Housing fish with turtles?

[Seiryu]

Well, I caught the turtle bug now too. And as long as things go as planned, I should have two DBT hatchlings in August/September.

Anyways, their water needs to be really clean. But I was wondering if I could also put something like a Plecostomus in with them?

I have a 75gallon tank they will be starting with. 4x1.5ft and 18-19" tall.

But I don't know how or if it could work out with having a Pleco in with them too. Any thoughts/opinions would be great.

 

[Tom]

I always kept DBTs brackish. Not good for plecos. I understand some people are keeping DBTs in full fresh now, but I still think they would probably mess with a pleco. If not right away, eventually.

 

[Seiryu]

I always kept DBTs brackish. Not good for plecos. I understand some people are keeping DBTs in full fresh now, but I still think they would probably mess with a pleco. If not right away, eventually.

Thanks. Yes, I'm getting mine from Jonathan and they will be kept fresh with a filter that "overkills" my tank for cleanliness.

I was just curious if a 10-12" Pleco wouldn't get messed with, since DBT's cap off at 5-7.5".

 

[Tom]

Well I think a 75 is too small for a 12" pleco. I tried that with some cooters and RES and it ended badly for the big pleco. They really aren't the best way to control algae anyway. Major water changes, frequently will go much farther for that.

When I worked in the pet shops I encountered this question a lot. If you are taking good care of them, Plecos eat a lot and are quite messy. This contributes to more nutrients in the water and more algae growth. They only eat some types of algae and they can clean it out of a 200 gallon tank overnight, literally. Then, you are just feeding another big fish. I keep them because I like them.

 

[Itort]

Fish make good livefood for turtles even plecos. The turtle would eventually kill even a large pleco.

 

[Scooter]

I have a yellow belly slider and a Mississippi map turtle I have fish in both tanks that seem to be living peacefully with the turtles. The fish were actually feeder fish the turtles never ate, now a couple of the feeders are twice the size of the turtle. Neither of mine seem to interested in eating the fish but I also think they are may be a little "special" but I love them anyways lol.

If you want fish I would try getting feeder fish they are cheap and if they get eaten no big deal if they don't then they look pretty nice when grow.

 

[Seiryu]

Thanks for the responses. So you guys think a 5-7" turtle would eat a 10-14" Pleco?

As far as the algae thing goes. It isn't *just* to help clean, it's there because I've always loved Pleco's. I had two clown Pleco's in the past and loved watching them.

The 75gallon tank is just to start with. I plan to buy a 110+ gallon stock tank in a year or so once the little guys get bigger.

 

[Tom]

They eventually will start taking bites out of the pleco, but sometimes it works for a while. If your are starting with young turtles and a good size pleco, it might work for a while. Good luck.

 

[Kristina]

It depends on the species of turtle, honestly. I have 5 zebra danios, a betta, and a bristlenose pleco in with my Stinkpot, but they mainly feed on mollusks, insects, and plant matter. They don't actively hunt fish like river turtles and lack the powerful strike of a snapper. The fish eat food right out from under Stinky's nose, and he doesn't react one bit.

With DBT's, and in a 75, I wouldn't. A 12" pleco isn't gonna stay 12". Commons and many other plecs get to be 36" PLUS if properly housed, and the old "the fish only grow to the size of their container" is cruel. The fish's body stops growing and the internal organs continue, and eventually they die a very painful death.

Kristina

 

[Tom]

With DBT's, and in a 75, I wouldn't. A 12" pleco isn't gonna stay 12". Commons and many other plecs get to be 36" PLUS if properly housed, and the old "the fish only grow to the size of their container" is cruel. The fish's body stops growing and the internal organs continue, and eventually they die a very painful death.

Kristina

Kristina, where did you here these things? I don't know any plecos that get 36" I've seen some 18"ers and heard of 24"ers, but what species gets to 36"? Are they in the pet trade? In 37 years (my whole life) of keeping fish, I've never heard of or seen the internal organ thing before. I'm not saying you are wrong and I'm not saying I know everything, but I worked wholesale and retail for ten years, in addition to keeping thousands of my own, literally since birth, and I've never heard of that. Might it be one of those internet myths? Just asking.

