kind of a weird question... but hey why not?

[cardiocentric]

Ok, so I ran into a girl the other day at Petsmart while I was waiting on the aquatics guy to bag up my mollies and she was asking about what fish would be compatible with her turtle... I know, I wouldn't do it either, but still... fair enough right? The guy starts telling her everything she likes isn't going to work, which is understandable seeing as even though her turtle is small now, he's going to get big and the fish are either going to be scared/stressed to death, or even possibly get mistaken for food. Then it dawned on me... why couldn't she have something a little shy that stays on the bottom? I told her about my bumblebee cats, didn't tell her it was "ok" but thought it was an adequate suggestion since they hide all the time anyways out of plain sight of the turtle, and stay toward the bottom most of the time... What fish could YOU see someone keeping successfully with a turtle in a 55 gallon tank?

[Goes to 11!]

I don't keep turtles but my understanding is that fish in a turtle tank are generally eventually fish food. YMMV. :22:

[Zander]

I think anything will eventually end up as food. The only possible exception would be something that stays at the bottom, doesn't move much, and hides a lot. Even then I'd expect some of them, just not all, to be eaten eventually.

A peacock eel, or something else that burrows seems like the only possible suggestion in my opinion. And again, I would expect it to be eaten eventually if there was only one. If there were 5-6, some may get eaten and others not.

[Crispy]

turtles are also extremely messy and foul up aquarium water very quickly. I don't see alot of people keeping them with fish unless the fish are meant to be feeders.

[ameliaaahx]

The guy at my LFS once told me a story where he thought all his Kuhli loaches has died, cleaned out the tank and set it up and a turtle tank.

Three years later as he was taking town the Turtle tank, lo-and-behold, he finds some Kuhli Loaches! Apparently they had gotten huge on the turtle scraps.

... wouldn't recommend that though. Just a story.

I know some people keep turtles with big goldfish. They have some at a display tank at my LFS. It's like a 200g tank, which most people wouldn't keep their turtles in. The goldfish are all at least the same size as the smallest turtle.

... What about a big common pleco, if your turtle tank was big enough? Obviously if you were mixing fish and turtles you'd wanna have a good waterchange regime. The one at my LFS has a waterfall going into it with fresh water.

[Lady Hobbs]

I would keep no turtle with fish. Fish are a natural source of food for them. And even worse would be to keep bottom feeders that live where the turtle resides.

@ameliaaachx.......if that guy didn't know he had loaches for 3 years, I would think he must have never cleaned out the bottom of the tank? I mean, 3 years to not know you had fish in the tank? yikes

[ameliaaahx]

Yeah I dunno. I think he had lots of driftwood or something which they must have hid inside when he got in there with the gravel siphon. Idk.

Maybe he was just spinning a yarn!

[metal-otaku]

it really depends on the turtle. i got 3 in one 75 gallon all less than 2" i have all kinds of fish in with them. fish have been with them since i got them.

1 molly, 1 guppy, 3 sword tails, 3 corries, 1 betta and 1 loach. plus a crayfish. used to have 2. >.> the crayfish is the only thing they've ever attacked. and it was a group take down. and to them i don't even know if it was a food thing or a territorial thing first. he was on their favorite log. and wouldn't get off. not even after they did their usual pushy bits they do to each other when they want it. and i found nothing left of it the next day. they literally leave all my fish alone. even when the fish bite them. (betta girl is pissy when they steal the pellet she's going after) the only thing they ever eat is fresh born babies. and they don't even eat all of those. that's how i got the guppy still. i got at least 3 right now too i think they are leaving to grow up. (rooting for the crayfish to get them >.>) they have also eaten about 4 ghost shrimp that have gotten hitch hiked in bags or brought over by friends. takes a while for them to find them. but once they do...

on the turtle forum i'm not the only one who's had this luck either. the other person that's posted there, turtle is now about 5" and won't touch the fish that he's always been kept with since a hatchling. however he does eat any new fish that are put in.

but most people say anything other than a fish that's as big as the turtle if not bigger is gonna be food. but also most turtle tanks are pretty bare. not much hiding. the only thing i've seen spewed as a safe fish to keep is a pleco. but even a few have posted their larger turtles have taken them down.

the only fish people seem to be 85% on being ok with turtles is ciclids. because they are willing to fight back.

[mermaidwannabe]

That Kuhli Loach story sounds like a fish tale, to me.

One may not want a fish that hides all the time and can't ever be seen. What's the point of having one if you can't enjoy the view now and then?

I would stick with either just fish or just the turtle. Of course, turtles and fish cohabitate in the wild, but usually they're in some huge pond or lake with plenty of space and lots of hiding places. Even then, some of the fish become part of the food chain.

