Koi Food - Staple Aisuru Koi™

free shipping was my primary reason for this purchase. I do like the results from using this product, but when shipping is almost as much as the item I need to look for other cost effective options.

Fish gotta eat.

After unexpectedly losing 2 previously healthy 30 year-old koi, I noticed the "premium" brand I regularly bought had drastically downgraded their ingredients (from silk worm and wheat germ to fish byproducts & the lowest quality wheat "middings"). When I set out to find a better choice, I was shocked to find that even the best known brands had also started cutting corners. They all seemed to include wheat, which concerns me for a number of reasons (especially the glyphosate they use to dry most grain crops. Plus fish don't eat much wheat in the wild). After almost giving up, I checked out Russell, where I have found much of my pond equipment over the years. I was so happy to find the Aisuru line of products, with truly high quality ingredients. I ordered the Staple Aisuru Koi since the weather was warming up (vs. the Growth, since my koi are already HUGE). At this point, I had spoiled them with freeze dried berries and mealworms, so the big question was: Would they like the new Aisuru pellets? Well luckily the answer was an enthusiastic YES from my Koi. They are almost TOO enthusiastic about the new food...I feed them at the narrowest part of the pond and they all try to get food at once, which usually results in me getting splashed pretty good. Thankfully, now that they're on the new food they are all really healthy, their skin / scales look great with more color contrast, and the water quality actually seems to be better without changing any other maintenance practices. One thing I definitely noticed: The food smells fresh and unoffensive, especially compared to my previous food which smelled like fishy chemicals, not real food. I couldn't be more pleased and definitely would recommend to anyone who cares about their koi! If you've never ordered from Russell before, don't hesitate! Their customer service has always been top tier, and they keep you posted on your orders every step of the way. Two other things to mention: 1. Pay attention to the size of pellet when ordering. I didn't, and mistakenly ordered the small. My koi are around 20lbs, so they should probably have at least a medium pellet next time. (Although that didn't stop them from going through the bucket of food in record time!) 2. The bucket is great for storage and keeping the food fresh, but the lid is tough to get off and on. I bought a Gamma brand spin-type lid to fit the bucket, and it makes opening and closing SO much easier. Buy it. You will be glad you did!