article: Problems with Koi, Nutrition and Vitamin C

Problems with Koi, Nutrition and Vitamin C

Your koi fish are going to need your attention occasionally as they live in your water garden. Watching and examining the fish for any disfigurements, bulging and other problems can help you decipher what is going on with your fish in the water garden.

Your koi will need nutrition just as you do to become healthy adults. Fish need vitamin C, and a shortage of Vitamin C will make your fish to be disfigured. A fish that does not have enough Vitamin C will have muscle problems and their bodies will change to form an S shape, as the muscles in their body do not hold their shape.

There are other reasons why a fishes body will turn to a kink like form such as: when they are slammed by another fish in that area causing damage to their muscles, or most often when a fish has been poisoned their muscles will contract and their bodies will be an S shape as well.

Most koi feed that is available for you to purchase will have Vitamin C listed. Be sure that you read over the labels to realize if the ingredient is indeed in the feed. Because you never know how long feed has been sitting in the store it is important to understand the difference between vitamin C and Vitamin C that is listed as an ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid looses its potency over a period of time and if the feed has been sitting for six months of longer than it most likely does not have the Vitamin C potency that you will require for your koi.

When purchasing feed for your koi or goldfish, be sure to look for the name, Ascorbyl 2 phosphate. This is the vitamin C that will last for up to a year in the feed, and your fish will benefit most from this ingredient. This ingredient is listed as active until the package is open and once opened it starts to dissolve and become useless. This is one of the main reasons that serious fish breeders and fish farmers will not buy bulk fish feed.