How do you now if the proteins in fish food are highly digestible?

Save money on pond pumps, pond filters, backyard waterfalls, fountains, ponds, water gardening, koi food and how to achieve crystal clear garden pond water too.

This is a 250 word (approx) summary of a chapter from my book pictured to the left.

Each chapter or main topic has been summarised in this way. For a complete list of summaries see the right hand column

Concepts:

food, fish, pond, protein, temperatures, ash, common sense, koi, digest, filter, feeding, money, wheat germ, protein sources, bottom.

Summary:

- In winter in Johannesburg and other highveld areas night-time temperatures fall dramatically and as we all know swimming becomes impossible.

- With regards to filtration it is still possible for a biofilter to be commissioned but it will take longer to mature and high doses of ammonia will take longer to get under control using even a mature filter if the ammonia become evident.

- The important point to bear in mind therefore is if temperatures are low feed less and preferably feed earlier in the day while water is warmer giving time for fish to digest the food.

- This is a subject allowing for great debate and a degree of common sense is required to participate in the debate.

- When food is no longer important they lie motionless on the bottom - almost hibernating to conserve energy.

- Of course there is a lot of technology and science in a pond environment and exploitation of this science allows koi to be well looked after, live for a very long time and grow large.

- The food must have easily digestible protein sources and all correct vitamins and trace elements - wheatgerm is the common and often recommended source of this type of protein but this food lacks almost everything else the fish requires.

- Dealers make more money out of selling wheatgerm in addition to normal food.

- So how do you now if the proteins are highly digestible - the one very quick test is to read the ash level on the food label.