When you see how koi are built, you immediately notice that they have a mouth opening that faces the bottom. This shape has evolved that way and allows the koi to optimally search for food lying on the bottom. With the sensitive beard threads on the side of the mouth, they also better perceive odours and flavours in dark and murky water. The koi’s body is thus made to eat food from the bottom, and eating sinking food thus best suits the koi’s natural behaviour. But there are more reasons to offer feed on the bottom.
Young and shy koi are too "shy" to enjoy eating with you
Just like people, every koi has its own character. For instance, there are koi that are naturally more shy than other koi. You see this especially in young fish, so when feeding at the water surface they are less daring to eat. This results in less growth and unstable food intake. An additional problem with this behavior, is that the rest of the koi may adopt this behavior. This is immediately apparent as soon as the food hits the water surface: the koi gobble everything up and then instinctively dive back into the depths quickly. The shy, “shy” koi are thus deprived of even more food.
Sinking feed ensures calm behavior
For shy koi, sinking food is an absolute solution! Koi feel safest on the bottom, as they are hidden from view of possible predators. At the bottom, they can quietly search for food at their leisure and that every fish can eat enough.
In winter, sinking food is always a good choice
When winter arrives, the koi in your pond will swim a lot less energetically at the surface of the water than in warm summer temperatures. The koi are less likely to shoot for the floating feed. The floating food may have disappeared down the drain of the filter system before the koi have had a chance to eat it all. Shy koi in particular fall extra behind in their feed requirements as a result. By nature, koi will like to stay in the deeper parts of the pond in winter. In the depths, they are in much less danger of being suddenly attacked by a hungry land predator. Moreover, in wild nature, the lower water layer has a temperature of 4ºC, which is the minimum temperature that koi can survive in. Sinking food is therefore ideal in winter, as koi can then forage quietly in the depths and even the shyest koi can eat at their own pace. The minimum water temperature to feed koi yet has not been scientifically established, but is somewhere between 4 and 8ºC. Depending on several factors, feeding below 8ºC is desirable. This partly depends on how long it is cold, because with longer periods, koi will intervene more on body reserves. If a long period of cold weather is expected, it may therefore be advisable to feed up to 5-6ºC with caution. And then at least with sinking koi food.
With sinking feed, the koi's health can be better monitored
If koi are used to being fed only sinking feed, they will show calmer swimming behavior at the surface when you are nearby. The condition and appearance of the fish is easier to assess if they are not hanging diagonally in the water to nibble at the water surface with their mouths. Without this eating behavior, the koi swim around calmly and you can better see, and judge, the health of the skin and scales.
A cleaner pond through bottom-feeding
The moment you spread sinking food around the pond, the koi will search the entire bottom for the food. While searching across the pond bottom, the fish root and blow around nicely. This creates vortex (movement) in the water. As a result, pollution such as feces will swirl up faster and can then
Think of your koi and spoil them with some delicious sinking food from Mark!
