Do fish and turtles get along in the same aquarium, with whom can turtles be kept?

Often the owners do not think about finding special equipment, because they are going to keep the red-eared turtle in an aquarium with fish. This solution allows you to save on the purchase of a separate tank, and a pet floating surrounded by bright flocks seems to be a truly bewitching sight. There are also reverse situations, when ornamental fish are trying to be placed in a turtle aquaterrarium “for beauty”. But the existing opinion that fish and turtles can get along in the same aquarium without unpleasant consequences, in fact, turns out to be erroneous.

Why turtles and fish should not be placed in the same container

When deciding to get a turtle, it seems really tempting to put it in an existing aquarium. But aquarium turtles that live with fish are a beautiful myth based on frequent cases when very small turtles are placed in the aquarium. Such babies, who are barely a few months old, are not yet distinguished by aggressive behavior, therefore they peacefully coexist with other inhabitants. But the young grow up very quickly, more and more difficulties arise.

Soon the owners are convinced that the red-eared turtles can only live with fish in the same aquarium for a short time.

The fact is that aquatic turtles are carnivorous – their diet includes all the small inhabitants of reservoirs, mollusks, insects, live fish, their caviar and fry. Therefore, turtles for an aquarium with fish will always act as predators. If a red-eared slider slides in fish, it will naturally perceive them as objects for hunting. Even if you provide your pet with enough food, this will not insure defenseless neighbors from frequent attacks.

It may seem like a good solution to put the turtle in an aquarium with fish that are large and aggressive breeds or can swim fast, because then it will be difficult for her to hunt. These species include carp, koi, cichlids, goldfish, barbs. But even in this case, situations with bitten fins and tails will constantly arise.

Video: how the red-eared turtle fights for food with fish

The neighborhood of a turtle and a catfish can also end in failure – these fish stay at the bottom of the reservoir and the reptile will definitely take advantage of the situation to hunt. Even large representatives of demersal fish, such as loaches, whose body length can reach 15-25 cm, will not be able to defend themselves.

Video: how the red-eared turtle hunts aquarium fish

Wrong content

Turtles and fish are bad neighbors, not only because of the aggressiveness of the reptiles, they can cause mutual harm to each other. One of the main reasons why they cannot be housed together is the obvious difference in living conditions. Deep, clean water, aeration and algae are vital for fish, while such conditions will bring discomfort to reptiles. They need a low water level so that it is convenient to float up for breathing, and a considerable part of the aquaterrarium should be occupied by a bank where turtles dry their shells and paws.

Intense heating, UV lamps and a lot of waste and often polluted water will be harmful to aquarium fish. In turn, some fish excretions are toxic to the turtle and lead to poisoning and other serious health consequences. It is important to note that aggressive fish species, such as barbs, sometimes attack reptiles and inflict serious wounds on them, especially young ones.

Who else can live with a red-eared turtle in the same aquarium

If the fish are not recommended to be kept together with reptiles, this does not mean that other neighbors cannot be added to the turtles. You can often see decorative snails on the walls of the aquaterrarium – they perfectly perform the role of orderlies and cleaners. Naturally, some of them will become prey for reptiles, but snails give such a large offspring that otherwise the number of individuals will have to be reduced manually.

Crayfish, crabs, shrimps can also become good neighbors – they also perform a sanitary role, collecting food debris and excreting turtles from the bottom. A dense chitinous coating on the body protects crustaceans from attacks by reptiles. Turtles will still eat some crustaceans, but nevertheless these species can live together quite successfully.

Video: rainbow crab and red-eared turtles

How do aquatic turtles get along with each other

When keeping aquarium turtles, the question sometimes arises – how to hook up a baby to an adult, or make friends of representatives of different species. Large and small red-eared turtles can be friends together if their sizes do not differ much and the youngest individual has reached a length of at least 4-5 cm. In this case, you also need to carefully monitor the feeding – a large turtle should not starve, so as not to consider a small one as prey. It is better to use separate containers for feeding reptiles to avoid food fights.

At home, it is difficult to find enough space to equip different habitats for several reptiles, so it is not uncommon for turtles of different species to coexist in the same aquarium. It is not recommended to do this, because reptiles can fight, but still, red-eared turtles are sometimes kept along with marsh or Caspian turtles, which are distinguished by rather non-aggressive behavior. Before introducing a new pet to the rest, it must be quarantined so as not to infect the common aquarium with dangerous bacteria or fungus.

Video: European swamp and red-eared turtle in the same aquarium