Best Koi Food: 9 Most Nutritional Options for Optimal Growth

There is a large number of Koi food on the market by various brands and manufacturers. As there are numerous options available, new Koi owners might feel overwhelmed and confused. 

To know what to feed and how to feed your fish, it’s a must to understand the requirements of your Koi fish and what your purpose is. For instance, the best Koi food can be different if you want to get their desired size or color. Meanwhile, some just need to keep their Koi as healthy as possible for a long time. 

Don’t worry. We’re here to help you. Below is a list of the most reliable Koi food in the market, helping you achieve your own purpose easily. 

What Do Koi Eat?

Koi are omnivore species, which means they will consume everything, including small fish, worms, insect larvae, eggs, algae, and plant fragments.

Like wild carp, Koi tend to seek food continuously on the bottom, searching for food through taste, smell, and touch. You will usually find them sucking algae and other floating foods from the water surface. Koi will remove bacteria and algae from the surface of plants and rocks.

However, nature can’t always provide enough of the food Koi require when living in a backyard pond. That’s where commercial fish food comes in handy. Fish food manufacturers create special diets for Koi raised in man-made ponds.

Choose Sinking or Floating Pellets?

Sinking pellets drop to the bottom of the pond. Koi will find food along the pond bottom, easily identifying the pellet flavor and scent.

As Koi get a mouth designed for bottom feeding, it’s natural for them to eat sinking pellets. However, Koi are clever and love swimming to the surface for food.

Floating pellets enable you to watch your fish come to the surface. Big fish will rise out of the water to catch the floating pellets. They will eat from your hand. You also find floating stick food as well.

Koi will crush the stick as they chew it up and swallow. Floating pellets make it easier to see how much food you add to the pond. Experienced koi keepers often measure sinking food to avoid overfeeding.

A Collection of The Best Koi Food on The Market

1. Premium Koi Enhancing Fish Food (Blackwater Creek)

Blackwater Creek is a small-scale, family-run Koi farm that has invented its line of Koi food.

The color-enhancing Koi food is a perfect option for those who want to get the best colors of their fish. More than 30% of this food consists of color enhancer shrimp meal, Canthaxanthin, and Spirulina. These are excellent ingredients for improving those yellows and reds in your Koi fish.

In addition, this Koi food comes in pellets, containing 38% of protein for optimal health and growth.

2. Kaytee Koi Fish Food 

Kaytee is a renowned brand in the market for high-quality products. The Koi food is in the form of flakes floating on the water surface.

The food is a decent combination that brings a great base diet for your fish. It’s an all-season food, so it can break down easily in your Koi’s quick consumption.

One thing to remember is that you should not feed the food to your pets when the temperature is below 50 degrees Fahrenheit; otherwise, your Koi might experience a hard time digesting.

3. Shinju White Pearl Enhancer Wheat Germ 

This Shinju wheat germ-based food is formulated to preserve the white coloration of your Koi’s scales while offering them a proper balance of carbohydrates and proteins.

The food combination includes a 38% protein content, most of which originates from fish meals. This significantly high protein content makes it a suitable food for your Koi in the spring and fall. The food can also be used across the year, depending on the temperature variation in your pond.

Moreover, this Koi food is comprised of a 3% fat content from residual oil in the wheat germ.

4. Shinju Color Pearl Enhancer Premium Koi Fish Food 

Another product from Shinju, this color-boosting food combination eliminates some fish meal and includes Spirulina to the company’s White Pearl Enhancer food. The overall balance of fat, protein, ash, and carbohydrates is the same, making it a great option across the season.

This food combination is based on a balance of vitamins and minerals instead of a specific immune booster.

5. Dainichi Koi Premium Koi Food 

The Dainichi food is made for larger Koi, especially those bigger than eight inches in length. That’s because the food comes in comparatively large-diameter pellets and has a high protein content of about 42%.

The protein comes from Spirulina, which is also used for boosting the color of your Koi. There is no immune enhancer in this food recipe, even though Dainichi contains an unspecified vitamin mix.

Uniquely, the formula consists of calcium montmorillonite clay. The clay is similar to the one found in the ponds that Koi fish are native to. The food is created to help bind particles in the water, efficiently cleaning your pond while your Koi eat.

6. Hikari Wheat-Germ Medium Pellet

The Hikari low-protein food combination is proper for colder water temperatures when your Koi become more active. Hence, it is suggested for fall and winter, yet it can also be used in the late spring if you aerate your pond with a pump.

The carbohydrates in this Koi pond are derived from wheat germ, wheat, and rice flours. Krill is one of the main sources of protein, which can improve the color of your Koi. Besides, there is also a vitamin and mineral mixture to keep your fish healthy.

Moreover, the manufacturer claims that the food is provided with vitamin C, as this is one of the most crucial vitamins for the health of your Koi.

7. Hikari-Saki All Season Koi Food Review 

This is a highly balanced, reasonably-priced, and high-protein Koi food used in both warm and cold months. It comes in a medium-sized pellet feed, which will quickly soften on the water surface but still keep its shape firmly. 

The recipe provides a decent nutritional profile for its price, including a number of vitamins, minerals, and a high-quality protein source. The main protein source is fish meal, followed by wheat germ meal and healthy fatty acids. 

Additionally, the formula contains a minimum crude fat content of 5%, which is an ideal leaner food option for completely matured adult fish. 

