Given a 500 gallon tank, would a single tinfoil barb be able to coexist peacefully with a red-eared slider? There will defintely be hiding places for the barb to to rest in where the turtle won't be able to get to him. If that's the case, will the barb stand a good chance of surviving? Or would a convict cichild be more capable of defending itself from predation by the turtle? Thanks in advance.
Tinfoil barb or convict cichlid tankmate for red eared slider?
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From my experience, I would say yes, a tinfoil barb would definitely be able to coexist with a red-eared slider in 500 gallon... assuming that size difference was not an issue. For example if you have a puny tinfoil barb and a fully grown slider, then eventually the barb is bound to be devoured. But if you have a medium-sized turtle and a large tinfoil barb, that would work very well. My basic rule is to make sure the fish is larger than the carapace of the turtle's shell, but the turtle is far too large to be swallowed by the fish. I had a largemouth bass eat one a baby painted turtle my brother caught.
However, a convict would probably do worse with the slider. A fish that swims away from a turtle is better than a fish who will stand and fight the turtle and inevitably lose. A baby slider could probably live with a convict but convicts don't usually get big enough to be housed with turtles long-term.
However, a convict would probably do worse with the slider. A fish that swims away from a turtle is better than a fish who will stand and fight the turtle and inevitably lose. A baby slider could probably live with a convict but convicts don't usually get big enough to be housed with turtles long-term.
Hey, thanks so much for replying, I appreciate it. The information that you provided was very useful indeed. My plan is to buy both a baby tinfoil barb as well as a red-eared slider hatching and put them together in the tank around the same time. However, if the turtle outgrows the barb, there would definitely be a problem, based on what you told me. Which of these two species has a faster rate of development? Again, thank you.
Haha no problem. I assume the barbs would grow faster than the turtle, turtles usually grow very slowly... As a kid I bought a hatchling red eared slider, after five years her shell was only about five inches long... My brother's painted turtles barely grew at all after a year of keeping them before releasing them back to their home pond... They are definitely slow developers ime.
Fish's growth rates can vary, I've never kept tinfoil barbs but I'm assuming they'll grow faster than the turtle by far. So you should be in good shape.
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I added some baby convicts in with my musk turtle. They were aggressive to him even after this happened. 
Finally I just had to remove the fish. Pretty much my rule of thumb is put fish in with a turtle that are smaller than the turtle and always assume that a turtle may eat your fish so I wouldn't stock with anything I cared too much about. And if the fish get large enough to harm the turtle they come out of the tank.
Finally I just had to remove the fish. Pretty much my rule of thumb is put fish in with a turtle that are smaller than the turtle and always assume that a turtle may eat your fish so I wouldn't stock with anything I cared too much about. And if the fish get large enough to harm the turtle they come out of the tank.
You're going to dedicate a 500 gallon tank to a red ear slider? One happy turtle.
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Haha yeah. Snake, you could probably try housing more than one turtle in that tank, or more than one barb, if you like.
Yeah, I would keep a school of barbs. However, some things to remember:
Turtles create a massive bioload, which will make maintaining fish in the same enclosure challenging.
Tinfoil barbs are very fast and aggressive feeders, and could potentially outcompete the turtle for food.
Don't ever keep any fish with a turtle that you aren't prepared to see eaten.
I wanna see pictures of this setup, it sounds like it's gonna be sick
Turtles create a massive bioload, which will make maintaining fish in the same enclosure challenging.
Tinfoil barbs are very fast and aggressive feeders, and could potentially outcompete the turtle for food.
Don't ever keep any fish with a turtle that you aren't prepared to see eaten.
I wanna see pictures of this setup, it sounds like it's gonna be sick
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