Koi Diary 164 - Koi food grumble and winterising the pond :-(

[@KoiKicks]

Hi Andy, I think water is now very clear this time of year so muck shows more. But, for me the main reason is digestibility of food. Wheatgerm just don't cut it, really don't get the myth of feeding it in winter. I got Saki Balance and will be feeding it still at 13c but sparingly. Your at 18.5 so I'd would still be hammering it at that 😆.

[@KoiRun50]

I’ve been feeding saki hikari for 8 years. Even in winter. I just cut back. I always see solid poop this time of the year. If you watch closely you might see more diarrhea type poop coming out of their vents in the summer vs a more solid poop colder months. I think this plays a factor in water clarity. That said thanks for asking this question as I too would like to hear about what others feed in winter mode and their experience.

[@koidiaries]

Ok seem temperature deffo has a part to play but also the food does too. Deffo going to go back to Saki and do like you all year round but less in colder times

[@CescaTheDarkHorse]

Nice update 👍 Andy. Thinking 🤔 💭 of using Saki Hikari balance 🤔 this Winter

[@JMacFlyFishing]

Saki, saki, saki, saki. Nothing else worth mentioning. Pound for pound it can't be beaten. 🥳👍🏻 chuck the wheatgerm and feed balance till the fish stop feeding 🥳👍🏻

[@koidiaries]

Yep thats what im going to do lol

[@markhall670]

Thank god for the wife coming up with the 'Polystyrene' I was shouting at the screen lol .. I have those 'senior moments' all the time now too. Watching the 'Hitlist' on Saturday nights, I know the songs but can't for the life of me think of the song name or artist 🤣

[@koidiaries]

LOL glad its not just me, honestly i was like what is it? I said it earlier but then, boom, gone, cant remember it lol Mad how something so simple cant be remembered lol

[@Simonsimps]

My first year using Balance to see what the fuss was about. I will be sticking with it. The colours have popped on my fish, they have grown a fair bit and my VERY fussy grass carp actually eat it so I don't have to faff around with seperate food except lettuce which they love. Coastal Koi was the cheapest I could find for 15Kg sack and you get points which you can turn in to money off vouchers for future purchases.

[@ACKoi]

Morning 👋 we've been on Saki balance sinking in the feeder, JPD shuri/shogun mix 60/40 and we've been happy with the results but next season we will just be on the Saki balance sinking and floating for the Summer. We will always use the JPD shogun autumn, winter and spring 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@koidiaries]

Evening, yeah deffo i think going to go Saki all year round, the poo is just too much, its pretty clear in the morning but then build up through out the day as they are getting fed.

[@georgemetcalf9647]

Got to agree with you Andy,I,am using saki wheatgerm for the first time ever and I have piles of poo,not been like this before.

[@koidiaries]

ITs bloomin annoying as all summer no build up of poo anywhere and now its like WTF!

[@JohnJones-hs2kh]

Hi polystyrene Andy polystyrene great polystyrene video 😂

[@koidiaries]

Ill see if i can remember it next week! Im not counting on it lol

[@shaunleonard8146]

Good, hardcore koi keeping video. Thank you

[@koidiaries]

Thanks for watching

[@scottcannings2746]

Bloody he'll Andy, even I couldn't remember poly what lol, I've been sitting here with you trying to remember, glad your misses helped u out lol, its all pooooo baby 😆 🤣 great video, when are u gonna finish your filter house lol.

[@koidiaries]

Honestly my memory is rubbish lately! Ah filter house errrrr, nah im going to attempt to finish it next year, well funds allowing of course! I want a new bike so hmmmm choices choices!!!

[@scottcannings2746]

@@koidiaries bloody two wheels 😆

[@skeggy]

Seen some brilliant results this year with the jpd as have others .. personally I don't think you can make a judgement for a month and their digestion gets used to a different diet . Bit like is if we change diet drastically our body has to adjust .. also couple that with temp dropping its going to affect digestion too

[@surreykoi]

Saki Hikari is the only food out there in my eyes now 👍🏻👌🏻

[@koidiaries]

Yes, using something else has made me realise how good Saki balance is!

