In the world of koi nutrition, not all foods are created equally.
Some are, simply put, significantly better than others, offering a lot more nutritional value per bite than some of the lower quality options.
While some higher end koi foods are certainly nutritionally excellent, there is no reason to opt for something exorbitantly expensive when a truly fantastic food sits nestled within a reasonable price range that many koi caretakers can abide: Blue Ridge Koi Food.
Let’s explore this brand and create a comprehensive Blue Ridge Koi Food review to help you figure out if this popular brand is right for your care routine!
What is Blue Ridge Koi Food?
Blue Ridge Koi Farms is a leading modern koi fish breeder that works to breed high quality, traditional koi in a wide range of color sub-varieties and types.
Started in the 1940s as a “frog-gigging” business, or a company that worked to raise and sell frogs for the sake of consumption (which is quite popular in the south United States, where the company is from, as well as many other places within the world), the business soon evolved to breeding ornamental fish like goldfish and koi.
The koi were first raised with this business in 1965, when the then-owner and grandson of the creator of the business had three hundred imported from Japan.
Only ten percent of the shipment arrived alive, with only three koi from the entire stock reportedly growing to sexual maturity.
These three would go on to be the original three koi that were bred to create much of the Blue Ridge Koi Farms stock fish today.
As the family continued to raise fish, they began to realize that in order to acquire the same stunning fish that came from the Japanese farms that inspired their decision to begin raising and selling koi, they had to acquire the same level of nutrition for their koi.
They studied how the Japanese fed and raised their fish and mirrored it, creating their own blend of koi food that offered a growth and color supporting formula. From there, the Blue Ridge Koi Food line was grown.
In this Blue Ridge Koi Food review, we are going to discuss many of the brand’s products and what they offer to benefit koi fish growth, including their specialty lines. Let’s get into the inventory!
Our Blue Ridge Koi Food Review
Today, we are going to discuss five different products from the Blue Ridge Koi Food line.
Each product is designed with specific care concerns in mind and is made to target general wellbeing or specific points of the koi’s health.
1. The Blue Ridge Standard Line
Composed of three different products, The Growth Mini Pellet, Growth Large Pellet, and Blue Ridge Blend (a mixture of both sizes), this line of products is the Blue Ridge Koi Food version of a standard, daily nutritional blend.
It is designed to promote growth and enhance the health of koi fish by offering daily balanced nutrition and ensuring they get the exact nutrients they need each and every day.
Designed with crude protein at a level not less than thirty six percent, fat at a level not less than six percent, and crude fiber not more than five percent, this food meets the needs of growing koi fish and works to help improve their overall growth and ensure they can thrive.
The mini pellets are good for koi up to five or six inches, while the large size suits bigger adults.
If you have a mix of both, the Blue Ridge Blend is a sweet spot that suits the needs of both sizes in one convenient product, too.
This vitamin and mineral enriched food is a great daily option for those who want to cater to their koi by size, ensuring they can comfortably and easily eat the food given to them.
2. Blue Ridge Color Rich Pellet
The Blue Ridge Color Rich Pellet is a supplementary food designed to help create a bold, bright coloration within koi and enhance their natural beauty.
Created with the same incredible ingredients as the standard growth line, this product is good for everyday feedings; it just has the additional color enhancing ingredients in the form of marigold extract, spirulina, and canthaxanthin to boost the appearance of your koi.
With the same general parameters of protein, fat, and carbs as the other food, this is a solid choice for those who have koi with interesting colorations that need some extra boosting.
3. Blue Ridge Platinum Pro Diet
If you want something that is truly worthy of showcase tier koi fish, this Blue Ridge Platinum Pro Diet food is a fantastic choice that offers a nutritional boost that even surpasses the standard Blue Ridge line.
It includes color enhancing ingredients, as well, along with a probiotic to support gut health and increase immune functionality that is known as Primilac.
This food offers not less than forty one percent crude protein, not less than six and a half percent fat, and not more than five percent carbohydrates, along with carefully measured additional components like phosphorus, ash, and microorganisms.
4. Blue Ridge Cool Water Wheat Formula
During colder months, a koi’s metabolism slows down and its dietary needs shift.
This Blue Ridge Cool Water Wheat Formula is a great option that seeks to help ensure that your koi’s dietary needs are met even when they are in colder waters.
This food is available in only large pellet sizes and is suitable for times when the water temperature is below sixty degrees fahrenheit. It is a good daily cold weather food and carries comparable parameters to the everyday standard options, too.
5. Blue Ridge Probiotic Plus
As an immune booster and gut health support food, the Blue Ridge Probiotic Plus offers a great helping hand to those with koi who are recovering from injuries or illnesses or those who want an immune boost for their fish.
This food uses Primilac and the immune boosting agents vitamin C and montmorillonite clay to assist in helping prevent infections, illnesses, and assist in healing injuries while still offering base nutrition comparable to the standard line.
Balanced Options
All in all, there is a good reason that this brand is known as one of the best options of them all.
We hope this Blue Ridge Koi Food Review helped you find a good base food or supplementary food option and made your dietary decision a little easier.
Good luck!
