How do I determine how much to feed my fish

[ralphjramirez]

I have 17 shubunkins and 3 Koi. Three shubunkins are about 6-8" long the rest are smaller. The 3 Koi are about 8-10" inches long. I never know how much to feed them. I started with 3 heaping tablespoons of Koi Vibrance fish food and they seemed to eat it quite fast. I now give them 4 heaping tablespoons of food and within a few minutes it is gone. They seem to want more but I hesitate to add more to avoid affecting the clear water I once read that you feed only what they can eat in 5 minutes is that still true? Any suggestions will be appreciated. My pond is only 540 gallons see picture below.

Regards...........Ralph

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3820/8858040350_dbf53675f1_c.jpg

 

[shakaho]

Way too much. I feed until all of the fish have a mouthful and are "chewing," then stop before they get it down and come back for more. This takes less than a minute.

I hope you realize you will need a much bigger pond to keep those koi. They will continue to grow and 17 shubunkins is already about as many fish as your pond can handle.

 

[HTH]

my-take-on-feeding-fish

Also contains a link to alternate foods.

 

[dieselplower]

To me, the answer to this question depends on a lot of other things. I assume you want the fish to get bigger? In which case they will need lots of food. As you seem to know, the more food you throw in, the more waste is created. What are the water peramiters like? For instance what are the ammonia and nitrate levels? Do you do water changes? If so, how much and how often? I totally agee with Shakaho that the pond is overstocked in an ideal world but until the Koi get bigger, I guess you could get by as long as your water is clean.

 

[ralphjramirez]

Way too much. I feed until all of the fish have a mouthful and are "chewing," then stop before they get it down and come back for more. This takes less than a minute.

I hope you realize you will need a much bigger pond to keep those koi. They will continue to grow and 17 shubunkins is already about as many fish as your pond can handle.

Thank you shakaho. I kind of figured I was feeding them too much as they always seemed to want more. I think the 3 Koi will definitely outgrow this pond. I do like them so will keep for a few months then swap them out. I don't know how large shubunkins get as most of those were born in the pond. I started with 4 and never added any more, prolific little things.

Thanks again...........Ralph

 

[ralphjramirez]

Thank you HTH, that was a very interesting post. It is not convenient for me to feed more than once a day but I will be reducing the amount I feed them. I do have measured portions for when I am away and others do the feeding for me.

Thanks again...........Ralph

my-take-on-feeding-fish

Also contains a link to alternate foods.

 

[ralphjramirez]

To me, the answer to this question depends on a lot of other things. I assume you want the fish to get bigger? In which case they will need lots of food. As you seem to know, the more food you throw in, the more waste is created. What are the water peramiters like? For instance what are the ammonia and nitrate levels? Do you do water changes? If so, how much and how often? I totally agee with Shakaho that the pond is overstocked in an ideal world but until the Koi get bigger, I guess you could get by as long as your water is clean.

Thanks for your response. I really like the fish the size they are now but I know the Koi will outgrow my pond. I intend to keep them for a few months then remove them before they become a problem. I have a friend that will take them. My pond was built about 8 years ago by a contractor and it is a rebar enforced concrete that has developed a small leak that I can't find. I add water on a weekly basis which actually is healthy for the fish but not for water conservation. The water parameters are within the recommended levels. I am hoping that the leak will self seal, I know this is a stretch, but I don't want to go through the draining of the pond to reseal, a decision I may have to eventually take. As I mentioned to HTH and shakaho I will be reducing slightly the amount of food and not be influenced by the fish seeking more.

Thanks for your input.

Regards..........Ralph

To me, the answer to this question depends on a lot of other things. I assume you want the fish to get bigger? In which case they will need lots of food. As you seem to know, the more food you throw in, the more waste is created. What are the water peramiters like? For instance what are the ammonia and nitrate levels? Do you do water changes? If so, how much and how often? I totally agee with Shakaho that the pond is overstocked in an ideal world but until the Koi get bigger, I guess you could get by as long as your water is clean.

 

[dieselplower]

Ive gotta tell you, I dont think that is too much food for that many fish of that size. How much water would you say you are replacing a week? In a pond there is often food like algae, bugs, eggs, etc that fish can eat. Your pond isn't huge and those fish are all competing for that food, so it is spread pretty thin. I think, and believe me, Im no expert, that you can feed them that much as long as the water quality is good, although my only thought would be can you spread it out throughout the day, rather than all at once? I understand life is busy and feeding 4 times a day is not always practical or possible, but maybe once in the morning and once in the evening?

