Page 361 - Encyclopedia of Aquarium and Pond Fish, 3rd Edition

OTHER COLDWATER FISH 359

Acipenser gueldenstaedtii Acipenser stellatus Acipenser baerii
Diamond Sturgeon Star Sterlet Siberian Sturgeon

ORIGINS Europe and western Asia, inhabiting the Azov, ORIGINS Europe and western Asia, inhabiting the Azov, ORIGINS Rivers in Siberia, from the Kolyma to the Ob;
Caspian, and Black Seas; also ventures into rivers. Caspian, and Black Seas; also ventures into rivers. also in some larger lakes, including Lake Baikal.
SIZE 48 in (125 cm) in ponds. SIZE 60 in (150 cm). SIZE 78 in (200 cm).
DIET Sturgeon pellets and live foods. DIET Pellets high in oil and protein, plus live foods. DIET Pellets high in oil and protein. Carnivorous.
WATER Temperature 50–68°F (10–20°C); hard WATER Temperature 50–68°F (10–20°C); hard WATER Temperature 50–68°F (10–20°C); hard
(150–200 mg/l) and neutral to alkaline (pH 7.0–7.5 ). (150–200 mg/l) and neutral to alkaline (pH 7.0–7.5 ). (150–200 mg/l) and neutral to alkaline (pH 7.0–7.5 ).
TEMPERAMENT May prey on small fish. TEMPERAMENT Peaceful. TEMPERAMENT Peaceful.
As with other members of the sturgeon family, the
Star Sterlet generally grows much smaller in ponds
than in the wild. It would naturally spend much of
its early life in the sea, heading up rivers to spawn
in fresh water when mature. Despite this, it can be
kept in an entirely freshwater environment,
but it requires a large pond with a volume
of at least 1,200 gallons (4,500
liters). Star Sterlets
can be kept
with koi.
Young Diamond Sturgeon lose their characteristic This fast-growing fish is gray or black on top, with
white patterning as they mature, becoming grayer white underparts. Like other sturgeons, it requires
with age. House them in a large, well-oxygenated cool surroundings and highly oxygenated water. It
pond that is free from blanketweed, among digs with its snout for food, which in its natural
which they can become trapped. Sturgeon are habitat is mainly invertebrates. Spawning is not an
highly susceptible to chemical poisoning, so avoid annual event in the wild, but when a female does
using algicides, which are toxic to these primitive spawn, she may lay in excess of 400,000 eggs. This
fish, as are some medications. species does not normally breed in ponds.

Acipenser ruthenus
Sterlet Sterlets are the most easily accommodated the clear water that these fish require. In the wild,
members of the sturgeon family, typically growing Sterlets spawn between May and June, with some
ORIGINS Range extends from tributaries of rivers feeding more slowly and reaching a smaller size than their females producing more than 100,000 eggs, which
the Azov, Caspian, and Black Seas to parts of Siberia. relatives. Their name derives from the star-shaped hatch in about five days. However, these fish rarely
SIZE 48 in (120 cm). bony scutes set into the skin. Sterlets are dark in breed in ponds. When buying young sturgeon,
DIET Pellets high in oil and protein, plus live foods. color, although juveniles have white lines along regardless of the species, avoid individuals
WATER Temperature 50–68°F (10–20°C); hard their back and sides and white borders on their with a slightly bent body shape. This is a sign of
(150–200 mg/l) and neutral to alkaline (pH 7.0–7.5). pectoral fins. The smaller, so-called albino variant malnutrition, which may be hard to reverse, even
TEMPERAMENT May prey on smaller companions. has a pale yellow coloration that shows up well in though specialist sturgeon diets are now available.

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