In Color food for Koi is not about a gimmick colourful dyed to the delight of breeders and owners – but to feed that enhances the natural colour (s) of the fish. The colour components responsible for the appearance are anchored in the genes of the animals and are passed on from both parents to the offspring.
How strongly they come into play and/or how much the tones shine does not only depend on the heritage of the Koi. The intensity and the luminosity are also strongly determined by the individual condition of the individual fish.
Animals that receive a balanced and optimally composed food or live under regularly controlled conditions show a stronger and shinier complexion than fish that suffer from nutrient and vitamin deficiencies or are exposed to severe stress. In addition, the external appearance can be influenced by special colour food for Koi.
For example, red and orange tones can be intensified or intensified through food with an increased carotene content. In the event of excessive administration and/or long-term use, however, it also means that the white skin areas of the fish are covered with a yellow veil. In addition, colour feed enriched with carotenes for Koi may only be given under certain temperature conditions; from around 10 ° C it should no longer be used.
An alternative to Color feed for Koi is food with the addition of Spirulina – algae or their separate feeding. On the one hand, their influence on the white proportion of the fish is less strong; on the other hand, they can also be administered in the low-temperature range around/from 10 ° C.
However, with this type of food supplement, there is a risk of overdosing – which can lead to symptoms of intolerance and poisoning. For this reason, experts advise against feeding the algae separately and recommend mixed colour food for Koi instead. Here the Spirulina content is a maximum of 10% so that overdosing is almost impossible.
