How to Care for Sturgeon Fish

A sturgeon has a sleek, greenish-gray-colored body and an array of bony plates on the sides, making it a sturdy-looking freshwater giant. Its snout is pointed and marked with two, whisker-like sensory organs called "barbels" hanging close to the mouth. A sturgeon uses barbels to reach its feed such as clams, fish eggs, snails and insect larvae in deep water. A lake sturgeon can be 6 feet long and weight up to 200 pounds. Also referred to as albino sturgeon, siberian sturgeon, sterlet, diamond sturgeon and stellate sturgeon, this fish needs extra care as the pet.

Things You'll Need

  • Tank
  • Filtered water
  • Air pump
  • Food
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Buy a big tank that can hold 2,000 to 3,000 gallons water. If you have sterlet and are planning to keep it in pond, the tank should contain at least 1,000 gallons water. Since sturgeon is a big fish, you need to maintain the water level of your tank or pond.

    • 2

      Keep the tank under a sheltered area because sturgeon prefer a dusky to dark ambiance. They don't like to be under direct sunlight.

    • 3

      Fill the tank with filtered water and maintain the water temperature at between 50 and 72 degrees. The pH range of the water should also range from 6.5 to 8. The level of oxygen should be maintained at 6mg per liter. The level of nitrite should be .1mg per liter, nitrate 100 mg per liter and ammonium .01 mg per liter. Also, the level of hardness of the water should be between 50 and 400 ppm. Be careful to maintain the levels of oxygen, ammonium and nitrite because these are most important for sturgeon.

    • 4

      Attach an air pump to the tank to facilitate the supply of oxygen. Keep a back-up pump in store so that if main pump stops working, supply of oxygen doesn't hamper. During warm seasons, you have to be extra attentive to this aspect.

    • 5

      Give sturgeon fish or shrimp to eat. Don't feed the fish cereal-based food or wheat. It's not suitable for sturgeon. Also, feed the fish bit often but with little food during spring and summers because it becomes very active around this time. During winters, give sturgeon few pellets.