Majestic fish with shapes reminiscent of prehistoric monsters, the sturgeon is not suitable for all ponds, far from it! Before acquiring one, it is better to be well informed...
To better know the sturgeon
The common sturgeon (Ascipenser sturio) is an impressive fish that can reach more than 3 meters in length and weigh 300 kg. This species is part of the CITES list and is therefore fully protected because it is in decline. These fish used to populate the rivers of Northern and Western France in large numbers. Other species are included in the CITES list.
Only authorized species are commercialized, including some hybrids dedicated to this purpose and bred only for this purpose. Others, such as Ascipenser transmontanus, the white sturgeon, are very difficult to obtain. The latter is native to the great rivers of the American West. Its rows of white bony blades (scutes) on the back and on the sides make it a very ornamental subject. All species have these scutes, as well as an elongated head covered with bony plates ending with 4 barbels around the mouth. The color varies from light brown to dark gray, with lighter sides and an often white belly.
The sturgeon is a benthic and migratory fish, it can live up to 15 years in fresh water but feeds in the sea once adult. It will then return to the estuaries to reproduce. It is for its unfertilized eggs that the female is killed, the population was thus gradually decimated, to produce the famous caviar, so appreciated at the tables of great restaurants and essential on yachts.
Is my pond suitable for a sturgeon?
To introduce a sturgeon into your home, it is better to speak of a pond or a small lake than a pond! This highly developed fish needs a lot of space to grow harmoniously. As we have seen, the beast can happily exceed 3 meters in length, and even if the salesmen will tell you that a fish adapts to the size of the pond, they often forget to specify that it is to the detriment of its life span and its well-being!
It is therefore useless to introduce a sturgeon into a pond whose size will not exceed 25 m² and whose depth will not exceed 80 cm.
Did you know that?
Sturgeons only feed at the bottom of the pond and this, throughout the year, unlike most other pond fish that overwinter.
Think about them during the bad season and do not stop feeding. There are specialized pellets that sink directly to the bottom to feed them.
