Beluga Sturgeon (Huso huso)

By Graham Quick & Terry White

Beluga Sturgeon (Huso huso) is the largest growing sturgeon species. More than 9m (29ft) and 1400kg has been recorded, although the average size in the wild is now only 57 kg due to excessive hunting for caviar. It grows very quickly and is only suitable for very large ponds. Skin colour is steel-blue to grey-black, with a slightly lighter ventral and white to cream bony scutes down the back.

Keeping the Beluga Sturgeon with smaller fish/animals is risky as it lives by one rule: 'If it fits in my mouth I can eat it'. Also, a fondness for wild fowl can upset the local ecology. Extra oxygenation in the summer months is essential. Beluga Sturgeons do not tolerate strong treatments such as formalin.

Unless you have space don't buy one. As with all sturgeons, they need plenty of oxygen so an air pump system is a must.

Beluga Sturgeon (Huso huso) is the fastest growing sturgeon species, farm grown specimens growing much faster than would in the wild. A two year old farmed Beluga Sturgeon can be over 1m long (3ft+) and a four year old closer to 2m long (6ft+) and 35-40kg (75-100lbs) but a wild fish may take more than ten years to reach 2 meters.

Video of Beluga Sturgeon (Huso huso) at Jacobs in Meerdonk

Recommended Pond Size

If you want to keep Beluga Sturgeons in a pond you will need a pond of at least 15,000 gallons (68,000 litres) and plenty of money to meet the huge food bill. Beluga Sturgeons need a lot of feeding if they are to leave your other fish alone, a 2m Beluga Sturgeons can easily eat an 18 inch koi and will if it's hungry. The adult size of a pond-kept specimen is 2.4-3m (8-10ft) and it could weigh in at around 100kg (220lbs).

Beluga Sturgeon (Huso huso) at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, TN
photo © Epyon MX (John)

Beluga Sturgeon (Huso huso) photo supplied by Igor Maslyuk

A Baby Beluga Sturgeon (Huso huso) at 3 years old and 25kg 1.4m
Eats whole squid, rageworm and 20mm Sturgeon pellets

Beluga Sturgeon (Huso huso)

Beluga Sturgeon (Huso huso)

A 4 year old 38kg 1.65m long Beluga Sturgeon (Huso huso)

Beluga Sturgeon (Huso huso) 50cm at 1 year old

Taxonomy

Scientific classification:

Synonyms:

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Superclass: Osteichthyes Class: Actinopterygii Subclass: Chondrostei Order: Acipenseriformes Suborder: Acipenseroidei Family: Acipenseridae Subfamily: Acipenserinae Genus: Huso Species: Huso huso Linnaeus, 1758

Acipenser albula Forster, 1767 Acipenser beluga Forster, 1767 Acipenser huso Linnaeus, 1758 Acipenser schypa Bonnaterre, 1788 Acipenser schypa Gmelin, 1789 Acipenser shyp Forster, 1767 Acipenser vallisnerii Molin, 1851 Huso huso caspicus Babushkin, 1942 Huso huso maeoticus Sal'nikov & Malyatskii, 1934 Huso huso orientalis Lelek, 1987 Huso huso ponticus Sal'nikov & Malyatskii, 1934 Huso ichthyocolla Bonaparte, 1846

Links: Encyclopedia of Life | FAO Species Fact Sheet | Fishbase | ITIS | Pond Life | World Register of Marine Species

Common Names: Beluga, Beluga Sturgeon, European Sturgeon, Giant Sturgeon, Great Sturgeon, Russian Sturgeon

Order sturgeon / sterlet food online from Orchard Fisheries

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