Sturgeons are fascinating pond inhabitants. With their calm and majestic nature, they bring a special atmosphere to your garden pond. However, if you want to keep sturgeons in your garden pond, you need to take a close look at their needs – especially with the right diet. This is because sturgeons have very specific food requirements that differ significantly from those of other pond fish.
In this PROPOND pond guide, you will learn all about species-appropriate sturgeon food, the different sturgeon species for the garden pond and what to look out for when feeding them, to ensure that your sturgeons grow healthily and feel good. Which sturgeon species are suitable for the garden pond? What do you need to remember when keeping sturgeons in a pond? And which food meets their natural needs?
General information about sturgeons
The Sturgeon is one of the oldest fish species in the world and has existed for around 250 million years. There are about 27 different sturgeon species worldwide, some of which can be kept in ponds. The most popular sturgeon species for garden ponds include the sterlet, the Russian sturgeon and the Siberian sturgeon.
Sturgeons for the pond require a water depth of at least 1.5 metres and sufficient space to move around in a species-appropriate manner. It is important that the pond has a rounded shape and contains little to no plants, stones or thread algae. The reason for this is that sturgeons cannot swim backwards. The risk of them getting stuck and not being able to free themselves is therefore very high. A high water quality with sufficient oxygen content is crucial for keeping them successfully in a garden pond. Powerful air pumps such as the JBL PondOxi-Set are therefore indispensable. Keeping sturgeons in a garden pond also means providing a flow-rich environment.
How long does a sturgeon live in a pond? In natural waters, sturgeons can reach an impressive age of up to 100 years. In a garden pond, however, their living conditions are somewhat different. With optimal care and a species-appropriate diet, sturgeons can live there for 20 to 50 years.
What is the difference between a sturgeon and a sterlet? This is a question that concerns many pond owners. The sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) is one of the smallest sturgeon species and grows to a maximum length of 1.20 metres, whereas other sturgeon species can reach several metres. Due to its smaller size, the sterlet is also particularly suitable for smaller ponds and has a shorter life expectancy of around 20 to 30 years.
What do sturgeons like to eat?
Sturgeons are specialised bottom feeders and have specific dietary requirements. In the wild, they mainly feed on invertebrates such as worms, small crustaceans and insect larvae, which they seek out in the substrate. But what do sturgeons eat in the pond?
In the garden pond sturgeons also prefer a protein-rich diet that is easily accessible at the bottom. A specially developed sturgeon food with a high fish meal and fish oil content is ideal as it imitates their natural feeding habits. Particularly important: The sturgeon food needs to sink so that the sturgeons can take it up from the bottom in peace. It is also important that the sturgeon food is highly stable in the water, as sturgeons do not take the food all at once, but eat it while moving. This means that the food can remain in the water for longer and should therefore not disintegrate too quickly.
Lots of pond owners ask themselves: Do sturgeons eat algae? The clear answer is: No. Algae are not part of the sturgeon's natural diet. Unlike carps or goldfish, sturgeons are not herbivores, but pure carnivores. The diet of sturgeons is therefore predominantly carnivorous. The sterlet in particular, one of the most popular sturgeon species for the garden pond, requires an energy-rich diet with high-quality animal proteins, such as insects, crustaceans or mussels.
Feeding sturgeons properly is not rocket science. To ensure that they grow healthily and remain active, you just need to make sure that they get the right food in sufficient quantities - because sturgeons have a fast metabolism and require regular feeding, especially in the warmer months.
Which sturgeon food is the best?
Choosing the right sturgeon food is crucial for the health and growth of your sturgeons. As already mentioned, sturgeons are bottom feeders and require food that is specially adapted to their diet. But which sturgeon food is the best?
A high-quality sturgeon food should fulfil the following characteristics:
- Sinking: Sturgeons only eat from the bottom. A fast-sinking sturgeon food guarantees that the fish reach it easily and do not waste energy searching for food.
- High protein content: Fish meal and fish oil are essential components of a balanced sturgeon food, as sturgeons are carnivores.
- Optimum pellet size: To cater for all sturgeon sizes, it makes sense to use a sterlet food with a small grain size. This ensures a balanced diet for all sturgeons in the pond.
- Nutrient-rich & easily digestible: High-quality ingredients promote the growth and resilience of sturgeons.
