Sturgeon :) checking up on success

[andyjs]

I'm as positive as me seeing them put in the 30k gallon aquarium as babies... And then 7 years later, here they are, as massive as ever.

I'd be interested to know what water temps these sturgeon are kept at as well as their diet.

At the hatchery where I worked, the tanks they are currently in are nowhere near 30k gallons (although there are 35-40k gal tanks there that they will probably eventually be housed in), but they do have a constant flow of clean well water, so the water quality is always excellent. The water is the same water that is used for the facility's trout, so it is always pretty cold (close to 54F, probably down some in winter and up a little in summer) which makes it easier to keep well oxygenated. Their current diet is large sinking pellets formulated specifically for sturgeon and they are not powerfed. In captivity, they normally mature (and probably grow) a little more quickly than wild sturgeon. If the other sturgeon in question are kept in warmer water and fed more heavily (which they would likely need to be if kept warmer), I wouldn't really be surprised that they have grown a lot more quickly. I'd be interested to see how their lifespan and final size compares to sturgeon with slower growth rates

 

[ryansti]

I bet he didn't bought those greenies, he probably caught it off somewhere. And becareful, if you get caught of having in possession of a green you can pay a fine every bit up to $10,000. No green are in possession or to be sold at all time, they are probably one of the most endangered sturgeon species out there.

He bought them at Exotic Aquarium in Sacramento CA, they have 20-30 in stock lol Guess they are not greens, thats just what he thought they were

 

[blurock]

The two I had didn't make it... I had been feeding them about 4 large cubes of frozen bloodworms once or twice a day, water was 65-68 degrees (the fish I had were sterlets) One lasted three weeks, the other made it about a month and a half...

 

[grmanrocks]

The two I had didn't make it... I had been feeding them about 4 large cubes of frozen bloodworms once or twice a day, water was 65-68 degrees (the fish I had were sterlets) One lasted three weeks, the other made it about a month and a half...

unfortunately this is an all too common phenomenon with smaller sturgeon. the majority of these fish dont make it past the 3 week mark in captivity.

sounds like it was just not enough, and not high enough quality food. 4 cubes of bloodworms for my single sturgeon wouldnt last him two hours...let alone half a day. if you do choose to give these fish another chance i suggest frozen hikari mysis shrimp and live blackworms. i have had great success with this mix. the hikari frozen foods are "fortified" and thus its not just junkfood. (at least i think so)