Koi Pond Nuggets is a floating diet specifically designed for koi in ponds. Koi have bright colors that put them at a severe disadvantage against predators; a white-skinned Kohaku looks like a visual dinner bell against the dark green of a pond. Herons, kingfishers, raccoons, cats, otter, and badgers are all capable of emptying a pond of its fish. A well-designed outdoor pond will have areas too deep for herons to stand in, overhangs high enough above the water that mammals can't reach in, and shade trees overhead to block the view of aerial passersby. It may prove necessary to string nets or wires above the surface. The pond should include a pump and filtration system to keep the water clear. Koi are bottom-feeders, so koi pond nuggets are not only nutritionally balanced, but designed to float so as to encourage them to come to the surface. When they are eating, you can also check for parasites and ulcers. Koi will come to recognize the person feeding them and gather around at dinnertime. They can even be trained to take the food from one's hand. In the winter their digestive system slows nearly to a halt, and they eat very little, perhaps no more than nibbles of algae from the bottom, and their appetite won't come back until the water warms up in the spring. When the temperature drops below 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees C), regular feeding should be halted or the food can go rancid in their stomach causing sickness. If kept properly, koi can live about 30-40 years. Some have been reportedly known to live up to 200 years. Mazuri koi pond nuggets diet is formulated to provide complete nutrition in one product. Ingredients have been added to provide pigmentation that will prove satisfactory under most circumstances for koi raised in ponds.