bent backed sturgeon

Question
hiya i have a diamond backed sturgeon and there is a bend in its spine just behind the fins at the head end which he also doesnt seem to be able to move. his swimming seems pained and he appears to be panting. he also sits at the bottom of the tank all the time and doesnt move. what is wrong with him? the tank is about 25 ltrs and it has been set up for about two weeks. i also hav a goldfish and a black moor

Answer
Hi Ian;

Poor guy. He's being poisoned by "New Tank Syndrome" toxins and lack of oxygen. It's causing muscle spasms. You have too many fish in there to get it through the break-in without serious illness or death. Make a 25% water change every day for the next 3 or 4 days to lower them..... and get a bigger tank. Sturgeon get to be over 8 feet long and are just not suited to anything less than a 300 gallon tank. He just can't live in your little tank. Both your goldfish are very messy guys that get 6 to 8 inches long, not counting their tails. (Moors are a fancy type of goldfish). Just one goldfish needs a tank of 40 liters all by itself. Here is a list of links to goldfish info;

http://www.flippersandfins.net/goldfishfaq.htm
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/4468/faq.html
http://www.firsttankguide.net/goldfish.php
http://www.aquariumhobbyist.com/articles/Goldfish.html
http://www.flippersandfins.net/goldfishcaresheet.htm
http://www.geocities.com/shtinkythefish/goldfish.htm
http://www.netpets.org/fish/reference/freshref/goldfaq.html

Sturgeon are also pretty delicate. They require cool and highly oxygenated water. They need VERY clean water too, difficult in even the best maintained aquariums. That's why he is the one showing symptoms of new tank syndrome first. Here is a link to a good article about them;

http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/pets-and-animals/sterlets/267255/

Here is a link to my article on new tanks to help you understand what's been going on in there;

http://www.xanga.com/Expert_Fish_Help

Let me know if you have more questions........

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins