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Silver DollarFamily: Serrasalmidae Family: Characidae - Sub-family: Myleinae
Latest Reader Comment - See More I have one regular dollar and a redhook who are both about 3in. The normal one is a little skittish but not as much as people say, and my redhook is bold and not eas... (more) eric 2008-08-01
The Silver Dollar looks just as its name implies, round and 'covered with silver'!These are named "Silver Dollar" because their body shape is almost round and is very compressed laterally. Generally they are a silver color with slight green and blue tints in the right light. There are also hints of red, especially the anal fin of the male which is edged in red. In some habitats they will have small dots on their sides.
The peaceful Silver Dollar is a choice fish for many aquarists who want a community aquarium with good sized inhabitants. The Silver Dollar, though very peaceful, gets rather large and needs a good sized aquarium. They are a lively fish and like to hang out in schools, so get several if you can! These fish are happiest in a large shallow aquarium with peat filtered water, dark gravel, and lots of plants and hiding places. The Silver Dollar does like to eat plants! So get plants that are not so tasty like java fern and hornwort, or you can use plastic plants. For more Information on keeping this fish see:
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| Geographic Distribution Metynnis argenteus |
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| Data provided by FishBase.org |
Distribution:
The Silver Dollar was described by Ahl in 1923. They are found in South Americain in Guyana, Orinoco, western
Amazon, and the Paraguay Basin.
Status:
The species is not listed on the IUCN Red List.
Description:
The Silver Dollar is a very deep bodied fish with a round almost disk like shape that is very compressed laterally. They are a silver color with slight green and blue tints in the right
light. There are also hints of red, especially the anal fin of the male
which is edged in red. In some habitats they will have small dots on their
sides.
Size - Weight:
These fish get up to 6 inches (15 cm).
Care and feeding:
Since they are herbivorous the Silver Dollar will generally eat mainly vegetable foodstuffs including
a variety of plants, lettuce, cress, chickweed, and large vegetable flake.
A good spirulina formula would be beneficial.
Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
These fish will swim all over but mainly in the middle of
the aquarium.
Acceptable Water Conditions:
Hardness: to 15° dGH
Ph: 5.5-7.5
Temp: 74-82° F (24-28° C)
Social Behaviors:
The Silver Dollar is a good peaceful fish recommended for
all community aquariums.
Sexual Differences:
The male has a longer anal fin which has a red tinge on the
front of it.
Breeding/Reproduction:
Suggested water conditions: 79-82° F (26-28° C); pH 6.0-7.0;
below 10° dGH.
The Silver Dollars are easy to spawn, they will do so in
a school. Place clumps of plants on the surface so they will spawn in
between them. The female will lay up to 2000 eggs which will fall to the
bottom and hatch after 3 days.
The parents will not eat the eggs so there is no need to remove them. The fry will attach themselves to a surface and eat small plankton. See the general description of how to breed Characins in Breeding Freshwater Fish.
Availability:
The Silver Dollar is readily available and is reasonably priced.
Click to see All the comments!
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| Latest Comments |
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| I have one regular dollar and a redhook who are both about 3in. The normal one is a little skittish but not as much as people say, and my redhook is bold and not easily scared. WhenI come up to the glass he just sits there looking at me. I find that when I feed them blanched cucumber their red really comes out. They're in a 55gal. tank with one 7in tinfoil barb, one 8in pleco, two black-skirt tetras, one diamond tetra, a 7in. tire track eel, a 3in clown loach, and a 2in bumblebee catfish. Very hardy and easy to keep.
2008-08-01 |
| These guys are the best! I got two of them after I got my two Angels. They're the most exciting fish I've ever had! Very hardy once you get them going and they're so long lived. I love them! Now that I have 100gallon I'm planning on putting in a few more. The only draw back is that I once had a Ghost Knifefish, the Silvers and the Knife got along fine...for the first 3 weeks, and then my silvers killed him :o. They are peaceful but you have to watch what you put them with still.
2008-03-08 |
| I have seven silver dollars in a 75g tank with a school of ten rummy nose and ten harlequin rasboras. Six are two years old and one is 7+ years old. Finny, the eldest, is over six inches tall and has quite the personality. As has been said, they are a very skittish fish and get scared easily. To keep them from running into the sides and back of the tank when they are startled, paint the ends and back of the tank with black acrylic paint or cover it with black waterproof paper.
Also, silver dollars will eat ANY and all plants -- even the ones listed here as being "safe" from them. I had mine in a tank full of all of the plants that silver dollars are said not to eat, and they ate them all. It took a year, but they ate them all. For a nice treat, put floating duckweed or frogbit in the tank.
2007-11-06 |
| I have two large silver dollars about 2in, and 3 small conterfeit silver dollars. They are my favorite fish, so sweet but very timid. They get scared very easily. Put them in a room where there's not lots of noise and they'll do just fine. I feed mine fish flakes and algea wafers, they love those. They spin them around in there mouth and eat them like a little cookie:) Occasionally they'll get some frozen blood worms, but not often. Mine live along with 2 small crabs, two small clown loaches, and a chocolate albino pleco. They all do great together in a 29 gallon tank! Good luck with them, they have so much personality!
2007-10-30 |
| Just a quick note on the life span of Silver Dollars...
I got one when I got married I gave it to my mother in-law when I had to move. He died last year, 17 + years old! She also has a Pleco in the same tank, hes over 20 now! The silver Dollar died because the power went out and he got too cold I think.
I know it seems hard to believe, but I've been married 18 years now and I got rid of my tanks a few months after I got married.
Our water is very good here, I think that played a major roll in his long life.
2007-04-14 |
| Some of the coolest comments: |
| I have 10 silverdollars and they are my favorite fishes. They are quite easily scared, so put the tank in a quiet corner of the room. Keep them in groups of six or more in a big tank. Feed them a lot with lettuce, bloodworms, vegetable flakefood. Change 1/3 of the water every week and you won´t get any problems with them. They are peaceful, but nervous and fast swimmers, so keep them with other lively fishes like livebearers and medium sized cichlids (not discus or angels). The only disadvantage these fishes have are they will for sure eat any plant you put in your tank. 2005-03-22 |
| I have kept Silver Dollars for about three years now, they are a very nervous and shy fish and do better in numbers of three or more. They are a wonderful fish to keep and have had no problems apart from them eating every plant in my tank! Need to feed them plenty of veg such as lettuce. Have kept them with medium Tetras and angels and all are fine. Best to keep them in a larger fish tanks mine are in a 55 gallon tank. 2004-07-20 |
Author: David Brough. CFS.
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