The Koi Food Shack

Let's remember our troops on Veterans Day

2011-11-11T07:47:00.002-05:00

Thank you to the soldiers who have underwritten our freedom by their duty, honor, and selfless-service, who have sought neither fortune nor fame. Those who have stood guard in peacetime, and to those who have seen the terror, the horror and inhumanity of combat - and to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

WHEW!!!

2011-07-14T23:36:00.003-04:00

As we do every year, we "closed down" for our annual summer vacation. I left the store open again, and put up a notice on the home page as to what was going on for the two weeks while we were gone. I'm not sure what got into everyone, but our orders went through the roof while we were "closed". I had 4 weeks worth of work to do when I returned! We have already set a new record for sales, and we're not even half way thru the 2011 season! A big thanks goes out to the buyers who have been patient with us while I get us caught up. I may need another vacation when I get caught up! (NOT)

Memorial Day Weekend 2011

2011-05-28T13:09:00.002-04:00

We'd like to first say our apologies to those who had orders that were late shipping out last week. We endured a week of weather Hell here at tKFS. We had property damage here at tKFS on Monday from some very violent straight-line winds that roared through our area that day. Tuesday was spent with a chain saw clearing up the downed trees and debris, and Wednesday followed with tornados from 3pm- until 2am, which required us to take cover for our own safety. Fortunately for us, we escaped unharmed with nothing more than scattered debris, and power outages. However, just a few miles to the west of us, folks were not so fortunate. Tornados devastated the area leaving a path of destruction behind. Thankfully nobody was killed, but there were many reported injuries, people trapped in their homes, and other properties flattened, and destroyed. It has been a miserable spring, weather-wise in our area.

In closing, we would like to remind you to take a moment to remember those who have given their lives and paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country, in past, and present wars and conflicts, so that we may enjoy the many freedoms that so many of us take for granted. It's not just another three-day weekend.

NO MORE RAIN!!!

2011-05-23T07:48:00.001-04:00

This has been an unusually wet spring here at tKFS. It has made for occasional difficulties in keeping stock, because we can't move it in the wet. However, our problems are only minor compared to what the folks are suffering down river from us in the flooded states. Also, we ask that you keep in your thoughts, the people devastated by the tornadoes in Alabama, Georgia, and Missouri this spring. Our Good Mother has flexed her muscles on us this year, and many have paid the ultimate price. We can only hope for some drier weather in the next few months ahead.

Attention iPhone/iPad/Android Users: The Koi Food Shack has gone mobile!

2011-04-20T20:43:00.003-04:00

The Koi Food Shack is now iPhone/iPad/Droid friendly. You can safely access your account, and buy securely from your iPhone/iPad/ or Droid just like you can from the normal website!
Yet another convenience provided to you by The Koi Food Shack! Thanks, and enjoy!

April Update

2011-04-06T20:50:00.003-04:00

We have entered into yet another spring feeding frenzy! As always, our buyers are keeping me going non-stop!!! But hey, who's complaining? We have fish to feed, right?

One thing I would like to ask of our buyers this season, is to please make every attempt at using the secure online ordering facility. Unfortunately, I don't hang around the office all day, or every single day, and many times I am out and about fulfilling other obligations, therefor, my phone availability is sporadic. When a buyer calls in an order, I would have to enter it in the computer the exact same way the buyer would have to. It's not that I don't want to talk to you, because I love to have a chat, but with the amount of fish food I am cranking out of here daily, keeps me busier than...well...you know.

So here we go, into yet another fun-filled fish keeping season!

Cheers to everyone!

Kevin

NO MORE SNOW & ICE

2011-02-17T14:25:00.000-05:00

I have learned to tolerate winter a little bit better, but c'mon...this year has been exceptionally cold and snowy! Here it is the middle of February in the Midwest, and it's a balmy 70F outside-a far cry from the deep freeze we have been in for the past 2 1/2 months! My fish are at the top of the pond looking around, but it's still WAY too early to start feeding them yet. I just hope the groundhog was right this year, and spring rolls in early!

