# Sturgeon an 2 fiddler crabs



## LotusEel (Nov 6, 2013)

hey i just got a sturgeon and 2 large fiddle crabs (male and female) there currently in a 30 gallon tank. i was wondering if they would be okay living off of hikari sinking carnivore pellets and treats, frozen meat sides, and some hikari frozen blood worms or tubifex, and some vegetable matters.:shock:


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## rickey (Jul 7, 2013)

You do realise how large sturgeons become.

R


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## LotusEel (Nov 6, 2013)

yes sir


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## LotusEel (Nov 6, 2013)

He is going to be my only fish forever


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## redthebetta (Aug 11, 2013)

You will need a bigger tank one the sturgeon grows, they can get to 9 feet long!!!!!


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## NeptunesMom (May 4, 2012)

redthebetta said:


> You will need a bigger tank one the sturgeon grows, they can get to 9 feet long!!!!!


Depending on the species I've heard some can get up to 18 ft! :shock: 

Where did you get a sturgeon? Did you get it from a LFS? I would ask what size tank they keep their adults in. I would guess you'll need something custom built for a fish like that.


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## LotusEel (Nov 6, 2013)

from the pet shop closets to me i work there and i believe he is one of the smaller species only grows to 8-10 ft.


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## NeptunesMom (May 4, 2012)

LotusEel said:


> from the pet shop closets to me i work there and i believe he is one of the smaller species only grows to 8-10 ft.


Are you putting him into a pond? Or are you going to have a custom tank made?


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## LotusEel (Nov 6, 2013)

custom tank


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## LotusEel (Nov 6, 2013)

but i seem to have a problem they are arriving on Saturday and the tank had a accident and i have another 30 gallon but its only been cycling for 1 days with conditoner and quick start bacteria, will they be alright int here on the 3rd cycle day


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## NeptunesMom (May 4, 2012)

LotusEel said:


> but i seem to have a problem they are arriving on Saturday and the tank had a accident and i have another 30 gallon but its only been cycling for 1 days with conditoner and quick start bacteria, will they be alright int here on the 3rd cycle day


How big is it going to be? You'll have to post a pic when its done. Just thinking about it... it's got to be what... 30 ft long?


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## sandybottom (Nov 29, 2012)

this is more than likely a lake sturgeon. they can grow up to 9 ft and reach up to 200 lbs.males can reach 55 years of age and females up to 150 years. you will have to do better than carnivore pellets. these fish have a specialized diet.they need live food to thrive.they eat insect larvae ,worms and leeches.they are also classified as near critical in conservation status.very few people should ever own these fish,because of their requirements,especially when it comes down to the space needed for these fish. the tank and filters alone not to mention your water bill will run easily into the thousands. the food bill alone will be daunting. right now there are 25 types of sturgeon in 2 subclasses and 23 of them are critical in conservation status.like i said the lake sturgeon is near critical. the white sturgeon is in the less critical category,but they reach up to 18 ft.this something that you should have studied before you obtained it. i am not trying to get down on you for it. i just want you to be aware of what you are dealing with/ getting yourself into. imo they should not be sold in lfs. i think they should be sold only to individuals with licenses or better yet professional aquariums that can address their needs.when i think of full grown koi needing 1000+ gallons, i shudder at the minimum size the lake sturgeon will require.you will need to buy some land and build a man made lake. i fail to see a good outcome here. without a cycled aquarium,proper food and housing size, this is a recipe for disaster. this fish will probably never live up to its potential. you may want to spend a lot of time researching these fish.personally i would not get it in the first place. you are in highschool still, are your parents going to take care of it when you go to college? what happens when you move out? you may want to rethink this and find more suitable stock for yourself.i just want you to be really aware of the situation at hand.


