Page 352 - Encyclopedia of Aquarium and Pond Fish, 3rd Edition

350 POND FISH DIRECTORY

FEEDING AND NUTRITION
Koi eat both plant and animal matter, structures that grind food before it is
instinctively seeking their food close to the swallowed, making it more accessible to
bottom of the pond. The two pairs of barbels digestive enzymes. Koi do not have a stomach
on either side of the mouth serve as sensory where food can be stored and so can digest
feelers, helping them to locate edible items, only small amounts of food at a time.
such as worms, hidden in the substrate. Koi Swallowed food passes directly into the
are also able to dig quite effectively using intestinal tract, and nutrients are absorbed
their jaws, a behavior that is likely to prove as the food passes through before exiting
disruptive in a planted pond. the body. In adult koi, the intestine is two or
The koi’s jaw structure is surprisingly three times the length of the body, while
flexible, which allows them to suck fairly young koi have much shorter intestines and
large edible items directly into their mouths. so require a higher protein content in their
At the back of the throat are toothlike food to achieve the same levels of nutrition.

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