Habitat - Indoor :: Fish and turtles together?

[Silvermist464]

Hello! So, I have kept Skit in a 10 gallon for all of the time I've had him. I do have a 55 gallon that I use for my fish. The ten gallon used to be alright for him, although he's always been too big for it. Now, though, I've been noticing some slightly strange behavior from him (more on that later) and I'm wondering if I could move him in with the fish.

When I measured my turtle the other day, he was exactly four inches long. I've been looking for a larger tank for him but I haven't found one. So, I just thought I'd ask your opinion of my situation. Do you believe I can put him in my 55 gallon with the risk of the turtle having an afternoon snack of fish during the day be low enough that I could risk it? There are seven small fish in the tank. Two of them will grow quite large (14 inches) and the rest will stay small. As of right now, all of my fish are smaller than the turtle and there are some hiding places in the tank.

If you have any questions to ask me, feel free.

[Silvermist464]

Oh yeah! I forgot to explain his odd behavior! So, you may have seen the post by ubungleebin about their turtle laying on the bottom of the tank, well mine does that as well. Only, it's slightly different. He will lay and put his nose down on the sand and press it against the glass. He will also do this right behind the bottle of food I keep in front of the tank. The first time I noticed this, I picked up the bottle and, just like it was attached, his head came up and he looked at me. I put the bottle back down and his head went down as well! Really strange. Sorry I didn't get a picture of it, though...

[ljapa]

You will probably lose fish.

There are many threads here talking about turtles and fish. Some have no problem. Some have fish disappear quickly. Some report months or years of no problems and then fish diisappearing.

I started with a turtle a bit smaller than a silver dollar. My son really wanted fish. We added 3 black neon tetras. One did not make it because the tank was still cycling and we didn't know what we were doing.

We moved the two black neons down to the new 55 gallon tank,after it was fully cycled. We added 7 neon tetras with no problem for a month or two. Then one day, I noticed one less neon tetra. I figured it had died and been eaten.

The next day two more were missing. I pulled the 4 remaining neons, but left the black neons. Six months after that, with a turtle around 3.5", the two black neons from the original tank are fine. However, I'm convinced the three neon tetras were chased and eaten.

[Silvermist464]

Hmm... Well, maybe I'll just let Skit into the big tank for a few hours or so each day and the put him back in his other one. I'd rather not have to buy new fish, not after I've had so many problems keeping any new ones I buy alive...

[Into_the_Mystic]

I would say to hell with the fish and give Skit the 55 gallon. He should be in that size now anyhow.

[Kansasslider]

Put your turtle in the tank and enjoy the show! Ten gallons is way to small for your turtle give him the big tank!

[magster]

Yeah, your turtle needs that tank. If you can't keep fish alive (I can't either, aside from our Bettas), stop trying and give your turtle the space he needs. 10 gallons seems way too small. Heck, try putting a divider in your 10 gal and get a couple of Betta fish. They're beautiful and easy as can be to take care of, and 5 gals each is optimal for them. Then your turtle can have the big tank.

[slider_keeper]

What kind of fish do you have in the 55 gal. Being your turtle is 4 in. he needs the 55 gal. If the fish are fast and have room to evade your turtle they could have a chance to survive. But like the others said they could become a meal.