New Pond Owners with a sturgeon (?) and 5 Koi

[Jonni]

Hi everyone. So glad I found this group! We are new pond owners and are not too confident in our Pond service guys. The pond they built us is gorgeous, about 900 gallons. They brought us some Koi and a fish that the guy called a sturgeon. He also said that they are bottom feeders and can live off the algea at the bottom of the pond, or eat the koi food. I have since learned from research that that isn't true. We have been buying shrimp from the grocery butcher in Albertsons, and cutting it up into little pieces. It has been a challenge to find any sturgeon food here in Southern California. We live in Temecula, CA. I'm not even 100% sure that he is a sturgeon, because in our search for sturgeon food, one of the places that my husband called up in Oregon was surprised that we had a sturgeon because they said they are illegal here in CA.View attachment 77291 I've included a picture of him, if anyone can identify him. I'd guess he's about 15-16" long. I've also included a couple pictures of our pond. Right now the water tempurature is about 50 degrees, and I wanted to heat it a little, though not sure if that's required. The koi are fairly small right now. I'm also very worried about the oxygen in the water and having enough for the sturgeon. We have a huge rain storm coming and I've heard that depletes the oxygen from the water, and sturgeon need a lot of oxygen. Is that true? We do have a small waterfall, as well another little water feature that looks like a jellyfish as the water falls back into the pond. How can I test the oxygen in the water, and what should it be? Also, is it ok for the koi to eat the same food as the sturgeon? We feed fresh raw shrimp and sinking shrimp pellets.

 

[addy1]

to our group! That is a nice looking pond. Remember that koi get really large, need great filtration, so don't add any more fish.

I don't know anything about sturgeons

 

[mtpond]

Welcome Jonni!

 

[Mike in Vermont]

to our group! That is a nice looking pond. Remember that koi get really large, need great filtration, so don't add any more fish.

I don't know anything about sturgeons

I know very little. I am guessing there are different kinds too. I think they get 4 to 8 feet long. Also, caviar comes from sturgeons eggs. Lake sturgeons were on the endangered species list in Vermont. I am not sure about now.

 

[Big Lou]

Welcome jonni.

 

[dieselplower]

That is a nice looking feature. Can you tell us anything about the pump and filtration used? Right off the bat I would say once the fish grow a bit it will be hard to maintain the water quality without substantial bio and mechanical filtration.

 

[Jonni]

I guess I need to get that information from the builders. I'm a little worried about the pond being too small myself, and the fish outgrowing it. I heard once (a long time ago) that they only grow as big as their surroundings allow, but that may be a myth. I know that I have a lot to learn, and for the health of my fish, I want to. Even if it means having to rehome them to someone else with a bigger pond.

 

[dieselplower]

It is a myth. Koi grow and they grow big. Once they grow larger than your filtration can handle, your water will have ammonia levels that can kill the fish. I would suggest purchasing an API water test kit. You can find them on amazon or in fish stores. You will want to test ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Also, learn about the nitrogen cycle. It is critical to keeping good water parameters.

 

[Catfishnut]

Jonni,

Sturgeon species are mostly freshwater dwellers although a few venture into salty oceans or brackish water. They are recorded in fossil records to around 200 million years ago.

Two North American species are Endangered and illegal to posess (Shortnose and Pallid) all others may be Vulnerable, Near Threatened or of Least Concern status.

The non-threatened species are the Shovelnose, White, Green, Lake and Atlantic.

They are primarily bottom feeders, but their diet is not of algae by intention. They may consume it, but they are foraging for other food in the process. Most have a syphon-tube-like mouth extending beneath their "face" and suck up gravel and sand to scour it for prey. Worms, invertebrates, crustaceans and even fish are their dietary staples. Some species, including the Pallid and the White, will eat live fish and large ones have been found to have eaten whole adult salmon. Yes, some Sturgeon get REALLY BIG! Excerpt below:

"Sturgeon have been referred to as both the Leviathans and Methuselahs of freshwater fish. They are among the largest fish: some beluga (Huso huso) in the Caspian Sea reportedly attain over 5.5 m (18 ft) and 2000 kg[15] (4400 lb) while for kaluga (H. dauricus) in the Amur River, similar lengths and over 1000 kg (2200 lb) weights have been reported"

I caught a small (6 pound) Pallid Sturgeon using a 4 inch bluegill as bait. I measured the fish and took photos to send to the game and parks and then released that fish.

Gordy

 

[Troutredds]

White sturgeon here in the northwest grow to immense proportions. They are some of the largest freshwater fish on Earth, growing to over twenty feet long and living over 100 years. Here's a 20+ footer from the Fraser River in British Columbia:

I sincerely hope this isn't the species in your pond!

 

[Jonni]

yikes!! me too. he's my sweet baby (never thought i would love a fish). He's black though, so hoping that's not him.

 

[sissy]

Sturgion change color just like koi .They are dark when young and change to a lighter color as they get older .But there are different colors of them as caviar is different colors from different colors of fish .Learned a lot on the fish farm But found I do not like caviar and could not even taste it .After my sister tried it and gagged that was enough for me .Plus I am a vegetarian

 

[Mike in Vermont]

That's a real nice pic, Troutredds.

 

[MitchM]

I used to fish for sturgeon when I lived in BC. Big, beautiful, long lived fish. Catch and release only.
If what you have is a sturgeon (and it looks like it might be), please learn about it and look after it as best you can.

.

 

[Jonni]

That's why I joined this forum, for the health and well being of my sturgeon, as well as the Koi