He also mentioned that he had recently switched his source of koi food and that he was blown away by the difference. His fish were growing 25% faster then they were on the previous koi food!

I’m not mentioning any names because I don’t want to give away any of his secrets. The main point I want to make is that choosing koi food is actually a very important decision if you want healthy growing fish in your pond. Increasing growth by 25% is obviously extremely important to a fishery and meaningful to their business. Someone who has young fish in their pond will also appreciate these types of results although the value may not be viewed with the same criteria. 

Choosing the best food for fish isn’t rocket science, but it is important. As a caretaker of koi ypu need to spend some time researching the different types of food available and what might be best for the age of your fish and your goals. A breeder and someone with a pond full of mature adult koi that doesn’t enter them into competition have very different needs. Likewise the amount of money each might be willing to spend will vary.

For koi the three basic foods needed are food for fish you want to grow as quickly as possible, food for adult fish that need sustaining food, and medicated fish food for those times when your pond may not be as happy as you’d like. And then there are foods that can enhance the color of your fish for those who are more serious about their koi. 

Different brands use ingredients of differing levels of quality and that can’t be determined by the price tag. If only shopping could be so easy! Stronger brands can charge more then a lesser known brand regardless of whether or not their product is better. Fortunately, at least in the case of buying koi food, prestige isn’t much of a factor so ego can be set aside. What’s important is that your fish are getting the best food available for them at an affordable price that is sustainable for your wallet. 

More then likely you’re not going to conduct any scientific experiments so you’ll end up reading what you can find and asking some people whose opinions you respect. In my case I asked someone who owns 400,000 koi because I know the difference in the quality of the food relative to the cost is exceptionally important.  Whether or not I can buy the same in quantities that won’t fill up our garage I just don’t know yet. Stay tuned.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Now that’s a lot of fish to feed!

This year the show will be held at the:
CARROLL COUNTY AGRICULTURE CENTER
DANELE SHIPLEY MEMORIAL ARENA
706 Agriculture Dr
Westminster, MD 21157
Directions to the MAKC 20th Annual Koi Show

If you need a place to stay the Best Western, Days Inn, and The Boston Inn have rooms at a special rate of $89, $99, $75, a night respectively. Be sure to ask for the “MAKC Rates” when setting up your reservations.

Best Western Catering & Conference
Single or Double Occupancy – $89.00 + tax per night
For Reservations, call Best Western Westminster directly at 410-857-1900
Check in time 3:00 pm • Check out time 11:00 am

Days Inn
Single or Double Occupancy – $99.00 + tax per night
For Reservations, call Days Inn directly at 410-857-0500
Check in time 3:00 pm • Check out time 11:00 am
The Boston Inn
Single or Double Occupancy – $75.00/$65.00 + tax per night
For Reservations, call The Boston Inn directly at 410-848-9095
Check in time 3:00 pm • Check out time 11:00 am

For more information visit MAKC’s Website at MAKC.com

Click here to view the embedded video.

The video is under 5 minutes… enjoy.