All fish / Acipenseridae

Shovelnose Sturgeon

Scaphirhynchus platorynchus

Also known as shovelnose, sand sturgeon, hackleback, switchtail, shovel-nose sturgeon, シャベルノーズスタージョン, 铲鲟, 铲鼻鲟

A small, armoured sturgeon with a broad, flattened shovel-shaped snout, rows of bony plates and a long filament on the upper tail lobe. It is kept by pond and specialist keepers who want a prehistoric-looking bottom dweller that is smaller than most other sturgeons.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

60 cm

Temperature

10 to 22 °C

pH

7 to 8

Smallest tank

5000 litres

Keep as

Can be kept singly or in small groups in a large pond

Diet

Carnivore: sinking pellets, bloodworms, earthworms, chopped fish and shellfish

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

20 to 30 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

USA: Mississippi and Missouri river basins

Breeding

It spawns over rocky or gravel river beds in spring after upstream migrations, and is bred in US hatcheries for conservation and caviar. Breeding in home ponds or aquariums is not realistic.

Good to know

It reaches around 60 to 85 cm and needs cool, well-oxygenated, flowing water in a very large pond rather than a home aquarium. Listed on CITES Appendix II, and it closely resembles the endangered Pallid Sturgeon, so trade and keeping are regulated in many places.