Play It Koi / Koi care guide
Your koi’s appetite and digestion change with the water temperature. Measure the pond water, then use the slider for a practical starting point.
Drag the slider to your pond’s temperature. You can also print the full chart below.
Start with the temperature range below, then adjust for appetite and water quality. If the koi are slow to respond or leave food behind, feed less or skip the meal.
Feed no more than twice daily
At these temperatures, koi may lose interest in food, and heavy feeding adds waste when less oxygen is available to support the fish and biological filtration. Offer small portions of an easily digested food only while the koi are active and eating readily. Small koi may take up to four very small meals if conditions remain good.
Feed 2 to 4 times daily, using smaller portions
This is the normal active-season range, although appetite may ease as the water climbs through the 80s. Split the daily amount into several small meals rather than one heavy feeding. Increase the total amount only while the fish eat readily and ammonia and nitrite remain at zero. Wait at least an hour after sunrise for the first meal, and finish at least an hour before sunset.
Feed once or twice a day
Appetite and digestion slow as the water cools. Offer smaller meals and let their response set the portion. If they do not come to the food readily, skip the meal. When temperatures are changing quickly, feed during the warmer part of the day.
Feed no more than twice daily
Use only a food whose label allows feeding at this temperature, usually wheat germ or another easily digested cool-water formula. Feed between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. when practical, and only while the fish are actively looking for food. Remove leftovers promptly.
Feed no more than 2 to 3 times weekly
Stopping altogether is the safer choice in this range. If the koi are active and readily looking for food, you may offer a very small portion of an appropriate cool-water food between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Feed only what they finish in about a minute. When in doubt, skip it.
Stop feeding
At this temperature, koi are very inactive and do not need food. Do not restart feeding because of one mild afternoon. Wait for a sustained warming trend, active fish, and a food label that permits feeding at the current water temperature. Begin again with a small portion.
The category name alone does not tell you a food’s temperature range. Use the notes below to narrow the choice, then follow the temperature range and directions printed on the bag.
COOL WATER
Check the label before feeding in cool water
Below 59°F, use only a wheat germ or other easily digested food whose label includes your current water temperature. Wheat germ alone does not make a food suitable below its stated range.
EVERYDAY
Check the minimum temperature on staple foods
Most staple diets are intended for active fish in moderate to warm water, but their minimum feeding temperatures are not all the same. Check the bag before switching foods.
COLOR + GROWTH
Use growth and color foods when koi are active
Growth and color formulas are generally made for warmer water, but their ranges vary by product. Feed them only within the labeled range, and increase portions only while appetite is strong and water quality remains stable.
HIGH HEAT
Cut back as the heat builds
As water climbs through the 80s and appetite begins to fall, reduce the amount and consider an easily digested formula. Keep aeration strong and stop feeding stressed fish.
01
Measure the pond water
Do not use the air temperature. Take the reading from the main body of the pond, away from a sun-warmed shallow shelf or the immediate flow from a return.
02
Let the fish set the portion
Start small. If the koi slow down, lose interest, or leave pellets after a few minutes, stop feeding. Remove the leftovers and offer less next time.
03
Restart slowly in spring
Koi may become hungry before the biofilter is ready for a full feeding load. Begin with small meals, test ammonia and nitrite, and increase only while the warming trend and water quality remain stable.
04
Follow the food label
Every formula has its own temperature range and feeding directions. If the bag differs from this general guide, follow the bag.
General guidance for ornamental koi in outdoor ponds. These ranges are transition zones, not hard biological cutoffs. Fish activity, dissolved oxygen, water quality, stocking level, and filtration all matter. For help with your pond, email [email protected] or call 206.350.7580, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT.