[@Dave-Lefever]

Glad to see I'm not the only one who struggles to remember things these days. Can't remember anyone's name 😆

[@koidiaries]

Honestly my memory is ridiculous recently lol its actually hard work ha!

[@koikanalen]

How is it going mate ? 🙏 Have not heard anything from you in a while 😊

[@mollymolly1601]

Lovely jubbly

[@koidiaries]

:-)

[@leeoliver4063]

I feed balance all year around keep at 12⁰ during coldest months

[@koidiaries]

I think this is the answer to my problem, the best food is the best for a reason!

[@herefishy-fishy-fishyyy5578]

Hi Andy do you have a idea when were see everyone’s Grow and show results, cant want to see how everybody got on.

[@koidiaries]

I am waiting for Adam to review all the details which he assures me is this weekend! So hopefully Ill get the full results out next week :-) Ive collated all the info and the fish are cracking, there a few very special one in there too!!! Hang tight it'll soon be sorted :-)

[@jdofb]

Interesting watch had exactly the same issues myself today feeding sak multi season just come off saki balance and yes lots of shite about thought it was because I'd turned the skimmer line / shower right down but maybe more food and temps related fed growth/balance whilst heated to 24 and to be fair hadn't some good growth thought I'd switch to multi to over winter them but having the same issues

[@koidiaries]

YEah its just disappointing seeing all the muck in the pond aye.

[@jdofb]

@@koidiaries oh yeah and to not have it there when your walloping in the feed in then be feeding not a hell of alot and have waste everywhere is a bit confusing haha

[@keepingitkoi]

Hey bud what you also have to remember when you change there food your changing there diet all together and it's just like us if you go to India for a week or 2 you'd be going to the toilet more until you got used to the different cuisine I was always told to give it a month then check the waste 👍

[@keepingitkoi]

Also I have given them some saki this year but my main go to food is aqua source all seasons with garlic very little waste and they love it 👍

[@marekskoipond9083]

Why did I just know that food was gonna bounce out that bowl haha 😂 70% SAKI growth 30% SAKI sinking balance, will definitely be doing same next season, JPD Shogun through out winter 👍.

[@DavesKoiPond]

Another one for Saki,😁 Hikari state balance can be fed down to 11C in smaller amounts, but if you go to lower temps saki multi season can be fed down to 5C in small amounts. The blinking zero on the chlorine test is under range btw, the test sample absorbs less light than the reference sample. 🙂

[@koidiaries]

Right, im now thinking i didnt even put the packet of powder in the tube lol Honestly my mind is a sieve at present!

[@DavesKoiPond]

@@koidiaries Thats one way to keep chlorine levels down lol 😄

[@mikebass3721]

I have noticed more waste on the bottom of the pond with Hikari sinking wheatgerm, particularly if the bottom drains had little or no air. Put the air back on the BDs and it keeps the bottom clear ( still the waste but BDs take it out.

[@koidiaries]

The air deffo helps the waste on the floor to go away thats for sure, just want minimal poo lol

[@51kjon]

I'm sure not all wheatgerm food is the same, what sort are you using? I have Hikari Wheatgerm on order, the usual for mine, can't remember having excess poo from it before, but will let you know ;-)

[@RS20O0]

Didn't think the amount of waste looked too bad tbh. Floor of my pond is littered in the mornings, clears after the first feed once they've had a rummage around. Could well be the sinking wheatgerm is denser and takes a bit longer to reach the BD.

[@sponge1046]

Andy do you have a link for those white end caps? Is that for the 25mm?

[@deanhargreaves5958]

Koi foods like dog food if you feed a good quality dog food you get less coming out the back end .as its absorbed by the body .cheap dog food and you will require plenty of poo bags on a walk .

[@koidiaries]

HA this is 100% correct when Murphy was around we changed to a cheap food and boy oh boy did we notice it, that didnt last, back he went onto the good stuff!!

[@shaunleonard8146]

Hi/I still like Coppens, wheat germ and top koi.

