Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey people...I was just wondering if it's ok to put a plecostomus (sucker fish) in a tank with my Eastern Painted turtle...any feedback would be greatly appreciated..

How big is the tank, how big is the turtle, how big is the pleco, how much water is in the tank.

>>Hey people...I was just wondering if it's ok to put a plecostomus (sucker fish) in a tank with my Eastern Painted turtle...any feedback would be greatly appreciated..
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iturnrocks.com

it's a 20 gallon tank...there's about 17 or 18 gallons of water in there, the turtle is 5 inches long and about 3 inches wide, and the pleco is around 5 inches long..maybe a little longer...

I would not reccomend adding anything to that tank. A 20 gallon is way too small for a turtle that size. You need to consider upgrading to a 55 gal minimum.

If you add a pleco to that tank, the turtle will most likely kill it. If you added it to a 55, the pleco would survive, but may get a nip every once in a while.

>>it's a 20 gallon tank...there's about 17 or 18 gallons of water in there, the turtle is 5 inches long and about 3 inches wide, and the pleco is around 5 inches long..maybe a little longer...
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iturnrocks.com

What would be a good sized tank to get for this turtle? I know you said 55 gallon minimum but what would you recommend for the turtle to live comfortably and also so I could keep the pleco in there as well.
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Thanks,
Joe

I would think a 100 gal or better would suffice

>>What would be a good sized tank to get for this turtle? I know you said 55 gallon minimum but what would you recommend for the turtle to live comfortably and also so I could keep the pleco in there as well.
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>>Thanks,
>> Joe
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iturnrocks.com

My western painted lived with a fish that was actually a bit larger than him for several months. He seemed to enjoy the company of the fish, he would wiggle his long nails in front of the fish, he seemed to spend a lot of time playing with the fish every day.
One cleaning day I had just put him back in the tank with the fish, everything was sparkling clean when he decided it was time to eat sushi.
He killed the fish and made a huge mess in that freshly cleaned water. I let him eat all he wanted then cleaned the tank again.
Even if fish are the same size as the turtle.. they aren't safe.
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PHRatz

>>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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iturnrocks.com

Another thing. For me personally, i would only put with a turtle native fish that are found in the wild with the turtle. I believe these type of fish have natural common sense about living with turtles. If you read the "Killer RES" article in the other forum, youd see that some species just cant interact with our turtles the same as the native species.
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iturnrocks.com

>>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.

This is true too. My mud turtle is slower than the painted, they don't live together in the same tank. The mud has a harder time catching his fish in day time.
I keep a small nightlight on in their room that's not next to the tanks. The light doesn't light up the tanks but it keeps the room from being pitch black at night.
I've watched my mud stalk and catch his feeder fish at night in the dim light, he's a really good night hunter.
The painted doesn't bother to hunt at night because he's good at catching them in day light.
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PHRatz

Hi,
I would NOT put a painted and a plecostomus together as many plecostomuses have barbs on their heads, by the gills. I would think it might hurt turtle if they try to swallow it. When you net a plecostomus they will get the barbs stuck in the net, I've had to cut them free many times. Plecostomuses are very shy and noctornal and do clean the tank. They like lots of hiding places.

The same would go with sticklebacks, they get mixed in with minnows when you buy them from a bait store and they have spiny barbs on their backs...