Fish food getting expensive! Alternative choices?

[poconojoe]

Hi all, as the title states...fish food is getting very expensive. I thought dog food was expensive...not compared to fish food. I'm talking warm weather food for koi, goldfish, comets and shubunkin.
So, I searched the forum and didn't find much, but I do recall there were things like watermelon, peas etc.
So I'm asking for a list of common foods to feed these guys. Floating food would seem best, I think, so it doesn't just sink to the bottom and rot.
Thanks,
Joe

 

[Tula]

I'm by no means an expert on fish nutrition but I think fruit, peas etc.would be best as treats. How much do you want to spend and how much do you go through? I recently read through a thread on another forum and there was a discussion on lower priced fish food.

In my experience, my pond is less cloudy when I feed a higher quality koi food.

 

[Lisak1]

I stick to commercial fish food for every day feeding. I worry that I don't know enough about fish nutrition to offer then a well balanced diet. After all, a koi doesn't eat peas and watermelon in the wild. I read about people giving their koi Cheerios and I'm like "really? I won't even eat that stuff!" So for treats, maybe, but your fish count on you for good quality food. (I'm really speaking mainly for koi - I think goldfish can do fine in a pond with no outside food source. Koi are just too big proportionate to the average garden pond.)

Having said that, I do shop for price. We buy our food 50 or 60 lbs at a time and get a much better price that way. We store it in sealable buckets so it stays fresh.

Some people (@callingcolleen1 comes to mind) do feed their koi puppy food and have great success doing it. Maybe she will pop in here and explain her rationale and what she looks for in a dog food for her fish.

 

[poconojoe]

OK, so maybe it's best to keep feeding quality commercial food as a staple. So, how about suggestions on where to get the best prices online. I just bought 20 lbs from a major online pet supplier and that bag cost with tax and free shipping $52. That to me is too much, but it was the best price I could find for a medium quality food.

 

[Lisak1]

That's actually a good price. We paid $72 for 20 pounds last fall.

 

[mtravigne]

How many fish are you feeding? Just curious.

 

[poconojoe]

That's actually a good price. We paid $72 for 20 pounds last fall.

It was Drs. Foster and Smith's own brand with a 25% sale. Normally $69.99... growth and color 20 lb.

 

[poconojoe]

How many fish are you feeding? Just curious.

About 30 fish. 4 larger koi are like 18", 6 koi 6"-10", two shubunkin and the rest are small to medium goldfish and comets. We feed them twice a day in the spring and summer.

 

[CliffandJoann]

Joe, We buy Strike pond fish food...a 40 lb bag costs 25.00.
On LI it's sold at Agway...It's actually meant for big natural ponds,
It floats and the fish thrive on it and love it as well. They are healthy
and very active.
We have 17 large koi, between 18 to 21 years old, and don't actually
go through the entire 40 pounds each season.

We also have a compost pile in the backyard where we bury all our
veggie scraps and coffee grinds...this compost pile produces many
earth worms. We feed the koi earth worms about three times a week.
They love earth worms and it's very good for them (100 percent protein)
Hope this helps.

 

[poconojoe]

Joe, We buy Strike pond fish food...a 40 lb bag costs 25.00.
On LI it's sold at Agway...It's actually meant for big natural ponds,
It floats and the fish thrive on it and love it as well. They are healthy
and very active.
We have 17 large koi, between 18 to 21 years old, and don't actually
go through the entire 40 pounds each season.

We also have a compost pile in the backyard where we bury all our
veggie scraps and coffee grinds...this compost pile produces many
earth worms. We feed the koi earth worms about three times a week.
They love earth worms and it's very good for them (100 percent protein)
Hope this helps.

40 lb bag for $25...that's a great price. I think there's an agway somewhere here in the Poconos. Or maybe I can order it online. Thanks!

 

[CliffandJoann]

Joe, I googled Agway stores in Pa...and got this

• Agway
  10 Dublin Rd, Perkasie(215) 249-3556Directions•Website
  1
• Agway
  145 Butler St, Saxonburg(724) 352-1650Directions•Website
  2
• Agway
  30 W Allen St, Frnt, Mechanicsburg(717) 591-9008Directions•Website
  3
• Agway
  1 on YelpClosed now
  956 S Matlack St, West Chester(610) 696-1700Directions•Website
  4
• Agway
  1 on Yelp
  486 S Hershey Rd, Harrisburg(717) 566-2569Directions•Website
  5

More results for Agway near Pennsylvania


any near you? You could also call Strike and ask where they sell it
near you,

 

[CliffandJoann]

If you order on line there will most likely be a healthy shipping cost.
Call Agway...(the telephone numbers are in my post)
ask them if there are any stores near you.

 

[Lisak1]

I forgot about the worms my fish get! My vegetable garden is situated near the pond - the fish all line up and wait for the goodies they know are coming when I'm out digging in the garden!

 

[poconojoe]

Joe, I googled Agway stores in Pa...and got this

• Agway
  10 Dublin Rd, Perkasie(215) 249-3556Directions•Website
  1
• Agway
  145 Butler St, Saxonburg(724) 352-1650Directions•Website
  2
• Agway
  30 W Allen St, Frnt, Mechanicsburg(717) 591-9008Directions•Website
  3
• Agway
  1 on YelpClosed now
  956 S Matlack St, West Chester(610) 696-1700Directions•Website
  4
• Agway
  1 on Yelp
  486 S Hershey Rd, Harrisburg(717) 566-2569Directions•Website
  5

More results for Agway near Pennsylvania


any near you? You could also call Strike and ask where they sell it
near you,

Hey! Thanks for that!

 

[CliffandJoann]

Lisa, we taught our water pups to hand feed using worms...I think we could
teach them to jump through fire rings if we rewarded with worms. :yes: