I was cleaning one of the filter chambers when I noticed many small aquatic snails living inside the filter. These are the size of a small pea and there are hundreds in my filter. Transparent, jelly-like stuff were sticking to the sides of the filter chamber and I suspect they were the eggs. None were found in the ponds, only in the filter. I suspected those who ventured into the main ponds were eaten. So I gathered a few and tossed them into the Koi pond. They were eaten in a flash by the fish. I was expecting them to spit out the shells. But the big Koi seems to chew on these morsels and then swallow them whole. So, while maintaining the filter, it is also feeding time for the Koi.
I also feed the small snails in my filter system, I have been doing it for the last 5 years with no issues. I also breed Koi as Australia has an import ban on Koi. I crush the snails with koi food, and make a paste for the babies, they love it and boy do they grow, the shell gives them plenty of calcium for healthy bones ,it also sinks to the bottom where the fish prefer to be fed, other then the floating type of foods. My Koi are show fish and I do not use colour enhancer,
ReplyDeleteJust good Quality food with a handful of sails a day. Happy Koi keeping