natural food for koi

[qwerty99]

Hi, i'm new here on the forum. I would like to ask if there's natural veggies that we can mix together to make koi pellets

[MATTHEW]

First, welcome to KB As for the vegetables, there are many different things your koi will love: Nappa cabbage, peas, seedless watermelon, oranges, and cooked sweet potatoes just to name a few. They really love all of these

[qwerty99]

thanks, so if i happen to mix all, would i be able to produce something like bait or pellet for my fish

[MikeM]

No.... These are fed as a supplement to balanced pellet foods intended for koi. For homemade basic diets, check out paste food formulas posted in various threads on this board. In Nature carp consume great quantities of insects, crustaceans, amphibians, worms and such to get all the needed protein. The referenced vegetable items alone are not an adequate diet.

[JasPR]

Mmmm. I think we can feed koi for the fun of it ( it is part of the enjoyment of having a koi pond, after all) for the nurturing feeling of satisfaction we get when going the extra mile or for what the koi, as an omnivore, actually requires in it's daily life? Sometimes these things are all compatible and sometimes we kid ourselves yet enjoy the efforts tremendously. The only stop signal there is to 'do not harm' during the enjoyment.
Any food that destroys/trashes the environment should of course be avoided. And any food that adds to the ever present danger of fatty liver disease should also be avoided. Add to that any foods that bring parasitic disease to the fish such as wild caught dip net fare ( wild pond netting).

Live is good, no doubt. A real 'whole' food. But 'fresh' is probably more to the point? JR

[koiscales]

Would buying worms from a bait store be safe for koi? Always wanted to feed them worms from the garden but we spray the lawn

KS

[dick benbow]

As many of the long toime koi keepers know, the more control you have on things the better. I have a compost pile that really encourages the worm growth. I don't use poisons so it is safe to feed. Creating your own worm bed/compost is another chore for sure to add to your day but atleast you wouldn't have to worry about what the worms were exposed to.

[koiscales]

Quote: Originally Posted by dick benbow As many of the long toime koi keepers know, the more control you have on things the better. I have a compost pile that really encourages the worm growth. I don't use poisons so it is safe to feed. Creating your own worm bed/compost is another chore for sure to add to your day but atleast you wouldn't have to worry about what the worms were exposed to.

Well the only place to get worms now is the bait store. Would that be ok?

KS

[dick benbow]

cause we don't know how they were raised. Since they're sale was to catch a fish not to feed one, I don't know that I'd want to take the chance. One way to look into it is ask where they get them from at the point of purchase. I know as a kid when I fished I'd go out at night with a flashlight after a rain and pick them up by the dozens. Who knew what toxins they were exposed to, but at the time i was using them for bass bait...

[koiscales]

Quote: Originally Posted by dick benbow cause we don't know how they were raised. Since they're sale was to catch a fish not to feed one, I don't know that I'd want to take the chance. One way to look into it is ask where they get them from at the point of purchase. I know as a kid when I fished I'd go out at night with a flashlight after a rain and pick them up by the dozens. Who knew what toxins they were exposed to, but at the time i was using them for bass bait...

I will do that.Thanks

KS