City Pets - Shark in your pond?

Albino Sterlets are a pale yellow, almost orange in colour, which is the flesh with all the pigment taken out. The eyes also are orange/yellow. They make great pond fish as not only is it highly visible but it also is slightly smaller at around .75m - 1m long but they tend to be more expensive than the natural coloured ones.

Diamond Sturgeon

Diamond sturgeons make excellent fish for the larger more extensive pond. They are very oxygen dependent and prefer over 6.5mg/ltr+ Due to the size they can grow they do best in a large pond of over 3000+ gallons. Their maximum size in the wild is around 3m (10ft) and about 100kg (200+ lb) they can live for over 50 years, but in the garden pond they can grow to 1.5m (5ft) and 30kg (60-70 lb) a very big fish, most tend to stop growing at 1.2m (4ft) and about 10kg (22lb) but still a big fish for the average garden pond

Siberian Sturgeon

Siberian sturgeon are the most common species seen for sale for the pond market as they grow very quickly initially and keep to a manageable size in garden ponds. Siberian sturgeon can be difficult to see in some garden ponds as they are normally an earthy brown colour when seen from above. They are worth keeping though for the occasional appearances. They are shark-like in appearance with their fixed pectoral fins, pointed snouts and long sweeping tails. Siberian sturgeon will hand feed easily as they are not shy of humans. When small they can be literally picked out of the pond by hand, which is not too good if you have cats around. A stunning colour variation that is seen for sale occasionally is the silver-grey but they are very rare and will cost a lot more than the normal coloured ones.

Stellatus Sturgeon

A rare fish as most fish go for the production of caviar (sevruga), without doubt one of the prettiest sturgeons and it keeps it's striking colouration into adulthood the Diamond Sturgeon patterning is similar when small but it tends to lose its colouration and definition as it gets bigger. The Stellatus is always swimming and is a must for any collector.

In the wild stellatus can reach 2.2 meters in length and weight 70kg, but 1.3 - 1.5 meters long with a weight of 10 - 15kg. is about maximum in ponds

Sterlet

The Sterlet is the sturgeon best suited for keeping in garden ponds as it's slower growing and has a smaller maximum size than other species available. More sedentary than some of the other species the Sterlet tends to spend day times down in the deepest parts of the pond becoming more active as dusk approaches. It is often seen looking for food around the edges of shelves and drop-offs.

More Information

There is a wealth of information on Sturgeon to be found here....

The good sturgeon guide. http://pond-life.me.uk/sturgeon/sturgeonguide.php

http://www.sturgeon-web.co.uk/index.php

http://www.pond-life.me.uk a good web site with a pleasant forum with knowledgeable Sturgeon folks contributing regularly.

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