Other Turtle Discussion :: Cat Fish and a slider

[kain]

can a cat fish and a slider live in peace sharing the same tank , because
my turtle needs a 24hr cleaner

[scripta_elegans]

Well, the issue is that the turtle will probably eat the cat fish. Anything that goes into the tank is bound to become a tasty snack sooner or later. I have had 2 rosies swimming in the tank for about 2 months now, so it can be a little unpredictable. I have heard of fish and turtles coexisting for a long period of time, but it isn't common.

[sneakyburrito]

i had 2 feeders in a tank with my 2 vRES for a while, they seemed like they all got along very well...That is until the 2 feeders got big and my 2 RES chomped them

[missibsu]

What is the catfish cleaning? Chances are, that even if he were to clean waste from your turtle, he's going to create his own mess. He's likely to be eaten too. I'd just put the money towards a more powerful filter.

[ZooKeeper]

I had a 4 inch catfish for all of 48 hours before my RES ate it.

[jar29]

I was scared to try the cat fish, but I recently graduated our turtles to eating small feeder fish. I put 4 rosies in the tank, and 3 were gone 2 days later. But 10 days later the 4th rosie, is still there.

She is too fast for my baby RES's and now she knows how to avoid them. I was delighted to find her feasting away on whatever it is that she is eating (I think that its turtle skin and alge) because I felt bad about not feeding her any fish food, while she was swimming for her life.

But I was even happier when I realized that before "Rosie" we used to have to clean the tank every 5 days or so (because we still have the cheap filter). But its been over 10 days since the last cleaning, and the water is still pretty clear, and I am certain that she is the reason.

I have a small plastic plant wieghed down by rocks on the bottom of the tank, and Rosie uses that to hide from and outwit our turtles. I think that I will put another one in there to help assure her survival. Right now, she is worth her weight in gold. The best 12 cents I have ever spent!

[SpotsMama]

That's great! I've had a similar experience. My Spot's eaten a total of maybe 10 minnows in his life but 5 more have gotten wise and are now big as well as fast. 4 of them had been living in Spot's outside pond in the summer and survived the transition to the inside tank. They really do help keep the tank bottom nice and clean.

One caution, though. Even though your tank water looks clean the ammonia and nitrites can be building up. Do you test your water? If the biofilter is working right this won't happen but you never know until you test.