Need Some Advice From Sturgeon Keepers

divemaster99

Dovii
MFK Member
Jan 10, 2014
4,795
385
107
Pittsburgh, PA
Going over stock lists for the 180 (72"x24"x24") I'm setting up in a bit over a month or so. The theme for the tank is a large stream community. The fish that are definitely going in it are 1 Yellow Bullhead, 1 White Sucker, and 1 Gibbiceps Pleco (already have all three growing out) and I'm most likely going to also add 1 Female Green Sunfish (so not a vicious monster like the males are, already have her) and 3-6 Creek Chubs (already have 3 and considering enlarging the school). Fish that I don't yet have that I'm considering adding are a smallmouth bass, a rock bass, or a blue catfish (obviously not all three and adding any of them is dependent on whether there's a sturgeon) I'm very much aware that any species of sturgeon get extremely large but when it outgrows the 180 I'll put it in the pond I have going in in April, I'm still determining pond dimensions but it'd be a minimum of 8'x8' with 8'x12' being the largest. Sturgeon are one of the first few fish I saw that got me wanting to keep fish (it was one tank in particular at the pittsburgh aquarium with sturgeon, LNG, Bowfin, Giant Bluegills, a Hybrid Striper, and a Musky) and I've been wanting to own one ever since but with the restrictions of tank size I never thought I'd be able to, fortunately I found a spot in my yard where there's actually room (and no pipes underneath) where I could put in a decently sized pond.

So any ideas for a sturgeon for me with these requirements?
1) Preferably from North America, only non North American species I'd like for now would be a Sterlet.
2) stays under 5' or so with 4' or less being preferred. If it got bigger than that I'd be fine with it as long as it took a long time to get that big since once I have my own place in about 6 years I'll be putting in a much larger pond (tank and pond space are going to be major factors when I buy a house :))
3) Not very difficult to keep and can hold its own against other fish like larger catfish and sunfish.
4) Not incredibly hard to find or very expensive (so should be under $100
5) Not a picky eater (Im willing to feed frozen every night but not live more than every week or so)

Any Sturgeon in your guys experience that would fit these requirements or should I just wait 6 years until I put in a massive pond and get a White sturgeon?
 

Chub_by

Redtail Catfish
MFK Member
Jan 30, 2012
4,900
792
150
Europe
With all those requirements the only Option would be a sterlet, but I strongly recommend getting a sturgeon only after you have an actual pond.
 

divemaster99

Dovii
MFK Member
Jan 10, 2014
4,795
385
107
Pittsburgh, PA
With all those requirements the only Option would be a sterlet, but I strongly recommend getting a sturgeon only after you have an actual pond.
Cool, i didn't know if sterlets did well with other fish or not. I'd definitely wait until after the pond was in before I made any purchases in case something came up, I just wanted to plan ahead of time so I could adjust the rest of the stock.
 

Chub_by

Redtail Catfish
MFK Member
Jan 30, 2012
4,900
792
150
Europe
They do apart from the fact that they are very (painfully!) slow eaters. I'd always recommend getting the sturgeon at a considerably larger size than the other fish (as far as possible).

Also good to hear you will be building the pond beforehand :) Sturgeon are really not aquarium fish.
 

Pssymon

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 16, 2014
9
0
1
Netherlands
I decided to take a look here again and sturgeon are the only fish I know much about so I guess I'll share my thoughts. I see Chub_by replied already which doesn't surprise me :D. As far as I know he knows his stuff and I agree with what he already said.

You seem to be new to keeping sturgeon? I'll answer your questions and give you some general advice.

So any ideas for a sturgeon for me with these requirements?
1) Preferably from North America, only non North American species I'd like for now would be a Sterlet.
2) stays under 5' or so with 4' or less being preferred. If it got bigger than that I'd be fine with it as long as it took a long time to get that big since once I have my own place in about 6 years I'll be putting in a much larger pond (tank and pond space are going to be major factors when I buy a house :))
3) Not very difficult to keep and can hold its own against other fish like larger catfish and sunfish.
4) Not incredibly hard to find or very expensive (so should be under $100
5) Not a picky eater (Im willing to feed frozen every night but not live more than every week or so)

Any Sturgeon in your guys experience that would fit these requirements or should I just wait 6 years until I put in a massive pond and get a White sturgeon?
1: From (or available in) North America, this gives you a couple of options:
White sturgeon, Sterlet, Shortnose sturgeon, Atlantic sturgeon, Shovelnose sturgeon, Pallid sturgeon, Green sturgeon, Paddlefish.

I'm listing almost every species in North America (except for the Lake sturgeon) because I'm pretty sure these are all being bred. Most of the breeding is done for, or by the government though since they are needed for restocking. I know for a fact that there have been Shovelnose and Pallid sturgeon for sale in Europe (very limited). But I hear the biggest problem is getting them out of the states, since you live in the states (I assume) you may be able to get one of these.