The Inevitable Price Increases

2011-02-09T20:38:00.002-05:00

We withheld from increasing our prices for the past two years, and this year with the cost of shipping, and commodities on the rise, we simply cannot afford to keep taking the hits. We were already at rock bottom on our prices, which left us little room to play. We are sorry to have to impose the increases, but everything in our business is costing us more and more. Shipping and packing supplies, the ingredients in the food, FedEx and USPS...they've all raised their prices. With barrels of oil going up again, it won't be surprising to see shipping skyrocket too. We will do our best to keep costs to as little as necessary in order to keep our prices on the ground! We are grateful for the opportunity to do business with you!

2011 Summer Vacation - NO SHIPPING 6/25/2011 - 7/10/2011

2011-01-16T21:11:00.009-05:00

Every year, we take off some time to spend with our family after a long year of work and school. Please be advised of our Summer 2011 schedule and plan your purchasing accordingly.

From June 24, 2011 to July 11 , 2011 - We will be closed, and will be unable to offer shipping during this time period. The online store will remain open, and a HUGE notice put on the home page explaining what is taking place. We do this every year. While we understand it is in the peak of the feeding season, we have to make travel adjustments due to conflicting schedules of our entire family. Each year, we advise our buyers to purchase ahead of this time, to ensure that you have enough product to keep your fish sustained until we return for business. Any orders placed during our vacation time, will be shipped out beginning on Monday, July 11, 2011. We thank you for understanding, and appreciate the opportunity to do business with you. - Kevin

Updated Payment Options

2011-01-07T11:54:00.005-05:00

Due to certain policies, and high payment processing charges, we are dropping the PayPal and Google Checkout options from our website. You can continue to pay via major credit cards through our secure checkout page. We're sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, but it will streamline our checkout process even more.

Welcome 2011

2010-12-27T21:49:00.000-05:00

May this new year bring many opportunities your way
to explore every joy of life, and may your resolutions for
the days ahead stay firm, turning all your dreams into
reality and all your efforts into great achievements.

Happy Holidays

2010-12-20T09:38:00.003-05:00

At the holiday season, our thoughts turn gratefully to those who have made our success possible.
It is in this spirit we say ... thank you and best wishes for the holidays and a happy new year!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T23:49:00.000-05:00

May your stuffing be tasty

May your turkey plump,

May your potatoes and gravy

Have nary a lump.

May your yams be delicious

And your pies take the prize,

And may your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off your thighs!

Visit our new Customer Corner Pages

2010-09-08T07:51:00.005-04:00

In the past, we have received emails from buyers with pictures of their ponds, and sometimes, stories about their ponds. We decided to create a page just for those. While many of the stories and photos have long gone by the wayside, we have began logging (with permission from the buyer) said stories and photos on our new Customer Corner section on the top right of the header bar. If you have a pond related story you would like to share, or would like to snap some photos of your pond to share with others, please forward them to me at kevin@koifoodshack.net, and I will gladly post them to the appropriate spot! (We will keep all information confidential, and edit out last names.)

Phone Calls

2010-08-27T00:00:00.001-04:00

If you wish to call in, I would like to mention that we are extremely busy between February and November of each year and cannot always get to every phone call as it comes in. PLEASE leave us a message, and I will call you back as soon as possible. I check messages often, and return a call to everyone who leaves one!

New Logo

2010-07-20T20:40:00.000-04:00

Some of you might have noticed we have a new logo! A recent graduate from college requested a project to test his new skills. We offered up a description via email exchange, and this is what he came up with. Pretty talented, aye? We liked it so well, we adopted it!

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T13:07:00.003-04:00

Independence Day honors the birthday of the United States of America and the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It's a day of picnics and patriotic parades, a night of concerts and fireworks, and a reason to fly the American flag.

We will be celebrating the 4th of July with our family today.

We will not be available to answer the phones.

Please have a safe, and responsible holiday!

Achoo!

2010-06-30T02:39:00.001-04:00

Well, it seems vacation took a toll on me. What I thought were allergies, developed into a severe cold last week that put me down for a few days. I don't know how in the world you can get a cold when it is 95F outside, but I did. After 10 hours of packing orders, I am all caught up again, and feeling alright.

WHEW!!!

