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A guide to feeding your pond fish with Medikoi foods!
Medikoi - Staple with Colour Enhancer
Medikoi Staple is the perfect 'all-rounder' food above 8°C, suitable for all species of pond fish that feed from the surface. Medikoi Staple contains spirulina, a type of blue-green algae found in lakes and seas around the world. Spirulina is highly nutritious, packed with natural proteins, vitamins and minerals. In the aquatic industry, its natural colour enhancement due to the high concentration of pigment-boosting carotenoids, has been used for decades by Japanese koi breeders. Feeding in conjunction with Medikoi Health provides the complete balance of vitality and colour.
Medikoi Health is another great food suitable for all surface feeding pond fish. Fluctuating temperatures throughout the year induces stress on pond fish and can be a direct cause of disease. Medikoi Health contains a unique blend of herbs and Stimune helps to support the fish’s immune system, priming the fish to fight off infection. Medikoi Health also contains propolis, a natural product formed by honey bees. Propolis possesses natural antimicrobial properties that support fish recovery after infection.
Medikoi Growth is the perfect food to use for all surface feeding pond fish to rapidly increase growth rate. The higher protein content (40%) balanced with the higher oil content (7.3%) gives a ratio of protein to fat of over 5:1. The oil content of Medikoi Growth is rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These are important as an energy source and contain important essential ingredients fish cannot produce on their own. To make use of the high protein content of this food, use when water temperatures are above 12°C.
Medikoi - Wheatgerm with Garlic
Medikoi Wheatgerm is the ideal food to feed during the cooler months of the year, particularly during autumn, winter and early spring. As the temperature drops, so does the fishes metabolism.
When energy requirements are low, the amount of protein in their diet should be less. Medikoi Wheatgerm contains only 21% protein, which maintains healthy fish nutrition during the cooler months. Medikoi Wheatgerm includes garlic, a natural appetite stimulant and parasite repellent. This both encourages feeding and helps fish stay healthy at a time when their immune system can be compromised by lower temperatures.
Medikoi Probiotic is a professional diet for ultimate health, vigour and colour, designed especially for koi. The addition of specialised gut bacteria enhances their digestive flora, helping the fish absorb nutrients from their food more effectively. Medikoi Probiotic also contains prebiotics - a food source for the gut bacteria. Feeding the gut bacteria increases the efficiency of food breakdown and allows optimal absorption of nutrients. Higher absorption of quality ingredients reduces fish waste output to keep your pond cleaner and clearer.
Medikoi Probiotic can also be treated as an all-season pond food due to its well-balanced nutritional properties. It can be fed right down to 5°C, making an ideal companion food to Medikoi Wheatgerm to aid gut stimulation during the cooler months.
Medikoi Probiotic Growth is the highest protein content food in the Medikoi range, even surpassing Medikoi Growth (51% compared to 40%). The fat and oil content also increased to 8%, making the ratio of protein to fat 6:1. All the benefits of Medikoi Probiotic remain, with the specialised gut flora and prebiotic food supplements. Medikoi Probiotic Growth will provide optimum, balanced growth whilst maintaining and improving colour, shape and definition in koi. Due to the increased protein content it is recommended to only feed when the water temperatures surpass 14°C.
This specialised diet has been specifically formulated for bottom feeding sturgeon and sterlets. Medikoi Sturgeon is a quick-sinking, high-protein pellet that also has a high oil content, perfect for their faster metabolism and energetic lifestyle. It is suitable to feed all year round, and unlike most pond fish, a sturgeon's metabolism remains relatively high even in the cooler months. It is important to maintain feeding of sturgeon right down to 4°C. Most pond fish are also likely to want to eat this food, so try to distract koi and other pond fish by feeding them first. Feed the sturgeon in a separate, secluded spot of the pond to allow uninterrupted feeding.
Your pond and the four british seasons:
Spring: The time of year when everything in the garden appears to start waking up, including your pond! The months of March, April & May see a dramatic increase in temperatures from 8°C at the beginning of March to 15-20°C by late May. The fishes’ metabolism will also rise in this time, requiring higher protein and energy content as temperatures rise. It is important to introduce any changes in diet gradually to prevent rejection by the fish.
March’s average temperature is only 8-10°C, so the best combination of foods is Medikoi Wheatgerm with Garlic and Medikoi Staple with Colour Enhancer. Medikoi Health can also be sporadically given to introduce propolis into their diet. If you feed Medikoi Probiotic, this can be maintained year-round with no need to change diet due to its well-balanced nutritional properties.
