Anyone keep Sturgeons??
- Thread starter fishtician
- Start date
My sturgeon tank is located in an unheated greenhouse and water temps range from 55-65 F. Current tankmates are white clouds, bloodfins and Odessa barbs. I'm thinking of adding Chinese highfins and hopefully paddlefish fingerlings.
The main thing to remember about sturgeons and paddlefish is they are not particularly aggressive feeders. Other fish who are aggressive feeders tend to out compete paddlefish and sturgeons unless you can over feed big time and still control water quality. In the wild they tend to occupy ecological niches that other fish do not. Carp can out compete sturgeon easily in the wild, not only by reproducing much faster but by aggressively eating the same food in the same niche as sturgeons. I think the Chinese highfins might be a problem from that stand point, The paddle fish will eat the smaller fish in a enclosed space for sure...
I diddend say that they all get big buy the paddelfish do get big and the Pseudoscaphirhynchus hermanni in your link is a small sp of sturgeon
I'm sorry, what is your point here? I wasn't answering you to begin with and I wouldn't hold my breath to see Pseudoscaphirhynchus hermanni show up in a pet store near you anytime soon, they are very rare and protected. There is an effort to breed them and if it's successful they might start showing up at some future date but it's unlikely.
This is good to have diverend sp of fish so it wil be more dificult to feed to mutch and chinese highfins is a very good tankmate for them
I agree totally about carefully selecting non-competitive tankmates for sturgeon and paddlefish. I'm still researching hifins but from what I'm reading they are primarily (but not exclusively) herbivores. If I do get a few, I'll be prepared to move them to another temperate tank or pond if they prove incompatible with my sturgeons.
Here is some good info on sturgeon care, including details on optimum temps according to size:http://www.pond-life.me.uk/sturgeon/sturgeonguide.php
I would never raise sturgeon ever again unless that all you want to raise in a pond. I put an 2 feet sturgeon with my koi fishes. Bad idea. The Koi would not let the sturgeon eat pellets. I put 2 shrimp in the pond. In 2 days the sturgeon did not eat it too. Had the sturgeon for 3 year than it finally die. Poor sturgeon. Mixing sturgeon with other fish is not good. The temperature of the water did not affect my sturgeon. Had my sturgeon outdoor all year.
Your unfortunate experience points out the importance of choosing tank/pond mates carefully. I'm sure koi would out compete sturgeon for food but others, including myself, have successfully maintained sturgeon in polyculture with other fish such as Chinese hi fin sharks, various minnows (bloodfins, white clouds, shiners, etc) and even paddlefish.
Regarding temps, as the link points out, high temps are more of a concern than low temps.
Regarding temps, as the link points out, high temps are more of a concern than low temps.