Either / Or, but not both.

-- mermaidwannabe

[Lab_Rat]

it really depends on the turtle. i got 3 in one 75 gallon all less than 2" i have all kinds of fish in with them. fish have been with them since i got them.

1 molly, 1 guppy, 3 sword tails, 3 corries, 1 betta and 1 loach. plus a crayfish. used to have 2. >.> the crayfish is the only thing they've ever attacked. and it was a group take down. and to them i don't even know if it was a food thing or a territorial thing first. he was on their favorite log. and wouldn't get off. not even after they did their usual pushy bits they do to each other when they want it. and i found nothing left of it the next day. they literally leave all my fish alone. even when the fish bite them. (betta girl is pissy when they steal the pellet she's going after) the only thing they ever eat is fresh born babies. and they don't even eat all of those. that's how i got the guppy still. i got at least 3 right now too i think they are leaving to grow up. (rooting for the crayfish to get them >.>) they have also eaten about 4 ghost shrimp that have gotten hitch hiked in bags or brought over by friends. takes a while for them to find them. but once they do...

on the turtle forum i'm not the only one who's had this luck either. the other person that's posted there, turtle is now about 5" and won't touch the fish that he's always been kept with since a hatchling. however he does eat any new fish that are put in.

but most people say anything other than a fish that's as big as the turtle if not bigger is gonna be food. but also most turtle tanks are pretty bare. not much hiding. the only thing i've seen spewed as a safe fish to keep is a pleco. but even a few have posted their larger turtles have taken them down.

the only fish people seem to be 85% on being ok with turtles is ciclids. because they are willing to fight back.
Isn't a 2" turtle a baby turtle? Even 5" doesn't sound like adult size for the turtles I'm familiar with. I could see fish working with young turtles but I see the chance of success dramatically decreasing as the turtle ages and gains size.

[Zanethan]

It really depends on the species of turtle. You can't classify all turtles as the same just like you can't classify all fish as the same. There are turtles out there that stay relatively small and could potentially be housed with fish and there are also turtles out there that don't eat fish at all. It all depends on what species she had.

[cardiocentric]

So now I see why the guy was being the way he was... now that I think about the scenario, NOTHING would work. I do agree with the statement about the peacock eel. Perhaps if you kept it with a sizable bichir of some sort, maybe even gar... they'd get along? either that or it'd be one of those freaky relationships that sometimes happen in aquariums where both parties are so perplexed by the others company that they just behave strangely? case in point with my ADF's and betta female on the first few days of her introduction.

[cardiocentric]

i am also curious to know where she bought this turtle because owning/selling turtles in the state of north carolina where i live is highly illegal and punishable by law if you're caught. people come back from "dirty myrtle"... myrtle beach SC with turtles bought in gift shops all the time... i suspect this is the case. if it is, she shouldn't be putting ANYTHING with it, because those poor babies are housed in some of the worst conditions i've ever seen and it's really upsetting...

[metal-otaku]

i am also curious to know where she bought this turtle because owning/selling turtles in the state of north carolina where i live is highly illegal and punishable by law if you're caught. people come back from "dirty myrtle"... myrtle beach SC with turtles bought in gift shops all the time... i suspect this is the case. if it is, she shouldn't be putting ANYTHING with it, because those poor babies are housed in some of the worst conditions i've ever seen and it's really upsetting...
http://www.ncparc.org/WG-PTR/FAQ%20about%20SB285.pdf

um according to this, i'm not sure where you get that it's illegal to own turtles. it's illegal to own more than 4 of two specific families of turtles. if you have only 1 turtle as a pet then you aren't violating any laws.

and yes my turtles are babies but the species i have only gets 8"

the person with the 5" turtle didn't state what kind. so it could be full grown if a map or musk, or a juvenile if a type of slider.

also most turtles at a younger age are supposed to have a more protein rich diet than as adults. when they are supposed to get more veggies. so actually the babies should be the ones eating the fish. and mine do eat fish. but they only eat bite sized ones. but as shown when they ate the crayfish they have no issue with taking down a larger meal. they just don't go after the larger fish. but they could be super smart turtles and luring the fish into a false sense of security. ;)

[cardiocentric]

in North Carolina it's illegal to sell turtles.
http://www.repticzone.com/forums/Turtles/messages/784092.html
search google : "selling turtles in NC illegal".

[cardiocentric]

they don't make it illegal to "posess" the turtles as you've described, but to take and sell, absolutely they bar it... none of the petsmarts in my city/state carry turtles for this very reason. trust me, i know my state laws. i've lived here 24 years.