The photos show two one-meter long fish coming
up for inspection prior to sale. A body scrape and blood test was necessary for
both, as sturgeon can carry K.H.V. but not contract the virus.
General Sturgeon Advice
- Never fit an auto-feeder when sturgeon are kept, because if the
feeder goes wrong (which 90% of them do) the fish will gorge themselves and
develop the bloats. If this happens and they float on the surface, then hold
them by the tail and rub their bellies, and if you're very lucky the trapped
air will escape. The best place for an auto-feeder is a skip!
- Only ever feed sturgeon sinking pellets which are rich in fish
oils. Feeding these fish with the right food is the only way to keep them
healthy.
Any other type of pellets for these fish and they will develop
internal problems in later life - if they live that long.
Feed sturgeon
koi pellets and they will just starve over a period of time . A sturgeon that
keeps popping its head out of the water is starving and at this stage
malnutrition has properly set in and the animal will not live long.
- My big girls (over 5ft and 120Kg eat most foods, prawns, trout and
the odd frog, along with any small koi they find. But their main stay is 100%
sturgeon pellets:- 10ml size.
I don't feed them every day as they have
stomachs unlike koi.
- Sturgeon need good water if not better than koi - rich in oxygen
and NO blanket weed, which will suffocate young fish.
If one of my big
fish was caught in blanket weed they are so powerful they would rip straight
threw the liner to escape, so remember that one.
- The diamond sturgeon and the starlets are the big girls blouse of
the sturgeon world, and don't take well to treatments of any form other than
salt.
- The best treatment for sturgeon is SALT. They respond very well to
this treatment (3% over 20 days). The sturgeon treatment I developed over
several years is safe, as I have tested it on my own fish - I wouldn't harm
them in any way, as they are my pride and joy. But saying that, kept in good
condition and fed the right food they are quite disease resistant.
- Just a note:- one of my 36" koi was knock out cold by a swipe from
one of these big sturgeons tail. I suspect it was getting in the way of her
feeding. When knocked out, the koi was belly up for at least 5 minutes - but is
now fine with no ill affects. At feeding time the koi has remembered and keeps
its distance, but still manages to get some sturgeon pellets down by following
the sturgeon and not getting in front.
- Only problem you have with koi and sturgeon is that koi eat very
little in cold weather, but sturgeon still feed. So in winter, feed a little
sturgeon food at night 2-3 times per week, also earth worms can be fed at night
as well - just don't go over the top, as your filter may have a problem with
sturgeon food (fish oil) if it's not well seeded and two small for your
pond.
- But sturgeon in prime condition are an asset to any well run koi
pond - BUT over 2000gals minimum is.
These are fantastic fish. What a wonderful thing nature
See our Food and Feeding
page