[@Samp2503]

I fed Coppens OSW & Top Koi last year and had pretty good results but the water colour suffered terribly so this year I thought I would see what the fuss was about with Saki Hikari. Fed Colour from 18-22 degrees then once it reached 22 I added growth and fed 60/40 growth to colour until I ran out of the colour (5kg bag) then got through 20k of growth and got some excellent results for an unheated pond in my opinion. I do have a heater I used it maybe 4/5 times for a couple of hours a day or two before warmer weather so I could extend the warmer periods in the pond using the covers to retain the heat so I might get say 7 days at 20 degrees rather than 2-3 by leaving it ambient and uncovered. Regarding the results, I got 4 Tosai from Adam Byer in Spring: Oakley chag 28cm - 45cm Kohaku 27cm - 42cm Doitsu Ochiba 28cm - 42cm Shiro Utsuri 25cm - 38/39cm I also added 2 nisai Isa Showa: Male fish 40cm - 51cm Female 42cm - 54cm All my other fish grew as well, with the slower growers putting on near double the growth achieved last year on the coppens so I definitely feel like the Saki Hikari will pull the best results out for the fish and when brought in the big bulk bags it is a great deal more expensive than most other brands. The way I look at it, if you want to get the best results out of your pond then feed SH and hold back on that extra fish purchase for example rather than using something else and cutting costs on the food. I have now gone onto balance and am down to 16 degrees roughly but I am noticing more crap now and was feeding around 120g 4 times a day so now switched to 3 feeds for 60g to reduce the waste as I feel that if there is excess waste then I'm probably feeding too much. I try to let the amount of waste and behaviour of fish dictate what I feed now.

[@perranwilliams1263]

I’ve been using queni Kenko ultimate koi currently using up 5th bag of 15kg happy with growth, would like Saki but can’t warrant costs so £99 for 15kg from queni. How much is a 20kg bag of saki balance normally?

[@koidiaries]

20kg Balalnce is around £200! Its deffo been worth the cost i think, ive had decent growth and not much waste this year like i said and ive fed more than ive ever fed before so i think i know deep down what i need to do food wise lol

[@perranwilliams1263]

@@koidiaries this year was first year I wasn’t under feeding and went from queni growth £55 15kg to ultimate queni food at £99 after visiting queni last Xmas and asked about it. Will have a think about next year be interesting on seeing what you have planned for next year

[@granvillestraw1620]

lm on saki all season can feed down to 5c minimum waste.

[@matcrutch1]

since switching to saki, i wont be using any other food again.

[@koidiaries]

Yup i think im agreeing witht hat 100%!

[@paulwelling8243]

I always think of it like this , you wouldn’t put diesel in a Ferrari enough said!🙏

[@koidiaries]

Haha nicely put! And yeah im tending to agree with this line of thought!

[@atsuminaoki9910]

Now that we've confirmed that you're one step closer, why don't you heat it up at the right time this year and finish putting the flesh in the tailtube? In addition to these, if the body surface can finally be made glossy, the effect of the subsequent interruption of feeding until the following late spring will also be visible.

[@kentishkoi9352]

Can you not put poly sheets around your pergola rather then over the top off the pond like last year

[@koidiaries]

Id like to do this eventually, I dont have enough sheets to do that so just put them on the frame ike previous years

[@sponge1046]

Only Saki, growth and colour. Multi season from now on 🎉

[@leegraham1732]

Hikari weatgem is a cheaper food compared to the saki range its one of the worst foods on the market

[@Sander69]

Make sure that you keep some ventilation in the pond so gasses can escape!

[@koidiaries]

Yup plenty of gaps

[@markbrady7462]

Think you should send an email to Hikari uk and ask them why.

[@koidiaries]

Its not Saki Hikari thats the problem, its the cheaper sinking wheatgerm ive switched to causing issues with waste

[@markbrady7462]

@@koidiaries Been using Hikari for 15 years. Combination of sinking Wheatgerm and Gold Floating in summer. Outstanding results and Zero illness in my fish. I’m sure it builds there immune system up. 👍

[@leighsheltonnoseypottercom]

mine have sterlet food and cheap koi food. i do have sterlet and i dont see the point in heating a fish that comes from a temperate zone.

[@koidiaries]

Yeah goood point, i mean koi dont need to be in a heated environment but having a stable temperature is key ive found

[@leighsheltonnoseypottercom]

@@koidiaries getting cold in winter is key for carp. its part of there life cycle