Feeding koi

Have 2 butterfly koi in i think a 127g pool pond, think they are about a foot long each, might have some fin rot not sure, but was wondering how anyone else feeds these? I have been guessing for a few months and I don't see any leftovers so im not sure if I need to feed more at feeding time or if I need to feed more frequently. They look like they aren't starving. I have had problems overfeeding before and it never turns out well. Just recently decided to wait 2 days between feeding for my other fish because they are fat. Have read that these are supposed to be fed 3x a day and I definitely don't do that. Sometimes I will feed morning and night but normally just at night.

I'm sure the fish food companies recommend feeding two - three times a day. Lol

There's nothing wrong with doing that as long as all food distributed is eaten & the Koi don't bloat.

I typically feed my fish a goodly amount once daily. It seems to work out alright.

Ok thanks. I imagine their belly is about the size of a handful of pellets so I've been adding that much a piece lately cause I think I might have been under feeding. They are covered with plastic chicken wire and they are still a bit shy around me so I never get to see them eat much. I imagine they could fit quite a few pellets in their mouth at a time so I will try and start watching them more

Cool koi. These guys are fed pellets based on the water temperature. I fed mine once a day in the summer and less in the winter depending on temps. Imho it is far better to have active koi always on the hungry side as opposed to being over weight and lethargic. The koi should devour the food in minutes…..leftover food will just contribute to water parameter issues. And, yes….they prefer and thrive better in clean water and you will be able to see and enjoy them more.
In colder water temps, they have to be fed smaller amounts koi food of Wheat Germ. When things warm up, they get higher amounts of the Protein food. At lower temps, they simply cannot digest protein which can create health issues.

Until just this last summer, I kept my 20-25 koi in my 3,800 outside pond and in the winter they came in to my basement pond of 600g or so and some of mine are 30+ years old. Now after decades of doing that, age has caught up with me and I have to keep a few (7) in the basement pond year round and not trek around carrying tubs/bags of koi up and down in/out. In 2025 I had the outside hand-dug pond filled in (two tandem dumptruck loads of dirt) and planted more Hydrangeas there. To think….I manually dug out that much dirt back in the 90s is mind boggling I don’t know your pool pond depth and capacity, average water temps, or food type. The depth, depending on location, is critical for two big reasons. First, shallow water warms up (sometimes dangerously so) and cools off too quickly. My outside pond was 2.5’ deep around the edges and 4’ deep in the middle which gave the koi spots to cool off in the summer. Second, predators (namely herons) can pick off koi easily in shallower water. Giving koi deep water to retreat to or cool off in is critical. Sorry……got a bit off topic with the pond, water, and predator stuff.

This chart will give you the idea of feeding based on water temps. P=protein food, WG=WheatGerm food
Note….when water temp really gets cold, do stop feeding. And when water temps get way hot, do stop feeding…..or feed early (minimal amounts) in the day before water temps get above 85 degrees and bigtime oxygenate your water.

Have 2 butterfly koi in i think a 127g pool pond, think they are about a foot long each, might have some fin rot not sure, but was wondering how anyone else feeds these? I have been guessing for a few months and I don't see any leftovers so im not sure if I need to feed more at feeding time or if I need to feed more frequently. They look like they aren't starving. I have had problems overfeeding before and it never turns out well. Just recently decided to wait 2 days between feeding for my other fish because they are fat. Have read that these are supposed to be fed 3x a day and I definitely don't do that. Sometimes I will feed morning and night but normally just at night.

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Totally get where you're coming from - it's easy to second-guess yourself, especially with past overfeeding problems. Here's a simple way to look at it.

For two foot-long butterfly koi, feeding once a night is probably fine, especially if they look healthy and active. The "3 times a day" advice is usually for younger, growing fish or very warm water. Adults do well on once or twice a day.

The easiest rule is the 5-minute rule: give them only as much food as they can finish in about 5 minutes. If they're still hunting for food after that, you can give a tiny bit more next time - but don't leave leftovers floating. Leftover food is what causes water problems and sick fish.

Since you don't see leftovers, that's a good sign. They're probably getting enough. You can also check their bodies: if their heads look wider than their bodies, or their eyes look sunken, they might need a little more. But if they look full and round, you're doing fine.

About the fin rot - just keep an eye on their fins. If the edges look ragged, frayed, or have white/red edges, that's a sign to check your water quality first. Clean water is the best medicine.

You're not doing anything wrong by feeding at night. Trust the 5-minute rule and their body shape, and you'll find the right balance.

Totally get where you're coming from - it's easy to second-guess yourself, especially with past overfeeding problems. Here's a simple way to look at it.

For two foot-long butterfly koi, feeding once a night is probably fine, especially if they look healthy and active. The "3 times a day" advice is usually for younger, growing fish or very warm water. Adults do well on once or twice a day.

The easiest rule is the 5-minute rule: give them only as much food as they can finish in about 5 minutes. If they're still hunting for food after that, you can give a tiny bit more next time - but don't leave leftovers floating. Leftover food is what causes water problems and sick fish.

Since you don't see leftovers, that's a good sign. They're probably getting enough. You can also check their bodies: if their heads look wider than their bodies, or their eyes look sunken, they might need a little more. But if they look full and round, you're doing fine.

About the fin rot - just keep an eye on their fins. If the edges look ragged, frayed, or have white/red edges, that's a sign to check your water quality first. Clean water is the best medicine.

You're not doing anything wrong by feeding at night. Trust the 5-minute rule and their body shape, and you'll find the right balance.

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I agree, but since I underfed/kept them wanting food a bit, I used the “2 minute” Rule. If they finished it in 30 seconds like mine often did, then I’d do a second 2min session. This also helped me keep the outside pond cleaner as they were always finding tidbits to eat.