice winter digs for your wet friends. Like taking a Hawaiian vacation of sorts-LOL

Mike