'White' food

[Bob Hart]

On another forum I'm using, there was quite some talk about foods (as there often is). A couple of knowledgable dealers mentioned that the food they buy and use is bought with improving the 'white' (Shiroji) on the Koi and as far as colour enhancer is concerned, they would prefer to not have it in the food. Therefore the Koi develop's it's colour naturally based upon it's genetics, and they focus on just improving the white skin. So not just buying food, but 'white food'.

Certainly make me think a little and I wondered how many others just buy their Koi food to improve the white skin?

If so, what foods do you use to improve this? I know I'm from the UK and the majority here are US people, but we may have some common foods that we all use which improve in this way.

[KoiCop]

We use Hikari Wheat Germ year round and supplement with a higher protein pellet during the growing season.

[Super Kindai]

the attached picture is Mishiro' new koi food "Beni"

According to my new input, it will works for both beni & shiroji.

so, you may ask about it to your knowledgeable dealers.　

[MikeM]

Bob: Interesting concept. Did they say what foods they use for 'improving white'? ...Personally, I do not feed so-called 'color food', but it is very challenging to find koi feeds that do not have any spirulina, no carrot or carotene, no krill, no shrimp, no xan..... Well, you get the idea. Orange-fleshed yams, deep green leaf vegetables... nutrient-laden foods are also color enhancing. So... how feed the white without feeding the whole spectrum?

[koiscales]

I am using EA's new food and the whites have really popped.

KS

[dick benbow]

I've shared a similar experience with Bill at Mystic that the new EA food helped the whites. Particularly with my Asagi female's forehead.


BTW got a nice Christmas card from the gang at Mystic. Had a flock of Tancho Cranes, one of which had a sprig of holly in it's beak. Nice blend of western holidays with a touch of japan....

[Bob Hart]

Mike,

Snipped a bit from one off their posts, which talks about colour foods and the foods they feed for white skin.


We use no fancy food we played around with saki colour for a few months, and in truth if using on a fish with poor beni it dosnt make it better, in my opinion if you have a good or really good kohaku in that I mean by its skin (beni ) quality the colour food just brings on finishing the beni to early, considering the koi may not of reached its potential size and more significant growth might just make the beni break up to much.
So wheatgerm and foods for white (shiroji) is all im interested in. Protein I dont care for, 36% or something near that, carp can only absorb mid 30% protein so every thing else is wasted. And puts pressure on the digestive system. Also if you have a fish with secondary hi or sashi that is a bit to deep and extends out more than wanted, feeding colour enhancing food will just make the problem worse enhancing the koi's fault. Always think of improving the white or keeping the white the best you can low pollution ( keeping a low TDS) feed a white improving pellet. this way by keeping the white as thick and as beatiful as you can it will help with unrefind sashi by making it creep back because of the over powering white skin. Also the beni and sumi will automatically look alot better if the white ground is at its best. the first trick of making a koi look good is good white skin. And as many colour enhancers use carotene and such in order to improve the beni, this also makes the white skin go a dull of colour cream. Again something you dont want so my advice would be ignore the growth, colour high protein and all clever marketing and go for a simple well known japanese koi food. and my choice would be hikari wheatgerm, with norbori and yamatonishiki from Japan pet drugs.. Nobori is an excellent white enhancer.

[MikeM]

Interesting.... Yamatonishiki has astaxanthin added. Don't know what Nobori has (added). Will need to look it up.

[aquitori]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bob Hart On another forum I'm using, there was quite some talk about foods (as there often is). A couple of knowledgable dealers mentioned that the food they buy and use is bought with improving the 'white' (Shiroji) on the Koi and as far as colour enhancer is concerned, they would prefer to not have it in the food. Therefore the Koi develop's it's colour naturally based upon it's genetics, and they focus on just improving the white skin. So not just buying food, but 'white food'. Certainly make me think a little and I wondered how many others just buy their Koi food to improve the white skin? If so, what foods do you use to improve this? I know I'm from the UK and the majority here are US people, but we may have some common foods that we all use which improve in this way.

Here in the US we are limited to alot of Japanese brand koi food that claim to clean up shiroji. I there was one I would like to try in Momotaro's white label koi food which we can not get here.

I know there are some foods now claiming to bring the "natural" diet back to koi with things found in their natural habitat. Which I still kinda question, since Nishikigoi have been domesticated for the last 100 years or so...But I still too each is his own when it comes to raising their fish.

What do I use to maintain the shiroji or improve the shiroji on my fish? I use a common diet of Sweet Potato year as my staple and Hi-Silk/paste in the summer growing months. Plus alot of water changes to go with my feeding routine.

[MikeM]

Nobori is promoted as having "no artificial pigments". The ingredients include: "natural astaxanthin".

Hmmmm.....