Feeding Koi to Enhance Color

Feeding koi should not simply be viewed as satisfying hunger. It is an opportunity to enhance their natural coloring.  Certain additives can be included to produce more vibrant color.

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  • Marigold Flower Meal. Probably one of the most potent natural sources of carotenoids available.
  • Artificial Color Enhancers. Astaxanthin and Canthaxanthin are guaranteed, potent sources of color in the form that will be exhibited immediately in the skin.
  • Spirulina. This has an above average carotenoid content that is easily assimilated, being found in very simple algae cells
  • A Yeast – Phaffia rhodozyma. This is easily digested and is a recognized source of carotene and astaxanthin.
  • Paprika. Red Pepper Meal. More potent than spirulina, and contains red pigments ready to be absorbed and assimilated immediately.

Good coloration is not only enhanced by feeding and additives, however. Healthy fish tend to have much brighter colors than diseased ones. To bring out the color in Koi, particularly the white, you must provide good living conditions. Strong red and yellow pigments develop well in waters rich in green phytoplankton.