Any kind of fish I can keep with my short-necked turtle?

Question

Hey,

I have a short-necked turtle that I adopted from my friend yesterday. He is around 2 and a half years old. I was wondering if I could keep Guppies or another type of fish with him? The tank is heated to 25 degrees. Thanks,

Matt

Answer 1

Assuming you are in Australia and are speaking in terms of degrees celcius, that is a perfectly acceptable temperature - although you might consider knocking it up a tad to 26'C or 27'C.

You can keep guppies with him but they will most likely be eaten - which is a good thing though. A varied diet is the key to a healthy turtle.

If you wish them to coexist it usually won't work even with larger fish that cannot be eaten. The water of the turtle tank is usually too dirty for fish to survive (even if it has a filter and cleaned regularly) and the PH and hardness will usually be at wrong levels for fish to survive for any long period.

Hope this helps! =)

Answer 2

Yes, you want to feed him fish to eat. Try mini guppies and mini rosey's. 25 degrees is way to cold they like warm water and lots of sun.

Answer 3

Tweny-five degress?  That's mighty cold!  He would be a turtle-sickle!  Water freezes at 32 degrees, you know.  You will need to research your new pet, for sure!

As for the fish question: None.  Regarless of size, the turtle will nip at it and damage its fins, even if its too large to catch and eat.

But, fish are a part of its diet, so you will need to offer him small minnows, as well as greens.

Google your turtle and learn all you can about its care.  I have posted a link below to get you started.

Also, part of its diet is insects.  I'll post a gut loading recipe here for you:

GUT LOADING CRICKETS for REPTILES:

The number one problem:

Dried up and malnourished pet store crickets and mealworms. These food items are essentially useless. A dehydrated and unfed cricket contains almost no nutrients at all; refrigerated mealworms are even worse. A lot of the variety in nutrients found in wild insects is actually in the stomach content - usually plant material. We need to duplicate this to provide the best for our reptiles; without the risk of illness/disease/parasites which can result from feeding our pets wild insects.

Please note that wax worms, while fattening, are not nutritious.

Basic Dry/Staple Cricket Food:

Equal amounts of dry Iguana food, dry dog food, chick starter mash, oatmeal (you can add dry baby food wheat/rye/barley, etc. as well; even shredded wheat - no sugar).

Grind these items together.  Place in a small lid/bowl for the crickets to eat.  Store the unused portion in the refrigerator or freezer, until needed.

Supplement daily with one of the following: sweet potato, bananas, zucchini, oranges, carrots, strawberries, assorted squashes (acorn, yellow, etc.), grapefruit, green beans, apples, kale, spinach, cactus pads, and just about any other nutritious item you can think of (do not use white/yellow potatoes - these are starchy and only good if used as a moisture source during shipping, and NEVER use Avocado - it's poisonous to most animals).

Provide the dry food and kale at all times (kale is readily available during the winter months, too), rotating the other food items through in succession. The key is variety, and to provide an assortment of varying nutrients. What you are trying to do is offer your reptiles crickets with guts 'loaded' with fresh foodstuffs.

The crickets should be gut loaded for 1-2 days prior to offering them to your reptiles.

Also, provide fresh clean water in a lid/bowl, adding a sponge or folded paper towel to prevent drowning.

  

Don't offer more crickets than the reptile(s) will consume within: 1.) a few hours if it’s a lizard, salamander, frog/toad, or 2.) a few minutes, if it’s a water turtle, so you know the crickets will still be full of the good stuff when eaten.

The crickets should be dusted (shaken in a plastic bag gently to coat them) with vitamins (keep these refrigerated) and calcium D3 powder 2-4 times a week, depending on the age of the reptile.

Be sure to remove any uneaten crickets so that they do not soil your pet's environment/water or bother your pet, once it is full.  Crickets CAN turn the table - and feast upon your pet! Or aggravate them, causing stress and even cessation of eating.

Also be sure the crickets are the correct size for the reptile.  The cricket should be the same size long as the reptile’s head is wide.

Enjoy your new pet, and I hope this has been of help.

Answer 4

If it is a painted turtle then they will eat small fish or anything they can get there mouthes on so i would recomending that u keep the turtle and the fish seperated.

Answer 5

no!!! the turtle will certainly make a meal out of them...no fish with turtles...unless the fish are over 20 inches in length.