turtle tankmates?????

matthewkingoftheworld

Feeder Fish
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Jan 21, 2009
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i have two medium size turtles ( about 6 or 7 inch shell) they are in a 65g tank. i wanted to keep it a fish tank with turtles in it so its pretty much full of water with large ornaments so they can sit out of the water.

today i came in and the severum had very turtle like marks on his side. so all of the fish are now out of the turtles tank. they are all big fish. i had tried clown knifefish thinking at their speed they would just dart off. erm how about no!!!


any ideas.


thanks
 

ceeej31

Fire Eel
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Feb 13, 2008
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what kind of turtles?
turtles are going to need more than just a place to get out of the water, they also need a heat lamp and UVA/UVB lighting
as for fish, basically anything that isn't going to harm the turtles and that you wouldn't mind loosing
 
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Citrinellus

Feeder Fish
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Nov 16, 2008
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Any fast moving danios or minnows would work. White clouds come to mind.
 

ceeej31

Fire Eel
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i keep my turtle with swordtails, if he catches one so what, it gives him some exercise and some variety in his diet
 

matthewkingoftheworld

Feeder Fish
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Jan 21, 2009
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fast moving fish might be a good shout. i was thinking the large fish might put the turtles off. dunno what type of turtles, to be honest im pretty sure one is a terrapin. i was going to put them in my 220g tank but i keep pacu and i wouldnt want to chance it because my pacu are evil. like wolves.

the way my tank is set out is the ive made a bridge out the water and its quite a large platform for basking. the man in the shop said that they only need special lighting when they were babies.
 

HPIZZLE

Polypterus
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Nov 20, 2007
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no, they'll need the lighting as adults too, depending on the species. either way they need a heat lamp. and if its a diamond back terrapin it will do better in a slightly brackish tank.
 
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paul112

Gambusia
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Apr 26, 2006
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Make sure they have a dry basking area where they can get completely out of the water, atleast under a spotlight. UVB lighting of 5% is recommended, but I've managed fine if Vitamin D3 is supplemented in the diet using a good pellet food such as Reptomin.

Turtles are hunters, most aquarium inhabitants are similar to their natural prey (fish, frogs, crayfish etc), so they should ideally be kept alone to prevent problems. If you really must add fish, your best bet are small fast schooling types, such as danios or tiger barbs, the more the merrier, as single fish will tire out and be caught, while schools of them can usually cause enough distraction so that one particular fish isn't constantly being chased.

All the best,
Paul
 

snakeguy101

Fire Eel
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Jun 29, 2009
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That is a mississippi map turtle and a hybrid red eared slider x yellowbelly slider. They will still need UVA/UVB and the lack of it could be what is causing the deformations of their shells. These guys usually do not mix well with fish but if you want to try and put them in the 220 with the pacu, it is not the turtles I would be worried about. I have seen small turtles take on some very large fish and win. Your best bet would be to invest in a good size tank for just the turtles and get the proper lighting and basking set up.
 
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