 

[Seiryu]

With DBT's, and in a 75, I wouldn't. A 12" pleco isn't gonna stay 12". Commons and many other plecs get to be 36" PLUS if properly housed, and the old "the fish only grow to the size of their container" is cruel. The fish's body stops growing and the internal organs continue, and eventually they die a very painful death.

Kristina

I'm not talking about a 12" pleco that gets to be 20". There are species out there, that only get to be 10-14" at adulthood.

 

[latshki]

Ive heard the internal thing a lot too, from vets and fish keepers
and there are plecs that get 36" but they are rare to find in the hobby but 18 and 24" plecs are fairly common

if you want fish I would get corydoras and zebra danios and don't get too attached
are the DBT CB and is the breeder raising them in freshwater?

 

[Seiryu]

Ive heard the internal thing a lot too, from vets and fish keepers
and there are plecs that get 36" but they are rare to find in the hobby but 18 and 24" plecs are fairly common

if you want fish I would get corydoras and zebra danios and don't get too attached
are the DBT CB and is the breeder raising them in freshwater?

Yes, CB and raised in fresh water.

I am probably not going to do it now that people are saying a 5-7" turtle will attempt to eat a 10-14" Pleco though.

 

[Tom]

They won't eat him all at once. They will just eventually, probably start taking bites out of him.

 

[Kristina]

Kristina, where did you here these things? I don't know any plecos that get 36" I've seen some 18"ers and heard of 24"ers, but what species gets to 36"? Are they in the pet trade? In 37 years (my whole life) of keeping fish, I've never heard of or seen the internal organ thing before. I'm not saying you are wrong and I'm not saying I know everything, but I worked wholesale and retail for ten years, in addition to keeping thousands of my own, literally since birth, and I've never heard of that. Might it be one of those internet myths? Just asking.

I hope that at this point of the game I am above falling for "internet myths," but I suppose anything is possible

I am an avid fish keeper myself, and run my own aquarium business, KD Aquatics and Design. I research my aqua pets no less diligently than my shelled ones. I am a very active member on several aquarium forums including but not limited to Aquariacentral.com.

On top of reading about it, I have SEEN the internal organ thing with my own eyes. Discus, plecos, oscars, goldfish, - one give away is the size of the eyes in comparison with the size of the body. A stunted fish will have very large eyes. The other organs are also large in comparison to the size of the body, which is why such stunted fish often have a "plump" appearance.

It is possible to keep a healthy fish in a smaller than recommended aquarium, as long as the fish has room to swim and water conditions are kept PRISTINE with weekly water changes, or even more frequent. I am in the process of repairing my 150 gallon goldfish tank, so I have my 100 gallon a bit overstocked at the moment, but I change my water twice a week and my fish are still growing and very healthy.

As to 36" plecos - the Adonis or Lyre Tail pleco, L155, grows up to 1 meter long.

 

[Tom]

I've never heard of that pleco, but that pic is very cool. Not ready to go for the enlarged organ thing though. I think I'd have to see it for myself.

Either way we both completely agree its not cool to keep a potentially large fish in too small of a tank, right? It does "bad" things.

Glad to meet another fish lover. Where are you located?

 

[Kristina]

The northern part of the lower Peninsula of Michigan, smack dab in the middle of the snow belt I love it. Wait... no I don't

Yes, keeping a potentially large fish in a too small of tank causes bad things to happen to them, and is outside the ethics of proper treatment. If I ever have an employee sell an oscar to someone with a ten gal, I'll fire them

 

[Tom]

What do you mean? Ten gallons are great for oscars.... fry.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I have always kept Plecos with DBT's

 

[Tom]

I have always kept Plecos with DBT's

Okay. No missing chunks, ever? Maybe DBT's are good to go, but not so much with other species. I never did it with DBT's since they were brackish, back when I was doing it.

Thanks, Maggie. Good to know.