Siberian sturgeon - Acipenser baerii

The Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii is a sturgeon species from Russian Siberia, China and Kazakhstan, and Mongolia. Among others, the Siberian sturgeon lives in Lake Baikal, but also in practically all rivers and river systems in the region. It plays an important economic role as a producer of caviar in its countries of origin. Our Siberian sturgeons are offspring. Because they are solitary, a single specimen can also be kept in the pond.
The Siberian Sturgeon is long and spindle-shaped and has typical bone plates and melting scales, which contrast nicely with its dark gray-brown body due to their light color. The belly of the Siberian sturgeon is also light in color. Pairs of barbels sit on the typical long snout.

The Siberian Sturgeon is a bony fish and with its bony plates it looks like an animal from gray prehistoric times. Sturgeons are lively, absolutely great to watch and very fascinating pond dwellers . The Siberian sturgeon is one of the larger representatives of the sturgeon family, it grows to a length of 140 to 200 cm and can weigh almost 100 kg. Therefore, the Siberian sturgeon needs a very large pond with a volume of at least 30 cubic meters of water, or better yet a lake. A water depth of 2 meters and more is necessary as well as a good pond length, so that the sturgeon can make a good distance if necessary - for the Siberian sturgeon at least 20 meters of pond length are necessary.

The pond should not be too densely planted for keeping sturgeon, and the presence of dense stands of filamentous algae can also have a detrimental effect. Sturgeon do not have reverse gear and cannot really get away once they become entangled. Especially for juvenile sturgeon, filamentous algae can become a deadly trap.

When creating your sturgeon pond, plan for terraces so that you can also keep a close eye on your more bottom-oriented sturgeon. When temperatures are warm, sturgeon like to retreat to cooler water zones that are richer in oxygen. The oxygen supply, especially in summer, should be ensured by appropriate water features, an air pump or a pond oxidizer. The pond bottom should consist mainly of soft substrate such as mud or clay, in which the Siberian Sturgeon likes to burrow for worms, insects, insect larvae and crustaceans. The sturgeon may also prey on juveniles or smaller to medium-sized pond fish from time to time. Because Acipenser baerii likes to eat from the bottom, a sinking sturgeon food is optimal for feeding. With patience, you can also feed your sturgeon from your hand. Feeding with floating pond fish food is not suitable for sturgeon because it would cause them to swallow far too much air.

Siberian sturgeon do not become sexually mature until they are 15 to 20 years old. Sturgeon are spawning migrants, migrating thousands of miles upstream and need a strong current to get in the mood to spawn. Therefore, reproduction in the pond is quite unlikely.

Siberian sturgeon are active pond dwellers that swim a lot. They do not hibernate in the winter time either, but are also out all day. Other pond fish that go into hibernation at the bottom of the pond can be greatly disturbed by the sturgeon, so koi, for example, are not good pond companions for the ever-active sturgeon.