Shovelnose: Stays small, similar max size to a Sterlet. They are not commonly for sale. If you can get one this is a suitable species.
Pallid sturgeon: Basically a light coloured Shovelnose on steroids, gets to be about twice as long.
White sturgeon: As far as I know, commonly for sale in the US, also commonly mislabeled as 'Sterlet' to fool people into buying one. As you know these grow to enormous size, they are the second or third largest species of sturgeon in the world.
Green sturgeon: A species that can grow very large as well, a nice species similar to the white sturgeon. As far as I know they are not commercially available (yet).
Sterlet: As you know, a small species of sturgeon. They should be pretty easily available to you.
Shortnose sturgeon: A nice species, looks like a bulky atlantic sturgeon with a shorter nose. They can grow up to 1,4m, a bit smaller than a diamond sturgeon but bigger than a Sterlet. They are being bred in Canada but are illegal in Europe, I am not sure if you can get one through a shop but it could be possible.
Atlantic sturgeon: One of the nicest looking species. They are rare in Europe but they are commercially available here. They are bred in Canada and the USA but I don't know if shops actually sell them. The problem with this species is the max size (4,3m). Not a small species.
Paddlefish: Probably the oddest looking sturgeon one can buy, they are becoming more common in Europe. Since they are native to the US and being bred there it may be possible to buy them. They do require some extra attention since they are built for filter feeding, some individuals adapt better to different foods than others.
They can potentially become quite large (2,2m) but I've never seen one close to that.

2: Regarding your size restrictions, the following species could work: Sterlet, Shortnose, Shovelnose and the paddlefish.

3: Your average sturgeon is a very hardy fish. If you compare them to Koi they are more resilient to parasites, have tougher skin, and can survive accidentally jumping out of the pond longer. Your number one concern for sturgeon should be to keep the water well aerated. Use a good oxygen pump with a huge (or a couple) airdisk(s).
As always, set up a proper filter, toxic ammonia / nitrite levels will kill any fish.
The paddlefish is the one I would be more careful with though.

4: Under $100 should be easy. I don't know about pricing in the US, but any of the species I mentioned should be available for far less, depending on the size. $100 should get you a pretty big sturgeon, no matter the species.

5: Every sturgeon can thrive on good sturgeon food. The only sturgeon that could need different food is the Paddlefish, due to the fact that it's built for filter feeding, other than that you shouldn't even bother with live food like worms, or frozen shrimp etc. These are only needed when you have a sturgeon that is not trained to eat pellets, or has health / eating issues.

If you feed quality sturgeon pellets, they absolutely do not need anything else. Anything else you feed is just 'extra' or for your own amusement. It will not benefit the sturgeon.

About getting a small sturgeon and raising it in an aquarium, I agree with Chub_by that sturgeon are not aquarium fish in the sense that getting one to keep in an aquarium (unless you're rich and have a 10x10m aquarium to put them in or something) is a bad idea. However, you could probably raise one to a more suitable size for the outdoor pond. I wouldn't keep a sturgeon bigger than 40cm in an aquarium though, at that size they should be able to do well in a pond.

keep in mind that when you keep one in an aquarium or pond with other fish, you need to monitor it feeding since sturgeon are slow eaters. Other fish may steal their food.

Also, really tiny sturgeon (below 15-20cm) are notoriously difficult to keep. If you get them at this size prepare to lose it / them. They are still weak and have no energy reserves to speak of. They also need to feed constantly which few people know or can provide. I believe sturgeon smaller than about 30-20cm need food every 4 hours, this means you need an autofeeder or they could die. Bigger sturgeon can easily cope with 1 feed a day or even less, once or twice a day is ideal though.

About growth rates, Sterlets and other small species should grow slowly. White sturgeon can grow quickly to 1m, I'd say they could get there in two or three years. In good conditions they will grow about 10cm each year between the 1m-2m mark, from 2 meters onward they will only grow a couple of cm to 5cm a year.

Lastly, keeping your plans in mind, I suggest you plan a bigger pond. Your max pond size sounds ok for a Sterlet or Shovelnose but that's about it, maybe a Paddlefish as well.

If you have any further questions feel free to ask :)
 

spotfin

Silver Tier VIP
MFK Member
Jan 2, 2006
4,716
900
900
Maine
Shortnose and Atlantic sturgeon are listed as endangered, so you won't have any chance of getting either.
 

divemaster99

Dovii
MFK Member
Jan 10, 2014
4,795
385
107
Pittsburgh, PA
So at this point I'm on a quest to find a shovelnose which apparantly are extremely hard to get. I'd settle for a Sterlet but a shovelnose would be awesome.
 

predatorkeeper87

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Sep 8, 2014
4,293
2,029
164
pennsylvania
Dive, I was just at the PPG aquarium saturday, that tank you are talking about is my all time favorite haha.

Those lake sturgeon in that tank are amazing, of course coming in a close 2nd to the musky and bowfin haha, I definitely want to keep one or two as well. Good luck with the pond!
 

divemaster99

Dovii
MFK Member
Jan 10, 2014
4,795
385
107
Pittsburgh, PA
Dive, I was just at the PPG aquarium saturday, that tank you are talking about is my all time favorite haha.

Those lake sturgeon in that tank are amazing, of course coming in a close 2nd to the musky and bowfin haha, I definitely want to keep one or two as well. Good luck with the pond!
Cool! Hard to believe that tank doesnt freeze all winter being outside and all, they must heat the water to above freezing inside or something like that.
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store