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fish color enhancements??

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XedOut

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Jun 7, 2002, 7:09:06 PM6/7/02
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i had some shrimp left over from dinner that was sauté in butter and
garlic, about a half pond, and didn't want it to go to waste so i
started feeding it to the koi and goldfish a little at a time.
my goldfish have slowly over the year and a half have been losing
their color and turning white, the koi were not very colorfully
either.
well a week or so later from feeding them a little shrimp each day(
which they love!) their colors are much brighter, the goldfish are
turning bright gold, and koi that were mainly white are turning bright
gold too.
is this just a coincidence? or does the shrimp really help with the
color change? if it is the shrimp, does boiling shrimp (making them
orange) help more than leaving them raw?
what else can i give them to enhance their color? if this is really
whats doing it?
does time of year make a difference in the color of the fish?

Gregory Young

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Jun 7, 2002, 7:30:44 PM6/7/02
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A Koi's color is genetically determined, which is why you pay $$$$ for one
similarly sized fish over another.
That being said different foods have varying results in different ponds.
Red pigments are not synthesized by the Koi, so external sources are
required. Some of the better sources are animal: Krill/shrimp/daphnia; and
plant: Spirulina.
Be careful with animal sources as their shells contain a high % of ash,
which can impact water quality.
Overfeeding (usually viewed as > 5% food content) of color enhancers will
affect the white colored areas of the fish, turning them slightly yellow.
Feed color enhancers when the water temp exceeds 20 deg. C (68 deg. F), as
the lower metabolic rates for carotenoids (color enhancers) below this can
produce roughening of the Koi's skin.
Color enhancers are found in higher quality foods, often added as synthetics
(the various xanthins), another reason to avoid cheap foods.
Happy ponding,
Greg
gey...@acsu.buffalo.edu
gey...@adelphia.net
gyo...@KaleidaHealth.org
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derek

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Jun 7, 2002, 7:53:41 PM6/7/02
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XedOut wrote:
> i had some shrimp left over from dinner that was sauté in butter and
> garlic, about a half pond, and didn't want it to go to waste so i

OK, a half-pond of shrimp - even a small pond - is a lot of shrimp, but
I really can't see wasting it on koi. Next time you have that much
left-over shrimp, call me first :-)
--
Derek
rec.ponds FAQ: http://www.netcom.ca/~dbrought/pond/maintenance.html

Just Me

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Jun 7, 2002, 8:32:07 PM6/7/02
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Hi derek,
I think he meant a half pound.
Thanks for the info Gregory Young.

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"I not only use all the brains I have, but all I can borrow."
Woodrow Wilson

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Chuckles

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Jun 8, 2002, 9:11:37 PM6/8/02
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I've heard that it is shrimp that give pink flamingos their
pink color.
Chuck

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Gale Pearce

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Jun 8, 2002, 10:32:45 PM6/8/02
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Spirulina - an additive in the better fish food
Gale :~)

XedOut

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Jun 9, 2002, 11:35:06 PM6/9/02
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i bet if i filled the pond half full of shrimp they would eat it! :)
they love it! but they only get about half pound a week.
sure wish i knew why the sudden color change.
they like the shrimp so im going to keep feed it to them.

Lee Brouillet

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Jun 10, 2002, 9:32:07 AM6/10/02
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I feed my koi chopped salad shrimp, the real tiny ones. They come
pre-cooked/cleaned, frozen in a bag. I have 10 koi, from 6" to 18", so I
pull out a dozen or so and chop them (defrosted!) before I toss them in the
pond. One of these nights I'm going to get a whole bunch of the shrimp, chop
them, then freeze them in ice cube trays so I have a source of ready-to-go
treats for the fish. The salad shrimp are usually cheap: I've gotten them
for about $3.00 a lb., and they're already cleaned and cooked <GBG>.
Whatever you feed your koi (seafood-wise), make sure it's been cooked first.
Nothin' fancy (no need for garlic, butter or wine), just boiled. That way
you'll avoid cross-contamination. They sure do love it, and you're right: it
HAS to be good for their coloring!

Lee

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J

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Jun 10, 2002, 12:14:41 PM6/10/02
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"Lee Brouillet" <l...@dmi-tpa.com> wrote:
>I feed my koi chopped salad shrimp, the real tiny ones.

All this talk about shrimp is making me hungry!

I also wanted to ask if anyone has tried releasing live freshwater
shrimp into their ponds as a self renewing source? (and probably
smaller source than direct feeding)

Wallymart sells "ghostshrimp" for something like 13 cents. They are
about an inch long and transparent. I imagine they are tropical and
will not overwinter sub 60F? Will they start dating and make baby
shrimp in a pond?

How about the (much) larger prawn which was all the rage as an
aquaculture crop about 20 years ago? This could be a snack for
people!

Jay

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