Do Koi Stop Eating When Full? (Let’s Find Out)

Boy s hand feeding Japanese koi (Cyprinus carpio).

Koi fish are beautiful in any fish tank or pond and make attractive features. Just like any other animal, fish also need food to survive. They need minerals and vitamins, and nourishment. Since your koi fish are confined to an enclosed space and only have access to what you feed them, you need to take extra care of feeding time. Do Koi stop eating when full?

A koi in an enclosed tank will continue to eat even when they are full. It’s up to you to regulate your koi fish’s food as correctly as possible. Even if your filter system is large enough to handle it, you can overfeed your Koi. Koi will especially consume more processed food than healthy food in their tank.

Now that you know your Koi will not stop eating, even when their bellies are full, you may be wondering how to check if your Koi are hungry. Keep reading with us as we discuss the signs of a hungry koi and how much food is just enough!

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How Do I Know If My Koi Is Hungry?

Koi fish, Cyprinus carpio haematopterus, eating in a koi pond in Japan

In the wild, koi fish will feed on worms, seeds, insects, plants, algae, and anything else they can dig up from the bottom of a pond. Koi hunt all along the pond’s floor and along the surface.

If you have your Koi placed in an ecosystem pond, they can continue to have their natural diet as they would in their natural habitat.

If you usually feed your Koi once every day, or even two to three times a day, if you miss your regular schedule, you can be sure your Koi is hungry!

However, Koi will not usually eat every day in the wild. They will eat when they have caught their food. However, your Koi will get used to a fixed feeding schedule in your home tank or pond, so if you miss it, your Koi will be hungry by habit.

You can choose to purchase an automatic fish feeder, but it could become costly. Also, feeding time can be a way for you to bond and have fun with your Koi!

When you overfeed your Koi, the same health problems can develop as overfeeding would in any other animal—feeding your Koi the correct amount of food is entirely up to you.

So, how do you know when your Koi is hungry?

Koi Swimming In Unusual Areas

The gold fish in small pond is eating the green leaves on the rock, near the pond. — A fish is eating the green leaves on the rock near the pond.

If your Koi are swimming in areas in your pond or tank they don’t typically visit, they may be looking for food. Koi digging around the substrate are also clear signs of scavenging for food, and it will look like they are looking for something.

Koi that go to look for food, but they don’t usually look for food is a clear indication that they are hungry.

Noticeable Weight And Size Changes In Koi

If you notice your fish has become smaller, especially in weight and overall dimensions that it should be or always was, it could be a sign of prolonged underfeeding.

However, it could also mean that your Koi is just tiny for its size, especially if you didn’t buy it fully grown.

Koi Eating Very Fast

If your Koi has gotten very aggressive during feeding times and gobbles up its food once you have fed it, you can take this as a clear sign that your fish is hungry.

Although most fish feed very quickly, you will be able to notice if your Koi is making an unnecessary amount of effort to eat as much food as possible in a short amount of time. The chances are that it has been hungry for a long time.

Koi Is Slow Or Sluggish

When Koi start to move sluggishly and swim abnormally slow, you can take it as a clear sign that you have not been feeding it enough for some time.

Don’t try to fix the situation by giving it too much food, as it may send it into a state of shock. Provide smaller amounts of food over a short period.

Koi Attacking Other Fish

Some koi might resort to aggressive behavior and harass or even attack other fish when they are hungry.

This might be difficult to judge, as there can be several reasons behind your Koi’s aggression.

Koi Waiting At The Top Of Pond Or Tank

If you notice your koi swimming and waiting at the top of the aquarium or pond, they are hungry. Because you feed them from the top of your tank, and they are waiting for feeding time.

How To Correctly Feed Your Koi

If you have an ecosystem koi pond, you will only want to feed your Koi a handful of food twice weekly. If you give your Koi more than this amount, they can start developing health problems.

If you don’t have any plants in your pond or tank, you can feed your koi fish as much food as they can gobble up in about 5 minutes each day.

Remember, as we mentioned, fish cannot tell when they are full and will continue to eat.

The best time of day to feed your Koi would be when the water is roughly between 50 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit because if the temperatures are out of this range, they can’t digest food very well.

Also, ensure you get food the appropriate size for your fish. A suitable-sized fish pellet makes it easier for your Koi to digest, causing your Koi to be healthier and able to grow to their proper size.

Conclusion

Now that you know all the signs of a hungry koi, you will notice the warning signs early enough before the situation gets worse or life-threatening.

Although some fish owners tend to shower their fish with food as a sign of love, you should never overfeed your Koi, as it could cause their death. The same goes for underfeeding.