hiya, right i have been thinking of getting a turtle to put in with my 2 goldfish, i have been to a turtle website and asked about the saftey of the fish with the turtle and i was told if i am quite attached to the goldies then i should maybe get a different tank for the turtle, well i am attached to the goldies so ive decided if theres going to be a turtle theres going to have to be another tank altogether,i need to no whats the absolute SMALLEST tank possible for a turtle i would love a massive tank for one or two but i cant afford to much so if anyone knows please reply
thanks xxx

Well it would depend on what specis of turtle you want. the most common in pet stores are red-eared sliders (10 inches) and painted turtle (7inches) What kind are you planning on getting? a 25 gallon would be the smalles for a painted turtle and a 40 gallon for a red-eared

Claire, did you check out Turtleforum.com, thats a great site when it comes to turtle care and such.
Fishies is right about tank sizes, do not make the mistake and let the store guy talk you into buying those horrible turtle islands, which is nothing but a little swimming space with a redicilously small basking area in the middle. Those islands are for turtles what bowls are for goldfish - death traps.
I got 2 yellow bellied turtles from a show a few years back, and bought that island for mine. The water was dirty all the time, and the turtles outgrew that thing within a month. .....

Most turtles that are rather cheap in money become at least 5 to 8 inches red eared sliders could be come up to 12 inches and for diffrent types of silders i read it was 15 to 17 inches,painted turtles also become 12 inches,theres alot of diffrent types of painted turtles and sliders and theres loads of other turtles aswell.
For some reason if you wont be able to buy a big tank at least 70 gallons,then i think you should wait or maby keep them in tubs or in small ponds.

When I had to give up my red eared slider "Big Mamma" she was well over 12 inches long and was living in a 55 gallon tank.

My painted turtle that I've had for 13 years is about 7 inches long and in a 30 gallon (long) tank. I'm not sure what specific breed he is, I think eastern.

Maybe you can get a tree frog? Much cheaper, cleaner, smaller pet.

I just realized that I got my turtles when I was a little younger than you (12-13)! Keep in mind that I'm now 26 and still have the same turtle that I had then!!!! And my turtle shows no signs of old age, he'll still be around for a long time.