Care
Silver Dollars are a timid, but peaceful, shoaling species related to the notorious piranhas. They move with flood waters into the forest, where they feed on vegetation, fruit and seeds.
These fast-swimming fish grow very quickly and require a large aquarium. They must have company of their own kind, and 6 specimens would be considered to be the minimum number to house together. Larger groups will help to make them feel much more secure. The aquarium itself should be sited in a quiet location where it does not receive a large amount of continual foot traffic going past. These are very skittish fish that are easily startled, so they must be provided with many shady hiding spots within the aquarium and some very tight fitting coverslides to prevent them from accidentally jumping out. Decor must be chosen with care as anything sharp can cause them injury whenever they decide to make a dash for cover. When cleaning the aquarium, much care must be taken to ensure that the fish do not become too startled. Silver Dollars are largely herbivorous and possess quite powerful dentition. They will devour most plant species in their aquarium. More robust species such as Java Fern or Anubias can sometimes be successful; otherwise you may wish to opt for plastic or silk varieties. Lighting should be subdued. Their aquarium should be well-filtered and well-oxygenated. These fish originated from heavily vegetated tropical rivers with a fair amount of current, so a good flow rate should be provided. Excellent water quality must be maintained at all times, as they are sensitive to elevated nitrate levels. Although largely herbivorous, these fish should not be housed with any bite-sized tankmates and provide excellent dither for peaceful South American cichlids such as Eartheaters, Severums and even Oscars in aquaria large enough to enable them to avoid conflict.
Feeding
A dry food staple diet of spirulina flake, granules and algae wafers should be supplemented with vegetable matter such as cucumber, peas, lettuce, watercress, fine-leaved aquatic plants and frozen foods such as mosquito larvae, brineshrimp, Mysis shrimp etc. Larger specimens will eat food sticks, krill, chopped prawns etc.
Breeding
Best carried out in a separate warm softwater breeding aquarium with plenty of spawning mops/robust plant species. Silver Dollars often spawn in shoals, depositing up to 2000 eggs. The adults do not normally consume the eggs, which can be expected to hatch within 72 hours.
