Habitat - Indoor :: Whats best fish to get,how many,and best way to put in tank?

[PcBuilder14]

Last time I got 2 Rosy Red Minnows and I put them in that tank and a few minutes later they were dead. I wonder why that happened? I was wondering what the best fish to get would be for my turtles. I want some that are fast but my turtle could eventually tire it out and get it. Also I'm not sure how many I should get. And to make sure they don't die should I get fish food, and I need to know the best way to put them into the tank. And is 80' a good temp for fish? My tank temperature stays around that temperature.

[PcBuilder14]

Also, can I just feed them turtle food instead of buying fish food?

[Raphulk]

all your questions could have easily been answered if you just searched a little bit around this website.

also, how old are your turtles? if they are still as small as they are in your avatar, their mouths may only be able to catch a small guppy or so.

[PcBuilder14]

I did search, but everybody said to get different kinds.

[meltedspork]

Rosy reds and guppies are most recommended if you look on the "nutrition" part of the site. Really your turtle doesn't NEED fish, it's just a treat. Whatever you do, DON'T get goldfish, they are not good for your turtle. I have had no problems with rosy reds from PetCo or PetSmart in the past, and have put them in a room temp tank, 75 degree tank, and tropical fish (Oscars) tank that was around 80 or a bit warmer. They have never died before they were eaten... so I'm not sure why yours died.

[Daniel3507]

did you acclimate your fish? i always put the bag they are in inside the tank and let it float for around 30 min to get the water temp in the bag the same as in the tank. then i add some tank water to the bag and wait another 15 min. then i put them in the tank. as for your question about feeding them, i dont feed my fish. they just eat things in the tank which helps keep it clean.

[octpusgirl8]

Fish are a lot more sensitive to water qualtiy than turtles are. Could it be that your tank has high levels of ammonia? Do you ever do water testing?

[PcBuilder14]

No I don't bother with water testing, because I'm not to worried about that, and I don't dechlorinate bacause we don't have chlorine in our water. I'm going to get fish today, so I need to know how many I should get quick! Oh and when I put fish in the tank I cleaned the tank before I did.

[Raphulk]

im not sure if this is completely true, but i heard if you put the fish in really cold water, it will slow them down (swimming wise) so maybe if you do that your turtles might be able to catch them, but like the others mentioned, its not a necessary part of their diet

[mat012]

Personally, I dont want Tuck to eat the fish I have in the tank. So I wouldnt go with feeder fish unless you just want to see the hunt. But Rosy reds are what you need to get. The turtle will eat about anything but they are cheap feeders. If they died shortly after they were introduced to your tank it is one of three things (just my 2 cents and all have been mentioned):

(1) They were sick from the store and the stress knocked them out
(2) You didnt acclimate them (tho I think this is the least likely - they might get stressed but not necessarily die if healthy), or
(3) like oct.girl said, your water quality is poor - too high in ammonia and they choke basically. You probably do need to test. Even tho the turt is far more tolerant of water quality than fish, dead fish are a signal that you want to check the levels out.

Are you using RO water? Just curious. We have RO and I use a mix of tap and RO. The RO doesnt have chlorine.

If you really want the fish just try a couple of rosies again. Dont get anything too fancy.

[Daniel3507]

i dropped 50 bucks on guppies for my tank. i didnt realize i was going to spend that much till i got to the register though so now im going back to the 12 cent rosy reds

[meltedspork]

i dropped 50 bucks on guppies for my tank. i didnt realize i was going to spend that much till i got to the register though so now im going back to the 12 cent rosy reds

Wow! Yes, fancy guppies are expensive and aren't sold to be feeders.

[Chrisbarnett]

Daniel,

50 bucks for guppies? You must have bought fancy guppies. Those are a few bucks a fish. You can get feeder guppies for like 10-12 cents a fish. Feeder guppies do not have all the nice color, they are dull.

[mat012]

Maybe you'll get lucky and he wont eat them. Fancy guppies are pretty.

[joeybsmooth]

I got Roses Reds from Pets mart. When I got some other fish from a different place my turtle died .