The confusion about selecting koi food

Koi are acquiring the same emotional status as other human beings and are accordingly given a share in our material comforts. Since most of us eat “with our eyes”, we often believe that our koi’s food should also have an attractive, appetizing appearance in order to be highly nutritious and palatable. Of course this influence our choice of koi food.

Feeding fish is very convenient since there is plenty commercial brands of fish food available in the market. Walk into a couple of pet shops or supermarkets and you will be amazed (if not confused) at the variety of koi food available. These foods come in various shapes, sizes and colours - ranging form flakes to crumbles to pellets – to comply with the specific requirements of every koi owner. Most of these foods claim to be manufactured from the best quality ingredients available and to supply all the nutrients essential for the fish to thrive on. But is quality of ingredients a good enough guarantee for a koi food?

In attempt to be more competitive, fish food companies have begun targeting fish owners with the same health concerns that human food manufacturers have been using to market their products. The question is often asked whether there is actually any difference at all between these foods and how much of the label claims is only marketing hype, using an emotional and sensational approach? Here are just a few of the label claims often found on packaging:

• “Extra vitamins added”: Often manufacturers list all vitamins and minerals present in their food making it look impressively more complete than the ones only stating “containing essential vitamins and minerals”. Is there really any difference?
• “Contain low ash levels for optimum water quality”: Calcium and Phosphorous are two important components of ash, and also two essential minerals for growth – be therefore careful to just discriminated against ash as a contributor to pollution without taking excessively high fiber levels into consideration.
• “Contains no additives”: Two types of additives are included in pet food products: those that are nutritional and those that add other benefits to the food such as preservatives and health promoters. Additives often permit the supplementation of a product to increase single nutrient levels without disturbing the levels of other nutrients in the diet. The benefits of additives should therefore first be recognized before making a food choice. Additives don’t necessarily spell out “bad”.
• “Contains only all natural products”: If a food is marketed on “only made from all-natural ingredients”, we often think of synthetic ingredients as inferior and shy away from all foods that may contain it. Truth is, a fish’s body cannot distinguish between for example vitamins that occur in natural ingredients and those that are produced synthetically. The use of synthetic nutrients helps achieve the high degree of nutritional balance found in good quality fish foods.
• “No colorants added”: Colorants are added to koi foods to make them more attractive to koi owner. It also helps to maintain a consistent product appearance because the color of the ingredients may vary from batch to batch. Additionally it makes it easy to distinguish between food type: for example a red-coloured food representing a high protein food or a green-coloured a colour-enhancing food. Artificial colors used in most fish foods are often the same as those approved for use in human foods. It does not contribute at all to the nutritional value of the food and has nothing to do with the carotenoid pigments included to enhance the natural colour of the fish. There is no disadvantage in using coloured food pellets as long as it does not colour the pond water.
• And still to come?…fish food labeled “GMO-free” (suggesting that non-labeled food may turn your koi into “Frankenstein”-koi) or “Free of all animal products” (following the “Mad cow disease crises”). How much further are manufacturers going to exploit this “consumer scare” to market their products?

Of course the label on a bag of fish food should give a great deal of information about the product inside the bag to assist the koi owner to make a rightful choice between brands – it should however not attempt to cause confusion. Firstly, the food label should assure the fish owner that the food complies with law regulations concerning nutrient requirements of the fish, and that it contains no deleterious or harmful substances. Because fish cannot utilized the so-called “extra” amino acids, vitamins or minerals that they normally require, over fortification with these nutrients rarely is of any benefit to the healthy non-stressed fish. Fact is, over-fortification often causes water fouling due to excretion of unutilized nutrients.

Unfortunately koi food is not as well regulated than other pet food. Registration of ornamental fish food with the Registrar of Farm Feeds is still optional and only a few of fish food manufacturers or distributors undertook this option of ensuring their customers that their food comply with local recommendations for fish food. A lot of koi foods are being sold unlabeled, without any guarantee of being nutritionally complete. The label should show the name and address of the manufacturer, packer or distributor of the pet food, with contact detail, might any enquiry about quality arise.

Although figures given in the guaranteed analyses do not necessarily indicate nutritional balance or product quality; it may assure the koi owner that it complies with law recommendations. A quick physical examination of the food may however give an indication about product freshness:

• Unusual colour and odor is easy to detect. Any sign of mustiness or smell of rancidity may be a good indication as to whether the shelf life of the food has expired.
• The food pellets should be free flowing and should be without any sign of cakes or lumps. These normally occur when food was not properly dried after manufacturing, making it susceptible for fungal growth and consequent micotoxin contamination.
• Any evidence of insect infestations or the presence of bird and rodent droppings and feathers can increase danger of Salmonella and other infectious microorganisms in the food. The use of such food may result in allergies, infections and unwanted mortalities.

The nutritional value of koi food depends on the quality of the formulation, ingredients and manufacturing. The quality built into a product is difficult, if not impossible, to determine by reading the label alone and often extent further to the reputation of the manufacturer. If the packaging states a contact number, it is a good idea to call and inquire about the manufacturer. Whereas it is often safe to trust label guarantees and claims as an indication of high nutritional standards, it may require a bit more investigation by the koi owner to ensure that high nutritional standards are maintained during manufacturing.

Lourens de Wet