Silver Dollar

Silver Dollar

Metynnis Hypsauchen, Lippincottianus, Argenteus

The Silver Dollars are a family of larger characins that are a great schooling option for larger aquariums, being extremely active, relatively peaceful, and achieving a unique disc like shape, shared almost exclusively by them and discus.

Locale: Occurs through much of South America - is found most commonly in densely vegetated tributaries and river pools.

Fun fact: Silver Dollars are a large species of Characin, a taxonomic Family that consists largely of Tetras, however other, much larger members of this Family exist such as Pacu, Leporinus, and even Pirahna!

Care:

Care difficulty - Beginner, hardy schooling fish.

Temperament - Semi-aggressive, schools peacefully when kept in large group sizes (e.g. 15+), however 6+ is recommended as minimum school size

Adult size - 12-15cms (Many subspecies are often recorded larger than this however)

Diet - Omnivorous; however are chiefly Herbivorous, feeding a mixture of vegetable-based pellets, flakes, and frozen food is best to replicate their natural diet in the wild. 

Habitat - In the aquaria Silver Dollars are very unfussy fish when it comes to environment, however recreating the natural environment of any fish is always beneficial, such an environment for Silver Dollars would include a light soft sandy substrate, dark branching driftwood, the wild locations that Silver Dollars naturally occur within are heavily vegetated, however in the aquaria it is best to avoid this as the diet of Silver Dollars consists primarily of plant matter, so any plants within the aquaria will be consumed.

Optimal Water Parameters:

Temperature: 24-28°c

pH: 6.0-7.0

GH: 4-10

KH: 1-3

Fish size, sex, exact colour and patterning may vary from photo.