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## LotusEel (Nov 6, 2013)

I Have done the research on this fish and know almost everything about it , its the first time im getting a fish above beginners class, i had some birchir. but not for long because i moved and couldn't ship them. and im going into a vetranary science/Nrotc universy, so im sure they could make some compromises or ill just get a small house c (parent paid for offcourse) close by or around town and with a pre built lake/pond or make one. i know in the future he'll need a 2,000-4,000 gallon lake or a giant aquarium built for him but he isnt going to turn mondo-gigantic on me in one night. it takes 5 years for them to grow 29 inches. i've done the outdoor pond research im just trying to get him antiquated to him temporary home in a 30 gallon with galioth(male fiddler crab) and sakura(female fiddler crab).


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## LotusEel (Nov 6, 2013)

post pic on Saturday when REX (sturgeon) gets here.


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## LotusEel (Nov 6, 2013)

.......... omg .......ive named 3 of my past animals rex.... i need a new name


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## LotusEel (Nov 6, 2013)

Could i have a Betta in with them im staring at a male blue and red fullmoon.




very active and flaring gills at me........KAYAAAAAAAAAA....cute


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## sandybottom (Nov 29, 2012)

if you know all about them ,you would know that you can not keep a betta with them they need different temperatures. bettas are tropical and lake sturgeons are from temperate waters. keep in mind that fish put off growth hormones as well.you will have to do a lot of water changes. fiddler crabs are brackish and need access to air, they are often sold as freshwater crabs but this is false, they will eventually weaken and die.they need some sort of platform to be accessible to them for survival.if your lfs person told you otherwise , he was just trying to sell you on them or was ignorant of their care.


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## sandybottom (Nov 29, 2012)

sandybottom said:


> if you know all about them ,you would know that you.....


sorry if i came off as snotty. not my intention.just having a bad day.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

Sandy, I think it is admirable for a keeper of you depth and breadth of experience to gift us your educated opinion in such an unusual case. This forum, as well as TFK, is visited by younger new members whose capabilities do not match their ambitions (not implying that is the case here). It is incumbent on our more experienced members to keep them in touch with reality.

Thank you for you wise counsel.


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## NeptunesMom (May 4, 2012)

LotusEel said:


> and im going into a vetranary science/Nrotc universy, so im sure they could make some compromises or ill just get a small house c (parent paid for offcourse) close by or around town and with a pre built lake/pond or make one.


What is a Veterinary Science/Nrotc University? Are you going into Vet Med and the Navy Reserve Office Training? What type of compromise would that make? You're going to be working your booty off if those are your programs, and they won't accept you if you ask for accommodations for a fish. 

Also, I'm guessing your not an adult. There's nothing wrong with that.. but... it's not easy buying a house. Even if your parents are paying for it. You will have a heck of a time finding a house with a pond big enough. My boyfriend and me spent almost a year trying to find a house that met our requirements. I finally had to give up my Koi pond because we couldn't find a house with a space for me to build one, or a prebuilt one, that met our other minimums (which were pretty basic). Lucky for me, I waited to buy the Koi until I had the pond for them. 

It does look like you didn't do much research on your fish. Whether you think you did or not. Just asking if you can put a Betta in with him is a little concerning. I've already been concerned, especially since you won't tell us the size of the custom tank you are building. I don't see HOW you could fit a tank big enough in any house. I live in a house that is almost 5,000 sq ft. I don't see anywhere in my house big enough for a tank that size.


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## keepsmiling (May 19, 2013)

LotusEel said:


> im sure they could make some compromises or ill just get a small house c (parent paid for offcourse) close by or around town and with a pre built lake/pond or make one. i know in the future he'll need a 2,000-4,000 gallon lake or a giant aquarium built for him but he isnt going to turn mondo-gigantic on me in one night. it takes 5 years for them to grow 29 inches. i've done the outdoor pond research im just trying to get him antiquated to him temporary home in a 30 gallon with galioth(male fiddler crab) and sakura(female fiddler crab).


