>>My western painted lived with a fish that was actually a bit larger than him for several months.
>>

The fish needs to be larger than him all the time.


>> Even if fish are the same size as the turtle.. they aren't safe.
>>

This is true, they need to be bigger than the turtle. Another thing that makes a difference is having lots of room and hiding places for the fish to get away from the turtle. Make sure your caves have back doors so the fish dont get cornered.

In the wild, it is extremely rare for a turtle to catch a healthy fish.

In my 120 gal, my painted turtle bit a chunk out of the dorsal fin of a largemouth bass that was larger than the turtle, but he only got one bite and from then on the bass respected the turtle.

Another important thing is a proper day night cycle. Use timers to shut off lights at the same time every day. When fish sleep they sit on the bottom. If your turtle sleeps all day, then he will be ready to hunt all night. Also having a good current in the tank will help scents flow around and keep the fish on their "toes". Its also entertaining to see a turtle expertly maneuver into the flow of a powerhead. My turtle would swim right into the output of my 1000 gph pump.
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