A Guide to Sturgeon Food and Feeding
If you are considering raising your own sturgeon, there are several things to consider before making a commitment, especially when it comes to acquiring and preparing sturgeon food. Sturgeon is a big species of fish and they require a great deal of specialized care in order to flourish and have a healthy and happy life. We are going to look at a bit of background information about the sturgeon as well as its feeding habits and how to acquire and prepare sturgeon food.
Getting to Know the Sturgeon
There are many different species of sturgeon—over 25, in fact! Sturgeon are some of the oldest species of what are known as “bony fish”. They are native to areas of sub-tropic, temperate, and sub-arctic climates and are commonly found in waters surrounding Eastern Europe, Western Asia, and North America. Most species will spend a great deal of their lives swimming in brackish waters, however they do lay their eggs in fresh water. A few species have converted to a total freshwater existence, although this has largely been forced upon the species.
Sturgeon have a very specific type of body which appears “stretched” from nose to tail. They commonly reach lengths between 7 and 12 feet, although some species can grow much larger. Sturgeons do not have scales but rather have more of a dinosaur-like quality about them. This is likely due to the fact that this fish hasn’t changed much in the last 100 million years.
Sturgeon eggs, or roe, are coveted as a tasty variety of caviar. One of the most common reasons why people choose to raise their own sturgeon is so that they can harvest their own sturgeon caviar. This can be a difficult task seeing as most species of sturgeon are listed as either vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered.
The Sturgeon Diet
Sturgeon food is largely consisted of animal proteins. Sturgeon are carnivorous and, for the most part, unable to break down plant proteins.
Choosing Sturgeon Food
There are manufacturers who produce food specifically designed for sturgeon. Just like dog food and cat food, there are also varying qualities of sturgeon food available. Some of the lesser qualities of food contain large amounts of soya or wheat as a form of cheap filler. Unfortunately, this does absolutely nothing to boost the health of the sturgeon and will simply pass through its body. A good quality sturgeon food should contain about 40 percent fish protein as well as at least 15 percent fish oil. Sinking sturgeon pellets are highly recommended, as sturgeon spend most of their time towards the bottom of the water.
Feeding Sturgeon
The general rule for feeding sturgeon is to give them about two percent of their body weight in food. Larger species may require up to three percent of their body weight in food in order to get enough nutrients. Bear in mind that most fish are unable to take in their daily necessity of food in one feeding because their stomachs simply aren’t big enough. Because of this, it is recommended that one feed their sturgeon two or three times a day. It would also be wise to consider any other species of fish that may be present in the same waters as the sturgeon. Sturgeon are not very vigorous feeders and will not fight for their food. Other fish will gobble up the sturgeon food first because it is of much better quality. If other fish are present, they should be fed “floating food” first, then the sturgeon food can be added to the waters while the other fish are full.