Diamond Sturgeon

Looks how to spot one

Scaleless sturgeon body with bony scutes

A large sturgeon with a fairly short, rounded snout and barbels set nearer the snout tip than the mouth. The upper body is greyish green, the plates along the sides are pale, and the belly is white.2

Personality what they are like

Mostly a loner, but it gathers in groups when overwintering and during spawning runs. A calm fish that forages along sandy or muddy bottoms.12

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Wild fish move between the sea and rivers and favour deep river stretches with moderate to swift currents, so it needs very generous swimming space.1

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Grows to well over a metre and lives for decades, so it is a fish for very large ponds and long-term keepers.12

Home where they are happiest

Cool fresh water; FishBase gives a range of about 10 to 20 °C, with a preferred band of roughly 11 to 16 °C. Likes soft sandy or muddy bottoms.1

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Carnivorous bottom feeder. In the wild it eats molluscs, crustaceans and small fish such as gobies, anchovies and sprats.12

Company who they like around

Usually solitary, but tolerant of company and seen in groups at certain times of year.12

The story where it all began

Named after the Baltic-German naturalist Johann Anton Güldenstädt, this sturgeon has long been one of the main sources of ossetra caviar. Today it is raised widely in fish farms.32

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List

Wild species assessed as Critically Endangered (14 September 2019); wild stocks are now kept up mainly by hatchery releases.1

Aquaculture

An important caviar species (ossetra) for the Russian industry.3