Koi keeping gains popularity in Conejo

Acorn Staff Writer


Local hobbyists are into fish.


In all, about 40 members of the Ventura County Koi Society met on a recent Saturday at the home of John and Irene Kerr in Newbury Park. Monthly meetings are hosted at the homes of members, and according to president Mary Oxman, it was especially exciting for members to meet at the Kerr’s this month and see John’s award-winning koi among the 50 or so he has in a tank and pond in their beautifully landscaped backyard.


Kerr, a retired sheet metal worker with a thick Irish accent, in March came away from the ZNA koi club competition with 10 awards.


Although Kerr has been raising koi for 35 years, it was only the second competition he’d ever entered. He was amazed at the response his koi received. Kerr is also a member of the ZNA koi club. "It’s a great hobby," he said


Kerr’s awards are as follows:


•Best in size for Kohaku under 7"


•First Place for Taisho Sanshoku 7" – 10"


•First Place for Hikari Moyo 7" – 10"


•Second Place for Kikari Utsuri Mono 7" – 10"


•Second Place Tancho under 7"


•Honorable Mention for one Hikari Moyo 10" – 14"


•Honorable Mention for one Hikari Muji 7" – 10"


•Honorable Mention for two Gasanke Kin/Gin Rio 10" – 14"


Honorable Mention for two Hikari Moro 7" – 10"


•Honorable Mention for two Tancho 7" – 10"


James Brown from Pacific Tategoi Company in Ventura was the guest speaker at the recent meeting. Brown is a member of the society and introduced the other members to his company that sells koi from Japan over the Internet at www.pacifickoi.com


He also invited the group to his Ventura home for one of their upcoming meetings.


According to Oxman, the Ventura County Koi Society has been in existence for 20 years.


More than 50 families act as a support group for each other.


"This basic koi keeping we learn from talking to members. It helps to visit other members and talk to them," Oxman said.


She added that if you don’t know how to raise koi, you learn the hard way. "You have sick fish or they die," Oxman said.


Some members keep their koi in tanks just for show, according to Oxman, while others consider their koi pond as part of their gardens.


Koi are not extra-large goldfish, although the goldfish is a distant cousin to the koi, according to the Web site of Asahi Fancy Koi of Gardena. Carp are forerunners of present day koi.


For judging purposes at competitions, Oxman said koi are placed by category in holding tanks that are like kiddie pools only deeper. When asked how to tell koi apart, Oxman said that no two koi are identical.


"When you take your dog to the park, you know which dog is yours, don’t you? The markings are different. The personalities are different," she said.


According to Oxman, koi keeping can be easy but a little tricky in winter depending on how cold it gets. Hobbyists need a safe environment with pure water, using filters and effective plumbing, and water deep enough to protect koi from predators like raccoons.


In the winter when the water is cold — 50 degrees or less — koi go into hibernation. And because they don’t have stomachs, Oxman said you shouldn’t feed them protein in the winter.


"If you give them food, then they are inactive and lying at the bottom of the pond, the food rots and makes them sick," Oxman said. She feeds her koi brown bread and citrus during the winter months.


Kerr enjoys raising koi from fingerlings and has spent up to $500 each for two of them. Kerr’s wife, Irene, makes special food for feeding their koi in the winter.


During the meeting Kerr told the other members that they don’t have to go to Japan to get the best koi.


For more information about the group, call Mary Oxman at (805) 499-2460.




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