OK, I think I may get blasted for this having read some other threads, but I have noticed sturgeon being sold at all of my local shops lately; they look like fun fish to have in a garden pond, certainly adds a new visual dimension in comparison to the existing fish I do have. I understand about their need for live food etc., and I understand they get large and whilst I do not have a lake I don't have a tiny pond either... has anyone here actually got sturgeon in their ponds, with koi and other fish? Are they really to be avoided? The caresheet I just read here too does not seem to positive about them, but I am still really undecided. Thoughts and experiences would be hugely appreciated! Thank you!

Well, being brutally honest, unless your pond is over 3000 gallons, don't do it. There isn't a Sterlet that's less than a metre in length, many get to 2 metres and true Sturgeon (which it won't be) can reach over 4 metres.

If it's the smaller one your pond needs to be 18 feet long x 6 feet wide x 3 feet deep, if it's one of those that reach 2 metres you can double the length and width, and you can expect, as it matures, that you will lose Goldfish and Koi to it.

I was going to ask about this ages ago after I went to the garden centre and saw a vat of these guys swimming about, they came right to the surface of the water and rolled over for me to strole their bellies!!!

On the label it just said "sturgeon". Can you tell us which kind of sturgeon/ stirlets get to which sizes so if we ever do have a pond big enough we know wich to look for? I am confused with all the species names when I tried to look it up on google.

Quote:

Use www.fishbase.org

Under the common names enter sterlet and you'll see the available species and maximum sizes. It's quite possible that the LFS won't know what species of sterlet they are selling though as they come in under 'trade names' which are pretty much meaningless sometimes. Especially as many are now actually hybrids, further muddying the waters on size. Google the term 'hybrid vigour' and you'll understand what I mean. That said, the most common species to be seen is Acipenser ruthenus,this is arguably the most suitable for pond keepers.

Again, none will not be true sturgeon. Sturgeon are protected in law worldwide. Random fact: If you catch one fishing in british water you have to offer it the monarch before you are allowed to keep it!

Sterlets can be kept successfully, you just need a good sized koi pool as mentioned above. I've no idea why people think they are live feeders per se though?

To the OP, there were very relevant reasons why the OP of the last 'sturgeon' thread came in for a 'fishkeeping lesson'. She was keeping this potentially lhuge fish in an overstocked tank with other very unsuitable species. But as you picked up on this, then the comments seem to have served a purpose. :)

Thanks for that advice :), perhaps something to aspire towards keeping in the future then but not at the moment. Although before now I was under the impression that I needed a lake to own even a sterlet so I am slightly more optimistic now.

I too have seen sterlets in garden centres being sold willy nilly to people that want to put them in tanks! Argh! That's like keeping a hamster in a match box!

I have 2 sturgeon in my pond they live quite happily with the mixture of other fish i have koi goldfish etc. ive never seen them being aggressive toward other fish quite the opposite in fact , when feeding i get all the other fish at one end of the pond with floating food then feed the sturgeon at the other end with sinking food,
during the day they seem to be less active than at night when they can be seen having a good swim about, all in all there a nice fish to have in my opinion

TBH Stugeon are hard to see most of the time (If pond is at the right depth) there quite stupid on a carp fishing holiday in france I caught the same two stugeon, same place, same bait 7 times in one week. This in addition to size's etc, myself I would give it a miss.

CB