Proper nutrition for pond koi is easy to achieve if you will follow a few simple guidelines at feeding time.
Your outdoor pond will operate on a very delicate balance of fish, plants, algae and aeration. The process begins with fish who need to eat. Fish eat foods and then they poop. When fish poop in their pond, the ecology of the pond begins. Their waste will combine with other natural waste such as excess uneaten food, leaves from nearby trees, the carcasses of insects which have drown in the pond, etc. This waste will all sink to the bottom of the pond at some point, and when it does, natural bacteria will begin to bring about several chemical reactions which will cause that waste to evolve into a food source for plant forms called nitrates. Nitrates feed plants and algae, encouraging them to grow. When they grow they become food sources for the fish. Fish can only consume so much algae (or food for that matter), and when there is an excess of algae (and other waste products), the algae will eventually begin to rob oxygen from the water. As this happens, the fish in the pond will die. This is why proper nutrition for pond koi is so crucial.
Proper nutrition for pond koi differs from the nutritional needs of other pond fish, so you will need to make sure your koi are getting what they need. Koi are able to grow at incredible rates and display bright colorations when they are well cared for. Nutrition plays a major role in that. When the weather is warm, your koi will need foods which are high in protein to sustain their growth needs. When the weather is cool and the water in their pond becomes cold, they will need foods which provide more carbohydrates to meet simple nutritional needs. Now, foods which are higher in protein will cause more fish waste in the pond, which will result in more chemical reactions and more algae growth, if you are not able to adjust the systems of checks and balances in the pond. The bottom line is that the food you are feeding your koi will influence every other aspect of the pond in which they live. That is why you will need to feed your koi a food designed with proper nutrition for pond koi in mind.
If you are able to meet the demands of proper nutrition for pond koi, your fish will reward you with their beauty for ages to come.