2010-06-23T21:38:00.001-04:00

6/23/10: Today is the day I finally get caught up from being on vacation. If you have received your tracking information, your food is moving about, and is somewhere on it's way!

A HUGE thank you to everyone for being so patient while am catching up. Being behind a few days goes against everything I stand for with fast shipping, but I had to make an exception this week.

We are back to normal now!

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T21:03:00.001-04:00

We are thankful to all of the veterans who have given their lives in past, and present wars, so that we may be free. These days, too many people take their freedoms for granted, without stopping for a moment to realize how many servicemen, and women, have paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we may enjoy the liberties we have today in the United States of America. Thank you.

Underfeeding

2010-03-24T22:14:00.004-04:00

Sometimes a person is very busy and they may neglect to feed the fish every day. This only impacts certain groups of fish. The very large fish in summer will rapidly lose weight as their metabolism is working optimally but there aren't enough calories for their big bodies. Very small fish which need to grow will also be stunted or die. Fish in ponds with natural forage and some plant material will help themselves to nature's bounty. Fish in indoor or liner ponds without additional access to forage will lose condition. If you fish are growing about a half-inch per month, you're feeding enough.

If you have a Goldfish or Koi that is NOT growing a half-inch per month you are either underfeeding, you are keeping them in too small facilities, or the food is not adequate to push growth. Many fish grow one inch per month.

Signs of underfeeding include: Heads wider than bodies, slightly sunken eyes, a kink at the base of the tail, poor color, thinness, trailing white stools, and inactivity.

Overfeeding

2010-03-24T22:13:00.002-04:00

The majority of hobbyists, if they were to make a feeding mistake, would overfeed. This is because the feeding process is arguably the best time you have with your fish. At feeding time, Koi come up to eat so you can see them, and anyone with a maternal instinct will thrill to watch their favorite fish engulf food with such Koi-ish zeal. Overfeeding is engaged anytime the fish are eating more than they need. So, for a fish farmer with a mud pond full of small fish he's trying to grow, he would feed about five to seven times per day. That would not be overfeeding. But in a typical ornamental pond with a reasonable collection of fish, that feeding rate would be excessive and the wastes therefrom would strain the limits of what can be biological reduced. Means: You water quality will decline.

Fish that are overfed in typical ornamental pond facilities will eventually develop ponderous bellies and begin to look a little bit like tadpoles, with the big body and the wispy tail. That is not a terminal event for the fish but the impact on the liver and other internal organs can and will be severe. Farmed fish that have much more room in lakes or large ponds can be fed considerably and they will not develop as much obesity as reguar backyard pond fish.

Fish should be fed no more than three times per day. In cooler water they should only be fed once per day, if that. In much warmer water, three times per day is not 'crazy' however, you have to be wary of bacterial blooms (cloudy water and low oxygen levels) if you feed heavy and there's a lot of waste.

Fish should be fed for about five minutes per feeding. If they don't come up and eat voraciously, they are telling you that they are too cold, or too warm, feed light. If they come up and "hit hard" you can sprinkle food on the water for five minutes as long as there are fish there to carry it off. Pretend it's a game, NEVER LET IT FLOAT. So, feed the fish as they approach and let them carry it all away, leaving none to float into the skimmer or filter.

Spring 2010

2010-02-10T03:05:00.000-05:00

Greetings!

Spring is just around the corner. We are anticipating our biggest year ever, and are currently in the process of adding some more highly requested pellets. Now is the time to begin thinking about what you will start your feeding season off with. The Koi Food Shack has nearly every type of food available to keep your fish happy and healthy. We continue to strive for supreme customer service, lightning fast shipping, and the lowest cost for the highest quality koi food available anywhere.

We look forward to being a sponsor for the Central Florida Koi Show in Orlando Florida March 12-14, 2010.

Please keep us bookmarked for news, specials, and any other information we might share with you.

I wish everyone well, and we will see you soon!

Kevin

2009-12-10T16:04:00.004-05:00

As the Holiday Season is upon us, we find ourselves reflecting on the past year and on those who have helped to shape our business in a most significant way. We value our relationship with you and look forward to working with you in the years to come. We wish you a very happy Holiday Season and a New Year filled with peace and prosperity.