How to Keep Ornamental Sturgeon? Detailed Guide to Breeding Methods and Tips

Sturgeon refers to fish of the order Acipenseriformes. China is one of the countries with the most sturgeon species, the widest distribution and the richest resources in the world. In recent years, more and more people have been keeping ornamental sturgeon. Below, the editor will introduce how to keep ornamental sturgeon.

I. How to keep ornamental sturgeon?

Prepare a transparent, attractive fish tank of moderate size, expose tap water to the sun for one day before pouring it in, keep the water temperature at 13-25°C, and put the sturgeon in. Feed 2-3 times a day, mainly with small shrimp, bloodworms and seaweed, and remove food residue regularly. In addition, sturgeon cannot tolerate low oxygen, and sturgeon feces are heavy and sink to the bottom easily, so the water must be changed and the tank cleaned frequently.

II. Living habits of wild sturgeon

1. Sturgeon is one of the earliest originating extant vertebrates. Sturgeon belongs to the class Osteichthyes, subclass Actinopterygii, superorder Chondrostei, order Acipenseriformes. What people usually call sturgeon refers to fish of the order Acipenseriformes. It is one of the most primitive groups of fish.

2. There are 8 species of wild sturgeon in China: the Amur sturgeon, Kaluga sturgeon and Sakhalin sturgeon distributed in the Heilongjiang, Songhua River and Ussuri River basins; the Chinese sturgeon, Dabry's sturgeon and Chinese paddlefish distributed in the Yangtze River and Jinsha River basins; the ship sturgeon distributed in waters such as Yining in Xinjiang; and the Siberian sturgeon distributed in the Irtysh River, Ulungur Lake and Bosten Lake in Xinjiang. To date, China has introduced more than a dozen species from abroad, including the Russian sturgeon, beluga, sterlet and paddlefish, for research or artificial breeding.

3. Sturgeon is a bottom-dwelling fish with a very narrow feeding habit and is a carnivorous fish. In rivers it mainly feeds on some small or slow-moving benthic animals, while in the ocean it mainly feeds on fish, followed by crustaceans, and less on mollusks. Juvenile Chinese sturgeon in the estuary area mainly feed on benthic fish of the genera Ophichthus and Silurus, as well as krill and clams, and generally stop feeding during the spawning period.

Because ornamental sturgeon has strict requirements for water temperature, when the water temperature drops to 9-6°C, they will eat very little, their growth will stagnate, and they may even lose weight. Therefore, everyone must pay attention to controlling the water temperature.