This just doesn't seem appropriate to me. To me it's reckless fish keeping. Who even sells such a fish? 
If you have done your research as you say, then you must also realize that no small or ordinary home could have a tank required to keep this fish. The house must be built different, as large public aquariums are, or it would just rot from the moisture created by such a volume of water.
I wish you luck, but wish you would reconsider.


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## keepsmiling (May 19, 2013)

It is kind of cruel to keep such a large fish alone and in an aquarium.


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## sandybottom (Nov 29, 2012)

it does not seem fair to put any of this on your parents. i do not think that they should have to worry about the extra money to try to find an acceptable housing solution for a monster sized fish. try the guys over at monsterfishkeepers.com see what their view is. they are even more passionate about them. they could give you a better idea of what you are really up against.


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## LotusEel (Nov 6, 2013)

alright then if i came off a a bit of a know it all i apologize its just that im getting fed a lot of information and its cool sandybottom.


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## LotusEel (Nov 6, 2013)

the pet store owner said the species there holding grows extremely slow and dosen't reach 10ft. 8-9ft which is still big and ive already paid for him so if indeed he was lying to me i am unimaginably pissed. in the future if cant keep him ill gladly donate him to a sanctuary but if i indeed do learn more about them and have the expenses to keep him i will, and the crabs i bout a floating platform for.


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## LotusEel (Nov 6, 2013)

and to neptunes mom i was flustered when i typed that and apologize if i came to be snotty im just flustered a the store for lying and i don't want my fish to suffer is i cant give him a proper home.


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## LotusEel (Nov 6, 2013)

*keepsmiling* there are 23 kinds of sturgeon im hoping they don't sell the gigantic ones that are endangered.


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## LotusEel (Nov 6, 2013)

..........


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## NeptunesMom (May 4, 2012)

LotusEel said:


> and to neptunes mom i was royally pissed when i typed that and apologize if i came to be snotty im just flustered a the store for lying and i don't want my fish to suffer is i cant give him a proper home.


You don't come off as snotty. LOL I teach at a community college and a University, and I work retail at a pet store.... it takes a lot for me to think someone is being rude/snotty/bratty/etc... It's mellowed me out. 

I think everyone is just very worried about your fish (including yourself). We don't think you aren't unconcerned... but.. even a 10ft fish is a HUGE fish. It's not really a fish you can easily keep as a pet. I live on a horse farm, so I'm used to dealing with big animals and the space they need. I can't image having the space for a fish that size. 

Do you mind me asking... how much did you pay for a fish like that? You don't have to answer, but I am curious (or you can PM me).


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## sandybottom (Nov 29, 2012)

when the walmart in mankato first opened about 20 or so years ago,they had sturgeon for sale. think they were around $12.i really wish they would stop selling fish. i can't even bring myself to walk past them,just puts me in a horrible depressed mood.


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## keepsmiling (May 19, 2013)

Back years ago,2003-2004 there was a guy with a website and photos of a 4,000 gallon fw tank he built in his basement. Most people thought it was cool. Some people questioned how he had reinforced his home. He didn't, and it rotted his house out. True story. You can still find references and photos if you look up mr. 4,000 aquarium. It also got pretty murky looking after it was up for awhile.


sandybottom said:


> when the walmart in mankato first opened about 20 or so years ago,they had sturgeon for sale. think they were around $12.i really wish they would stop selling fish. i can't even bring myself to walk past them,just puts me in a horrible depressed mood.


Wow small world, My niece drives to Mankato to go to school. She is in New Ulm.


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## rickey (Jul 7, 2013)

LotusEel said:


> *keepsmiling* there are 23 kinds of sturgeon im hoping they don't sell the gigantic ones that are endangered.