 

[koiguy1969]

if your fish are eating it and the ponds filtration is handling the amount your feeding,(maintaining good water parameters) why reduce?... 4 tbspns ...i feed more than that amount, atleast 5 times a day. for just 4 koi in 1200 gals.

 

[ralphjramirez]

Hello dielselpower and thanks for your response. I do see them eating some very small amounts of string algae near the top of the pond so they won't starve although there is very little algae. Sounds like I should either feed them the same or increase the amount by feeding them twice a day, I can probably try that and see how the fish react.

Thanks again................Ralph

Ive gotta tell you, I dont think that is too much food for that many fish of that size. How much water would you say you are replacing a week? In a pond there is often food like algae, bugs, eggs, etc that fish can eat. Your pond isn't huge and those fish are all competing for that food, so it is spread pretty thin. I think, and believe me, Im no expert, that you can feed them that much as long as the water quality is good, although my only thought would be can you spread it out throughout the day, rather than all at once? I understand life is busy and feeding 4 times a day is not always practical or possible, but maybe once in the morning and once in the evening?

 

[addy1]

Mine get around 4 handfuls every other day. That amount of food is gone within a minute. (over 200 gf and shubunkins) OW they get to snack on the pond, no algae survives. Very few eggs make it to fry hood, which is what I want to happen.

 

[ralphjramirez]

To me, the answer to this question depends on a lot of other things. I assume you want the fish to get bigger? In which case they will need lots of food. As you seem to know, the more food you throw in, the more waste is created. What are the water peramiters like? For instance what are the ammonia and nitrate levels? Do you do water changes? If so, how much and how often? I totally agee with Shakaho that the pond is overstocked in an ideal world but until the Koi get bigger, I guess you could get by as long as your water is clean.

if your fish are eating it and the ponds filtration is handling the amount your feeding,(maintaining good water parameters) why reduce?... 4 tbspns ...i feed more than that amount, atleast 5 times a day. for just 4 koi in 1200 gals.

Hello koiguy,

That is a lot of time feeding fish or do you use one of those auto feeders? I just don't have the time to feed more than twice a day and only if it is necessary. Your koi must be very large. A few years ago I had 5 koi in my pond and they got so large I was going to exchange them for small koi and start over but the raccoons beat me to it. I then just added a few more shubunkins. Of course now a Blue Heron ate some of my shubunkins. I now have an electric fence (ugly but effective), and the critter problem so far has disappeared although no Herons have shown up yet so I added the 3 koi. Sorry for ranting. I may try feeding twice a day but I guess it is a crap game on how much to feed.

Thanks again koiguy....................Ralph

 

[ralphjramirez]

Hi addy1,

I have seen the photo of your very beautiful large pond so I am sure there is a lot of natural food for them to eat. I see mine eating algae off the side of the pond, very little but I'm sure they're not going to starve.

Regards...........Ralph

Mine get around 4 handfuls every other day. That amount of food is gone within a minute. (over 200 gf and shubunkins) OW they get to snack on the pond, no algae survives. Very few eggs make it to fry hood, which is what I want to happen.

 

[HTH]

Feeding the fish is a big part of the fun.

Fish are not snakes designed to eat one big meal then coast. Fish ideally browse for food all day long.

Forget about what people feed in terms of quantity. You have to feed your fish load not theirs. Watch the fish as they eat. As I said I want each fish to come up for food twice during each feeding. In the ball park of that.

If you are only going to feed once a day I would caution about feeding too much as it can be harmful not just to the water but perhaps the fish. We see it mostly in aquariums but overfeeding dry food can lead to floaters aka SBD. Like I said we do not often see it in ponds but over feeding must be hard on the fish.

The more algae and such you have in your pond the less dependent the fish are on you for food. But they still need feeding.

 

[ralphjramirez]

Thanks Howard, since it may be difficult for me to feed twice a day I will certainly try to avoid over-feeding. The fish seem very active and healthy and the water is crystal clear.

Regards...............Ralph

Feeding the fish is a big part of the fun.

Fish are not snakes designed to eat one big meal then coast. Fish ideally browse for food all day long.

Forget about what people feed in terms of quantity. You have to feed your fish load not theirs. Watch the fish as they eat. As I said I want each fish to come up for food twice during each feeding. In the ball park of that.

If you are only going to feed once a day I would caution about feeding too much as it can be harmful not just to the water but perhaps the fish. We see it mostly in aquariums but overfeeding dry food can lead to floaters aka SBD. Like I said we do not often see it in ponds but over feeding must be hard on the fish.

The more algae and such you have in your pond the less dependent the fish are on you for food. But they still need feeding.