General Care Discussion :: can i put a Big Goldfish in a tank

[cloverRES]

Hi! Cover is about 6" by 6" and seems to eat anything that moves. the tank is kinda boring, bare bottom, nothing pretty to look at. Could I put one of those big fancy goldfish in there? she couldn't hurt him rite? Thanks a bunches in advance, and happy halloween!

[cloverRES]

Oh, are there any other big fish i could put in there that would be safe? like a giant algea eater, knifefish or eel?

[Linus]

How big is the tank? Goldfish are incredibly messy eaters, so you need goo filtration. Your turtle will try to eat it. And Goldfish are coldwater fish, so they prefer not to have a heater.

[cloverRES]

I'm pretty sure it is 30 gallons with a tetra whisper bio bag filter. its pretty big. what about other fish? I went to cabellas and they had res with a huge knifefish. granted, it was an aquarium

[Love of Animals]

Clover is 6 inches in a 30 gallon right? If so the tank is already too small for Clover's bio load. You should probably get a canister filter for Clover or even better if you can upgrade his tank.

[Kurtni]

Oh, are there any other big fish i could put in there that would be safe? like a giant algea eater, knifefish or eel?

You really can't assume any fish is safe with a turtle.

[Matryoshka]

Oh, are there any other big fish i could put in there that would be safe? like a giant algea eater, knifefish or eel?

You really can't assume any fish is safe with a turtle.

I second Kurtni's statement.
My two peppered corys which I bought as a bottom cleaning crew for my turtle tank were killed today. Not absolutely sure but kind of suspecting my turtles killed them. Even though corys are fast, have a hard outer covering thing, a determined hunter would kill it. The scales prevented it from being eaten though.

[cloverRES]

Ok, sounds like a no. its a shame, fish would look really cool in there. thanks everyone!

[Kurtni]

Ok, sounds like a no. its a shame, fish would look really cool in there. thanks everyone!

You could still try fish... you just can't get attached to them. I've done pretty well with barbs, but inevitably some of them become snacks.

[happycamper]

Your best bet is to get small, fast cheap fish. And I would only get a few since your tank is so crowded already.

[hill]

Extra! Extra! Turtles eat fish, it is just a matter of time. If it is a large fish the turtle will nip at it's fins until it cannot swim well and then eat it. Some fish last longer than others but in the end he becomes turtle food. It is a fact of turtle, fish life.

[Matryoshka]

If you really want a goldfish , get the sleek ones. Fancy ones swim slower. Also make sure your tank can house a full-grown turtle -AND- full-grown goldfish in the future

[SquidSox]

I'm actually training my turtle not to eat the fish I have had 2 cory cats for 3 days now and the econd I put them in the tank urtley went after one. What I do is instead of feeding turtley his food all at once I space it out and feed him a very small amount of his daily pellet intake every few hours. I also spend about 10 or so minutes every day just watching my turtles in general so when turtley is really bugging the fish I just put my hand in the tank....I don't even have to put it near my turtle or my fish because they all feel it and it distracts turtley and the fish will swim away. Every time I walk by the tank I just stare into it for a minute or so starin at turtley. Before I leave the house every day i pick turtley up and tell him we do not eat the kitty fish(altho I'm sure he has no idea what I am saying) then I set him on the dock. So far he's gone from trying to attack them everytime they flick a fin to allowing one of them at a time to swim right over his face. He only chases them when they are swimming together. I can't say for sure if he is really learning not to eat them but I believe he has because any other time I have put fis in his tank aside from an alge eater they would dissapear one by one these two cats are 3 days strong

[SquidSox]

I also place a piece of lettuce in the tank overnight in case he gets hungry

[happycamper]

I think it really depends on your turtle's personality. I have probably 30 fish in my tank, and haven't had a casualty in almost 2 years. Helpful to have a larger tank too so the fish can avoid the turtle.