April’s temperatures see temperatures average 10-13°C so Medikoi Health and Medikoi Staple with Colour Enhancer are the perfect combination. We recommend feeding 3 weeks of Medikoi Health and 2 weeks of Medikoi Staple with Colour Enhancer.
May is often the most variable month, sometimes being a late spring and often an early summer. Average temperature varies between 13°C-16°C, making it the ideal time to switch to Medikoi Growth. This higher protein food (40%) will give your pond fish the best growth rate whilst providing the high energy requirements they need. We would also recommend to also continue feeding Medikoi Health and Medikoi Staple with Colour Enhancer to retain the benefits of what these other foods provide.
Alternatively, once the temperatures surpass 14°C, Medikoi Probiotic Growth is the ultimate food for koi. At 51% protein and a 6:1 protein to fat ratio, it's the highest in the Medikoi range. This will provide fantastic growth, vitality and colour during those warmer months.
Summer: June / July / August - the warmest months in Britain's seasons should see temperatures maintain between 16°C-19°C. These can, however, become much higher if the weather is on our side. Metabolism in pond fish remains at its highest. May's feeding regime of Medikoi Growth with Medikoi Health and Medikoi Staple with Colour Enhancer remains as the recommended blend of food. For the ultimate diet, Medikoi Probiotic Growth remains the premier food.
Autumn: September usually sees the decline in average temperatures and marks the end of Summer. Temperatures usually drop to 13-14°C, so make September the final month of feeding Medikoi Growth. Begin to increase Medikoi Health and Medikoi Staple with Colour Enhancer to lower their protein intake.
October is the month temperatures begin to really drop off, the leaves fall from the trees and the days feel particularly shorter. Temperatures average only 10-12°C, the minimum temperature for Medikoi Health & Medikoi Staple with Colour Enhancer. Begin to introduce Medikoi Wheatgerm with Garlic during October to get the fish used to the different smell and taste. The early introduction of garlic will help lower the risk of parasitic infections during this difficult time for pond fish.
Winter: November & December, January & February - Temperatures by now are at their lowest at only 4-8°C and the fishes’ metabolism will also be at their lowest. It is important to still feed the fish whilst they are actively seeking food, rather than assuming they are in a ‘hibernating state’. The effects of starvation can have a serious impact on their immune system and compromise their health. When fish activity becomes very low, feeding is no longer required but be frequently check for any increase in activity during a mild spell.
By late February, if the temperature has risen to 8°C, it's time to reintroduce Medikoi Staple with Colour Enhancer, this will get the fish used to the change in flavour after 4 months of Medikoi Wheatgerm with Garlic.
Medikoi Probiotic is still suitable for this time of year. It can be fed down to 5°C, so is a great alternative to Medikoi Wheatgerm with Garlic. Feeding both would allow the fish to receive all the benefits of a probiotic diet, whilst also receiving the parasite-repelling benefits of garlic infused wheatgerm.
Digestion vs Metabolism vs Temperature in Pond Fish
All fish are “cold-blooded”, or more correctly, poikilothermic – that is to say that their body temperature is wholly dependent on the ambient temperature of the environment they are in. With such a shift in temperature through the seasons (starting the year at around 4°C, peaking in the summer months often at temperatures greater than 20°C), the physiological challenges on pond fish is much greater than they often get credit for. Warm-blooded animals are able to regulate their body temperature through actions like sweating and shivering to maintain constant temperature. Cold blooded animals simply ‘go with the flow’ as such, so when the environmental temperature rises, so does their metabolism.
Metabolism is defined as all the chemical processes that occur in a living thing in order to maintain life. A big part of metabolism is the food digestion. In cooler months, when the temperature is low, a fish’s ability to digest food is less than during the summer months. That is why not only is it recommended to feed less during the winter months, but to focus their diet on food that is easier to digest.
Medikoi Wheatgerm with Garlic is perfectly suited for feeding in the winter months due to its low protein content of 21%. Wheatgerm itself, as a core ingredient in the food, is also easier to digest than whole, natural grain used in other fish foods. This is what makes Medikoi Wheatgerm with Garlic an ideal food to feed your fish during the winter months.
Once water temperatures rise above 8°C, a fish's metabolic rate becomes high enough to digest food with a higher protein content. The Medikoi range of foods and the recommended seasonal food plan provides an all-year-round optimal feeding schedule.
Medikoi foods are available from our network of authorised stockists, find your nearest stockist using our stockist finder. To view the full range of Medikoi foods, click here!
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Tagged in: Outdoor