For young or growing Koi fish, selecting a feed with slightly higher fat content might be great, but you can add higher fat feeds or treats during feeding or provide some additional normal feedings to pack on weight when necessary. 

Moreover, there is a diverse vitamin profile, including vitamin A, D, E, and vitamin C under the form of L-Ascorbyl-2- Polyphosphate. A good range of all the important vitamins will make sure your fish have healthy digestion, great immune systems, and better color and pattern.

What’s more, this Koi food is filled with a natural color enhancer to aid in pattern vibrancy called Spirulina and an immune boost called Brewers Yeast. 

8. Total Koi Sho Koi Food

This Total Koi Sho Koi immune system enhancing food is for owners who want to improve the immune system of their fish.

The formula includes a variety of vitamins, minerals, and the exclusive immune booster “Optimum”. Optimum is an abundant source of nucleotides – the main component of a fish’s DNA that takes much time and energy to produce. Providing Optimum is to enhance the growth of cells associated with the immune response, helping you Koi combat bacterial and viral infections. 

Besides, the feed consists of a high concentration of vitamin C, A, B, D, E, and trace minerals, aiding in different bodily functions. 

In addition, there is 38% of crude protein content, coming from wheat germ and anchovy meal. However, the anchovy protein is less than wheat germs. Hence, the food is highly recommended for usage in cold weather. 

The recipe is comprised of just 4% of ash. The low ash content makes it ideal for optimizing your water quality or as a main cold-weather feed as filtration bacteria are less effective at breaking the waste down. 

9. Aqua Master Color Enhancer Koi Food 

The Koi food from Aqua Master will optimize the development and color of your pets, with a large range of nutrition, fats, and vitamins. 

The feed includes a synthetic color enhancer “astaxanthin” and a natural color boost “spirulina”. When combined together, they create a robust color-boosting mix, ensuring more vibrant pigmentation within 30 days of constant feeding. 

The recipe contains plenty of vitamins and minerals for optimal health. Vitamin C is in the form of L-Ascorbyl-2- Polyphosphate and a lot of fatty acids are present as natural fish oils. 

The overall crude fat content is quite low, at 4% by volume, making it a good option for adult fish or as a primary warm weather feed where extra fat is unnecessary. Plus, there is a source of vitamin A, D, and E, supporting the immune system and other important bodily functions. 

This Koi food provides 40% of crude protein content, almost coming from fish meal, wheat germ, and krill meal. Krill is also an excellent natural color booster, which helps complement the main color-enhancing ingredients to generate a more intense color. 

These pellets will soften relatively fast on the surface of the water, so Koi can swallow them with ease. Pellets are in small and big varieties, proper for both young and adult Koi. 

How to Feed Your Koi?

As Koi are not basking in the sun, they are searching for food. Since Koi do not have a stomach, you should do several small feedings a day. 

Koi lovers who want their pets to develop fast will feed much more than a typical backyard pond keeper. 

The majority of keepers feed once in the morning and once in the evening. 

A lot of Koi enthusiasts prefer floating pellets as it makes it easy to watch the fish. 

Stick food is not as popular, but you can use fruit and vegetable sticks as a treat.

Bear in mind that uneaten food will eventually rot and contaminate the pond water. Pellets should be eaten within ten minutes, while fresh fruits and vegetables can float for the whole day. 

If you often find uneaten pellets, it is an indicator of your adding too much food at one time. Reduce the number of pellets and check whether your fish eat them all. 

Over-feeding 

Koi will always swim to the water surface as they see you come closer to the pond. 

They are social and want to get your attention. They know you feed them every day. This behavior is normal but doesn’t mean the fish are hungry. 

You should stick to a feeding routine and avoid over-feeding

Here are some problems pond keepers might encounter when they add too much food:

• Obese Koi: Over-feeding might cause obesity and stress your fish heart.
• Toxic pond water: Uneaten food create harmful ammonia and nitrite build-up. 
• Algae growth: Uneaten food produces algae-stimulating nutrients into the water.
• Sludge build-up: Uneaten food drops to the bottom, creating a sludge layer.
• Disease outbreaks: A dirty pond is perfect for fish pathogens to grow.

Our Suggested Picks for Best Koi Food

#	Product Name	Image	Price	Action
1	Premium Koi Enhancing Fish Food (Blackwater Creek)		$$	Buy on Amazon!
2	Kaytee Koi Fish Food		$$	Buy on Amazon!
3	Shinju White Pearl Enhancer Wheat Germ		$$	Buy on Amazon!
4	Shinju Color Pearl Enhancer Premium Koi Fish Food		$$	Buy on Amazon!
5	Dainichi Koi Premium Koi Food		$$	Buy on Amazon!
6	Hikari Wheat-Germ Medium Pellet		$$	Buy on Amazon!
7	Hikari-Saki All Season Koi Food Review		$$	Buy on Amazon!
8	Total Koi Sho Koi Food		$$	Buy on Amazon!
9	Aqua Master Color Enhancer Koi Food		$$	Buy on Amazon!

The most high-quality Koi food manufacturers are continuously enhancing their formulations, making sure your Koi get the best nutrition. The best method is to try a few Koi food products and find out which your Koi love. They will let you know right away. 

Higher protein food is usually fed during the warm seasons to stimulate your pets’ growth. Small Koi fish often require lower protein meals as their digestive tract is not as long as an adult one.