The all season food JBL PROPOND STERLET fulfils all these requirements and is suitable for all pond sturgeons and sterlets. The composition of salmon, shrimps, tubifex, green-lipped mussels, spirulina and gammarus provides a natural diet for your bony fish.
Quite a few pond owners wonder whether it makes sense to make their own sturgeon food. Although there are recipes for homemade food, industrially produced sturgeon fish food is optimised to the needs of the fish and offers consistently high quality.
If you want to ensure that your sturgeons stay healthy, it’s best to invest in high-quality sturgeon food. A balanced, sinking food ensures optimal nutrition and a long life for your fascinating pond dwellers.
How often should sturgeons be fed?
Regular feeding is essential for sturgeons, as they have a small stomach and need to eat continuously. But how often should sturgeons be fed? The frequency depends primarily on the water temperature and the activity of the fish.
The basic rule is:
- Several feeds a day are better than one large portion.
- The sturgeon food should sink quickly so that the sturgeon can take it up from the bottom in peace.
- Regular feeding times help the fish to develop a natural rhythm.
If you want to feed sturgeons in your garden pond, you need to make sure that the food is not eaten too quickly by the other pond inhabitants. Especially in ponds with more active fish species, it is important that your sturgeons get enough food.
How much food does a sturgeon need?
The right amount of food for sturgeons is crucial for their growth and health. But exactly how much food does a sturgeon need? A sturgeon's food requirements depend on various factors, including its size, age and water temperature.
A rule of thumb for the amount of sturgeon food is:
- Young sturgeons need about 1-2% of their body weight in food every day.
- Adult sturgeons should be fed 0.5-1 % of their body weight.
- In warm water (above 15 °C) the food requirement increases, while it decreases in cooler water.
The right sturgeon food size is also important. As the most common sturgeon species in garden ponds tend to be the smaller ones, a food in the 6 mm range is ideal. This is suitable for both young animals and small sturgeons. The important thing is that the food size matches their mouth size.
Keep a close eye on your sturgeons: If there is uneaten food left over after feeding or the fish are frantically looking for more, you’ll need to adjust the amount of sturgeon food you’re giving. A balanced diet supply ensures that your sturgeons stay healthy and grow optimally.
Should you feed sturgeons in winter?
Many pond owners ask themselves whether sturgeons need to be fed in winter. The answer is: yes – but with caution! If you keep sturgeons in the pond over winter, you will need to adjust the feeding to the water temperature. While many pond fish greatly reduce their activity in cold water and no longer need food, the metabolism of sturgeons remains active even at low temperatures.
You should therefore bear the following in mind if you want to feed sturgeons in winter:
- Digestion slows down from a water temperature of around 10 °C, but sturgeons still need food.
- Sinking, easily digestible food with a high protein content is ideal.
- Feed small quantities and observe whether the sturgeons eat the food.
- At temperatures below 5 °C, sturgeons usually eat very little – then feeding should only be done every once in a while.
Pond thermometers such as the JBL Pond Thermomètre are suitable for keeping an eye on your water temperature at all times.
The sterlet in particular requires regular feeding in winter as it is smaller and more active than other sturgeon species. Make sure that your sturgeons are well fed despite the cold to ensure they stay healthy throughout the winter.
Can sturgeon and koi be kept together?
It is generally possible to keep sturgeons and koi in the same pond, but some important measures must be taken to ensure that both fish species remain healthy. Sturgeons are bottom feeders, whereas koi prefer to feed on the surface of the water. As mentioned at the beginning, sturgeon also have different food requirements compared to other pond inhabitants.
If you want to keep koi and sturgeon together, you therefore need to bear the following in mind:
- Sufficient space and oxygen: Sturgeons need plenty of swimming space near the bottom and oxygen-rich water, whereas koi like to be active on the surface.
- Suitable food: Sturgeon food for koi is not an ideal choice, as koi have different nutritional requirements. At the same time, there is a risk that koi will eat the sturgeon food before it reaches the bottom.
- Separate feeding: Make sure that your sturgeons get enough food by placing it close to them or along their routes. A long pipe, for example, is suitable here, which guides the sturgeon food directly to the bottom. This way, your koi have no chance of getting to the food.
With the right conditions, sturgeon and koi can be kept together in the pond – as long as you ensure that both species have their individual needs met. The new JBL PROPOND range caters to the exact needs of the different pond inhabitants. This means that all species get exactly what they need. You can find an overview of the species foods here: JBL ESPÈCES
