Share Your Aquatic Turtle_ Tankmates, Compatability issues, Stories, etc.....
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They're not that young! They're 12-in, probably same size with those you saw at LFS...
Thanks
I have a yearling Southern Black-Knobbed & two 6MO Mississippi Map Turtles in a 55gal tank with fish. I have 1 rubber-lipped pleco, 1 dalmation molly, 2 fancy guppies and 2 platies with them. I also have one 2in crayfish, several ghost shrimp, and 1 small freshwater mussel with them. The turtles will catch and eat a fish once in a while, but are usually to slow to catch them. The key is to buy cheap hardy fish that please your eyes, accepting that they may get eaten when you put them in. The ghost shrimp do well because they're good at avoiding the turtle's attention. The crayfish is perfectly sized. He's too big to be eaten, but too small to attack the turtles. The dalmation molly is the 'Rocky Balboa" survivor of the tank. She's been in there since the start, about three or four months ago. I did see a turtle get ahold of her by her tail fin once, but she got away and lived to swim another day. Avoid fish with overly big fins that may give a turtle and extra chance of catching them. As a side note, I plan on trying dwarf gourami and more platies in the tank. Going to try to breed the platies for turtle food. Getting rid of the fancy guppies because they disappear against my backdrop of browns and greens in my tank. The orange, yellow, and black platies really stand out in my tank and give it color.
While I don't have any turtles ATM I can speak to keeping most of the common midwestern species in aquariums. Only 2 I've had success with (meaning multiple years in a fish tank) have been snappers (tank mates aren't as durable) and Mud/musk turtles. These turtles I've raised on multiple occasions from quarter or dime sized hatchlings to young adult hood. Most other midwestern turtles, softshells, painted turtles, sliders, maps, etc all need to much in terms of sun time and space. Typically struggling to make it one year in an aquarium where as I can easily hibernate them and put them outside during the summer. I don't have any setups ATM I'm confident are turtle safe but I would happily recommend musk turtles to all MFK members they get to a size that is not easily ingested and are super peaceful. Maybe I can find some picks of my last one and post it up.
I currently keep a pair of Stinkpot Musk Turtles and a Red Cheek Mud Turtle with a Paratilapia polleni. The turtles totally ignore the fish so everyone gets along fine.
I had a mississipi map turtle, cumberland slider, and river cooter all living together with a sajica convict hybrid that I named Turtle Fish. their union lasted for over a year until I moved and had to sell them all.
I have a loggerhead musk turtle in a 40g with baby pbass, gold gourami, and sun catfish. He never bother any fish and the sun catfish is his buddy. LoL I got this turtle from the previous owner that had him in a 150g tank with cichlids.
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