It's been some time since I was last here. I have inherited a large red eared slider (about 11" or so).. I have always kept large cichlids and some oddballs like bichirs as well as snakes but never a turtle. I didn't really want the turtle but I have it now and I am going to keep it because my brother's dumb wife will kill it by releasing it on dry land away from water in this freezing cold Massachusetts weather and I don't want it killed. Now I also inherited 3 goldfish (about 3"ea), and I don't feed feeder goldfish to my regular fish, and put it in the turtle tank. She couldn't catch em and eat em so they are tank mates but I don't want common goldfish. Considering the turtle doesn't bother chasing fish anymore and chills with them.....do you think it's safe to add a cichlid or 2 to the tank? I put her in a 55 gallon because my bro kept this huge ass turtle in a small 20 gallon which didn't seem fair. I was thinking of an oscar or a midas or red devil. Any thoughts?
Keeping Fish with a Red Eared Slider?
- Thread starter squirt2005
- Start date
I've got a RES too, but mine is a little smaller than yours, she's only 7inches. Are you measuring just the shell, or the whole turtle? Turtles are usually measured by straight carapace length. 
Anyway, turtles need a bit of space to move around. Generally speaking you need about 10 gallons of space for every inch your turtle is long, so your turtle is hurting for space already. Putting some cichlids in there will just make it even more crammed. Unless you get a bigger tank it's probably a bad idea
Sorry for the 2 pictures, I can't figure out how to detatch the austionsturtlepage.com one... grrr
Anyway, turtles need a bit of space to move around. Generally speaking you need about 10 gallons of space for every inch your turtle is long, so your turtle is hurting for space already. Putting some cichlids in there will just make it even more crammed. Unless you get a bigger tank it's probably a bad idea
Sorry for the 2 pictures, I can't figure out how to detatch the austionsturtlepage.com one... grrr
An RES that size will eventually eat the fish it's sharing a tank with. It isn't harrassing the fish now because it's not in the right physical shape due to the cramped 20 it was in. Once it's built up some strength in it's new tank it will eat the fish.
As stated above, forget adding more tankmates. That tank is small for that size turtle without adding more bio-mass to the system.
As stated above, forget adding more tankmates. That tank is small for that size turtle without adding more bio-mass to the system.
She is 11" TL. I know that a 55 is pretty much minimum for a RES but it's much better than what my brother had her in, poor girl. I figured that as long as the tank depth is larger than her size (so she wouldn't have trouble turning around) she will be okay. I have over 800 gallons of aquariums but I can't rationalize swapping my fish and turtle around and trading their tanks. I figured that since I had 3 goldfish in with her already so maybe I could get away with swapping out the goldfish for something much cooler, lol. Thanks for the opinions.