Types and size of silver dollars....

Hello,

I recently procured a new 240gal tank and was hoping to set it up with angels, silver dollars, pink-tailed chalceus (or hatchet fish), some plecos, corys and maybe some other tetras. My question is which silver dollars stay the smallest? Is there any major difference in which ones are the hardiest? Someone suggested Counterfeit Silver Dollars, but they don't look like silver dollars to me. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Welcome to FishLore!

I think all silver dollers get big.
Hatchets need lots of lengthwise swimming room or they will come out of the tank. If it's covered they will come out of the water and thump the lid. This is from personal experience
Carol

 

Welcome to FishLore!

Common Silver Dollars (Metynnis argenteus) were the smallest of all the species I kept. They are also by far the hardiest from my experience. They are great fish but make sure you have a big school if you want them to be happy.

As you stock you have to keep in mind that your tank is big so you need to put in fish that get bigger. If you get something like Cardinal Tetras you will need to get a lot if you want to see them in your tank. A better type of Tetra would be Bleeding Heart Tetras because they are much larger. Same goes for corries. I'd get Aeneus corries because they get fairly large. Hatchet fish are fun but again you'll need a large group if you will want them to stand out in your tank. As Butterfly mentioned, they are great jumpers so you want to have a tight lid on the tank. As for the Pink Chalceus I would stay away from them. I don't like them as tank fish because they can get pretty nippy.

 

Carol & Rogue,

I want to thank you guys for your insights. I appreciate that you took the time to answer some of my question.


Rogue, was that your video I saw on simulating rain with your AquaClear and a plastic container? I see you live in Florida and have the American flag up, but you sound Canadian in that video. BTW, it was a good video of a great idea.


I'm wondering if any of you guys know what kind of silver dollars these are at the 1:09 mark (I'm assuming they're SDs).

Any information you have on them or anything you can link me to would be great.

Also, I want my tank to look as authentic as possible, though there won't be any live plants in the main tank. Do you know what the substrate looks like in the rivers where angles and SDs are from? Are there any parts of the rivers where angels and SDs are actually living together? Any suggestions for substrate would be appreciated.


Thanks in advance.

 

Hi,

Nope that wasn't my video but I have used that technique before to convince my fish to breed. Which video did you see exactly?

Those don't look like any Dollar that I've seen. I'd guess they are some kind of Brachychalcinus.

If you want a biotype tank you want to have lots of sticks and branches in some parts of the tank and then large open spaces in other parts. The substrate in rivers and streams where Angels and Dollars are found is usually very fine sand or dirt. Angels and Dollars are found together often but usually angels stay near clumps of sticks and roots while Dollars swim around in open spaces in groups. But Dollars use the sticks and such as a breeding ground or an area to hide. For substrate I'd suggest trying to find a cream or near brown colored soft sand. Here's a video that will give you a good idea of where Dollars are found in the wild-

 

You're a pro man. That's what they are. But from doing a little research it doesn't appear they're easy to get.

The video I was talking about that you posted is at the bottom of this thread.

I was already planning to use some wood and a lot of plastic/silk plants in at least two parts of the aquarium with open space in the middle. Do you have any suggestions on the color of the sand or can I use what looks good to me? Should I stick to what's specifically sold @ fish stores or online. Is there a brand you like? Also, what type of roots/branches should I use?

I'm planning to use at least a 60gal wet/dry-sump-refugium for filtration and maybe a couple of large sponge filters.

Thanks again for your help. You're clearly very knowledgeable.

Hi,

Nope that wasn't my video but I have used that technique before to convince my fish to breed. Which video did you see exactly?

Those don't look like any Dollar that I've seen. I'd guess they are some kind of Brachychalcinus.

If you want a biotype tank you want to have lots of sticks and branches in some parts of the tank and then large open spaces in other parts. The substrate in rivers and streams where Angels and Dollars are found is usually very fine sand or dirt. Angels and Dollars are found together often but usually angels stay near clumps of sticks and roots while Dollars swim around in open spaces in groups. But Dollars use the sticks and such as a breeding ground or an area to hide. For substrate I'd suggest trying to find a cream or near brown colored soft sand. Here's a video that will give you a good idea of where Dollars are found in the wild-

One other thing. I noticed those Leporinus in the video. I'm guessing they cannot be kept with angels.


TIA.

 

Nope, Discus Tetras are extremely difficult to get a hold of. I couldn't even find any in Thailand!

Ooh okay. Yeah that isn't my video but it is a good method to get Dollars to spawn.

A cream or light brown colored sand would be best if you are trying to replicate their wild environment. They like fine sand best. I don't know much about brands of sand, sorry. I would buy sand that is sold at a construction ship or something similar. They should sell large bags of sand for cheaper. Pet store sand is pretty expensive. I use Grapevine wood. I prefer that kind of wood. But your pet store should have wood of all kinds. Anything that looks like branches. You don't want a solid block of wood.

Your filter sounds good. Just make sure there is a fair current in some parts of the tank.

Haha Leporinus should definitely not be kept with Angels. The Angels' fins would be too tempting. Lemporinus are notorious fin nippers.

 

Rogue,


Too bad about the Discus Tetras being so difficult to get. I wonder why they're so rare. Maybe they're difficult to breed, hard to keep etc. I assume they're a schooling fish.

What other fish would you suggest for my tank that are from the same rivers as angels?

Also, what to you think of this dirftwood? Thanks in advance.



And what about this guy?



Funny thing is I grew up right on the Ohio River near where the first guy is getting his wood. And my parents currently own two houses right on the Tennessee River where the other guy is getting his stuff. Maybe I'll just take my dad's boat on a collecting trip the next time I'm out there. Thanks in advance.

 

I believe they are difficult to collect in the wild. I've never seen them on any of my Amazon collection trips.

Lets see.. There are a variety of tetras you could try. If you don't want real plants you could have dI'm lights which Dollars prefer. That means you could try a Black Ghost Knifefish. They are fun but can't be kept with small fish like neons. Diamond Tetras are great fish. I really like them. Also Lemon Tetras and Bleeding Heart Tetras are some of my favorites. There are a variety of plecos that are native to the Amazon. BNs do well with Silver Dollars if they are shortfin. Silver Dollars sometimes will nip longer finned fish. You could try Eartheaters (cichlids). They are fun. Corries are also another type of fish you could try. They are very active bottom dwellers.

Personally I like the first sellers wood best. I would ask him what types of trees they are from and only get wood that is from the same kind of tree so you don't have different colors of wood in the tank.

 

I'd really like to hear which of the cichlids you think would be a good choice for my tank. And again, I really appreciate your help. I don't want to take up all of your time on this forum so if you can't find time to respond I understant, but I'll read anything you post as I'm learning a lot.

 

Hi,

A couple fun cichlids you could try are Geos (Eartheaters)*, Festivums*, Severums, Firemouths, Convicts, Jack Dempseys, Keyhole Cichlids*, Apistos*, Rams*, CutterI Cichlids, and many more. I suggest you do some research on them and try to figure out what you like best for your tank. Not all of them are from the exact area where Dollars and Angels are from but they do all come from either South or Central America. I put little stars (*) next to the ones I like personally.