I laughed and then got to thinking. What species might they be? Are any aquarium-suitable species common in the trade? Or is this another Red-tailed Catfish temptation to pass on?
Baby Sturgeon at LFS. Guess on likely species?
- Thread starter knifegill
- Start date
The only semi-aquarium-suitable species are the dwarf sturgeon and shovelnose. The latter is apparently seen in the pet trade from time to time, but I've never seen one. The former is very critically endangered and never seen in the aquarium trade, although in another thread, someone said they heard a rumor that some might be released into the trade to help keep the species going in captivity.
I would guess it's either a sterlet, which is fairly manageable in captivity (but I'd recommend a garden pond to house it) or a white sturgeon which is possible in captivity, but will need a VERY large tank/pond (expect it to get upwards of 6', maybe bigger than 8' if given a MASSIVE tank, but this will take 20+ years). Also, both need cold water, very cold in the case of the white to hold enough oxygen for them to survive.
As far as comparing them to a RTC, I'd say these would be even harder to properly house
I would guess it's either a sterlet, which is fairly manageable in captivity (but I'd recommend a garden pond to house it) or a white sturgeon which is possible in captivity, but will need a VERY large tank/pond (expect it to get upwards of 6', maybe bigger than 8' if given a MASSIVE tank, but this will take 20+ years). Also, both need cold water, very cold in the case of the white to hold enough oxygen for them to survive.
As far as comparing them to a RTC, I'd say these would be even harder to properly house
i found this site- http://www.sturgeon-web.co.uk/species.php it shows pics and info about alot of diff species. i have no idea if its accurate but check it out.
lets go with common names from the start, so we dont all get "yelled at"
it is most likely a sterlet. those have been in common in stores most recently. or it could be a white, or a diamond. a "white" is actually almost 100% black at a small size. sterlets have lighter colors in various areas, and so do diamonds, but diamonds are rarer (no pun intended) so it probably isn't.
those are about the only 3 kinds found in the pet stores, at least as far as the US in concerned. i've heard a lot about the shovelnose on here, but i haven't actually seen one, so i am not believing it yet ...
the link in the post before me is a very good place for info. very accurate. just be careful with using common names / scientific names around some members on here. they have nothing better to do than b!tch and moan.
as for whether or not you should buy it, almost everyone on here will say no. but it's in your LFS, so someone is going to buy it ...
here's what you should know first.
they are hard to keep alive. it will probably die.
if it doesnt die, it IS going to get large. probably over 3' if you keep it alive and give it room to grow. so you will need a tank / pond that can hold it.
also, they need cold water. depending on what kind of sturgeon it is, depends on how cold. sterlets should be kept in water below 75, ideally at 70 or under. whites and all others should be kept in water only under 70, ideally well under that.
and they also need very well oxygenated water. the best way to do that is to have a big tank with lots of surface area on top, and then agitate that water. so basically using HOB filters as a waterfall, powerheads, or bubblers, or a combo of them.
also, they are constant swimmers. so don't keep them with fish that dont do well with constant swimmers. also, when they are small they tend to get stuck wherever they can. between filter pipes, behind / under decorations, basically anything that is a tight fit, they will eventually swim into, get trapped, then die. so give them open space to swim in, and but filterpads between pipes and glass, so they cant get jammed in there.
hope this helps. there are a fwe other threads by people who actually dont hate sturgeon that you can look up, but i think i covered most of it
just curious, what was the size and price?
it is most likely a sterlet. those have been in common in stores most recently. or it could be a white, or a diamond. a "white" is actually almost 100% black at a small size. sterlets have lighter colors in various areas, and so do diamonds, but diamonds are rarer (no pun intended) so it probably isn't.
those are about the only 3 kinds found in the pet stores, at least as far as the US in concerned. i've heard a lot about the shovelnose on here, but i haven't actually seen one, so i am not believing it yet ...
the link in the post before me is a very good place for info. very accurate. just be careful with using common names / scientific names around some members on here. they have nothing better to do than b!tch and moan.
as for whether or not you should buy it, almost everyone on here will say no. but it's in your LFS, so someone is going to buy it ...
here's what you should know first.
they are hard to keep alive. it will probably die.
if it doesnt die, it IS going to get large. probably over 3' if you keep it alive and give it room to grow. so you will need a tank / pond that can hold it.
also, they need cold water. depending on what kind of sturgeon it is, depends on how cold. sterlets should be kept in water below 75, ideally at 70 or under. whites and all others should be kept in water only under 70, ideally well under that.
and they also need very well oxygenated water. the best way to do that is to have a big tank with lots of surface area on top, and then agitate that water. so basically using HOB filters as a waterfall, powerheads, or bubblers, or a combo of them.
also, they are constant swimmers. so don't keep them with fish that dont do well with constant swimmers. also, when they are small they tend to get stuck wherever they can. between filter pipes, behind / under decorations, basically anything that is a tight fit, they will eventually swim into, get trapped, then die. so give them open space to swim in, and but filterpads between pipes and glass, so they cant get jammed in there.
hope this helps. there are a fwe other threads by people who actually dont hate sturgeon that you can look up, but i think i covered most of it
just curious, what was the size and price?
give them a 5' deep pond in canada, and they'd survive a winter.
as long as it doesnt freeze solid, sturgeon will be fine
** and i take that back, i HAVE seen a shovelnose sturgeon. i didnt know thats what it was at the time. it was in Cincinatti's Pro Bass Shop tank ...
about 3' long... still, i haven't seen them for sale.
it was by far the ugliest sturgeon IMO
as long as it doesnt freeze solid, sturgeon will be fine
** and i take that back, i HAVE seen a shovelnose sturgeon. i didnt know thats what it was at the time. it was in Cincinatti's Pro Bass Shop tank ...
about 3' long... still, i haven't seen them for sale.
it was by far the ugliest sturgeon IMO
hmmm, might have to persue building a pond and make a chiller outta a mini-fridge for those hot summer days.
Sterlet can tolerate waters in the low 70's (F), so you wouldn't need a chiller in WA, just make it 4 or more feet deep.
I've been to a ton of LFS in the area, and all the sturgeon your seeing right now are sterlet, but I don't know if this is so in other states.
I've been to a ton of LFS in the area, and all the sturgeon your seeing right now are sterlet, but I don't know if this is so in other states.
thanks for the info. how fast do they grow, that is if you know.blurock;2411421; said:
i was planning on starting with a 6x18x18 100g growout tank and then building a pond in my garage(say 7x5x2 500g) until i go with a large outdoor pond. i already have a fridge in my garage to play with. what would be the optimum temp, 60ish?