Ever the smallest sturgeon is still 7 feet.
They are all wild caught and not an aquarium fish
R


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## sandybottom (Nov 29, 2012)

keepsmiling said:


> Back years ago,2003-2004 there was a guy with a website and photos of a 4,000 gallon fw tank he built in his basement. Most people thought it was cool. Some people questioned how he had reinforced his home. He didn't, and it rotted his house out. True story. You can still find references and photos if you look up mr. 4,000 aquarium. It also got pretty murky looking after it was up for awhile.
> Wow small world, My niece drives to Mankato to go to school. She is in New Ulm.


 i saw that aquarium on the internet. he did not realize that everything around it had to be made of sealed concrete and have a huge air exchange system to get rid of the humidity.oops. i love new ulm. beautiful town.


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## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

I hope that you find a solution. I don't get how a LPS was able to sell a sturgeon....


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## NeptunesMom (May 4, 2012)

sandybottom said:


> when the walmart in mankato first opened about 20 or so years ago,they had sturgeon for sale. think they were around $12.i really wish they would stop selling fish. i can't even bring myself to walk past them,just puts me in a horrible depressed mood.


Interesting. I figured they'd be a lot more than that. 

I have a friend at Mankato getting her masters. I contemplated going there for my PhD, but stayed in Iowa. It's such a small world.


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## sandybottom (Nov 29, 2012)

if you value your freedom you will stay away from kato, it sucks you in and does not let go.many have left,only to return in shame.lol.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

What the heck is this even doing on a Betta forum? I'm abandoning this thread in tears.


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## keepsmiling (May 19, 2013)

Hallyx said:


> What the heck is this even doing on a Betta forum? I'm abandoning this thread in tears.


This thread can be viewed from either forum. It is actually in 'other fish'.


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

Back when I got it, I was debating whether or not to go freshwater or saltwater with the new 125. Hammerhead shark was high on my SW list. I decided to wait until I could convert an entire house into one big fish tank.


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## keepsmiling (May 19, 2013)

Wish I had a 125 for my goldies...;-)


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## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

Goldfish are my limit. I could never keep anything big or more like an oscar, 'cause those scare me sometimes...


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## LotusEel (Nov 6, 2013)

20 dollars for the sturgeon posting pics today and its a shovel nosed sturgeon.


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## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

I have to ask you, is that a bichir in your avatar?


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## LotusEel (Nov 6, 2013)

no i had some but never got a pic it helps me remember. you can look up the pic online, im changing it today to my sturgeon.


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## LotusEel (Nov 6, 2013)

can anyone tell me if 1 male fiddler crab can be in a aquarium with some floating islands. 95% water, 3% rot-wood, 2% floating island with a latter from bottom to it.


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

As far as I know they need a lot more land than that.


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## LotusEel (Nov 6, 2013)

ug would a 10 gallon tank that is 50/50 be alright


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

Yes much better. I don't know about tank size, but I know that they like a good amount of land.


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## LotusEel (Nov 6, 2013)

kay thats is what i will do soon as possible


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

rickey said:


> Ever the smallest sturgeon is still 7 feet.
> They are all wild caught and not an aquarium fish
> R


Just to clear this up, wild caught sturgeon are not sold as pets. They are butchered for caviar. The sturgeon that do appear in pet stores are a result of the captive-bred caviar market. Aquaculture of sturgeon began when humans realized fishing was depleting the wild stocks too fast. Now most of the low-grade caviar comes from sturgeon farms. Occasionally fish from these farms end up in pet stores. But I do agree. These fish are not aquarium fish. 

If what you have is a shovelnose you still have a potentially large fish on your hands. Maximum recorded size is around 3 feet. You'll be looking at a pond larger than 2000 gallons once the fish is grown. I would not be growing a fish like that out in anything smaller than a 100 gal tub. 

If you are serious about keeping sturgeon, I (as a pond owner and sturgeon-lover) STRONGLY urge you to read this site: http://www.sturgeon-web.co.uk/what-sturgeons-want


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## LotusEel (Nov 6, 2013)

Thank-you TheKoiMaiden and my sturgeon pic will be up wensday


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## keepsmiling (May 19, 2013)

So what ever happened to the gigantic buick sized fishy?


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