Crackatinny! Silver Dollars

[Lady Hobbs]

So......where are we to discuss Silver Dollars? I see no place for freshwater egg layers.

I saw your post in MOTM about your silver dollars and their growth spurt and had to respond. Mine are doing the same thing! I was checking them out, longer than usual, last night and thought......wow! You guys are getting big.

It's like they started out fast, slowed down for several month and here they go again. I give mine Spiruline Flakes, fish flakes and romaine lettuce daily. Lettuce is down to the stem without a few hours. They steal the featherfins pellets and swim around with them in their mouths but I never have seen them actually eat them.

Everyone of mine looks the same. Can't believe I ended up all with the same sex. I have 6.

Oh.......they ate my fern, too. Every stinking bit of two plants. Still haven't touched the onions, however.

[cocoa_pleco]

I had 2 in my 33g a few years ago, and my plants mysteriously got shredded. I wonder who could have done it?:hmm3grin2orange:

[crackatinny]

It was actually funny watching mine last night, I have moved 4 of the bigger fish into the new tank, (due to my Bala's causing to much havoc and stirring up the dollars, and the breeding convicts attacking out docile ole oscar and red devil). The dollars used to sit and watch the oscar and devil in the tank beside theres quite often, last night, all 4 was lined up at the front of there tank, watching the new tank, with these guys in it, right across the room, looked so cool.

[Lady Hobbs]

How cute is that, huh? I like the dollars a lot and think they are under rated. You can't ask for a more peaceful fish and one that can go in several types of tank set ups. I think the red hooks would be cool, too, but they really get big.......almost 8 inches. Can you tell if you have mixed sexes, yet? And do yours have the dots on them, yet? Mine don't and maybe they won't get them or would have by now.

[crackatinny]

If by dots you mean on the to fin, 3 have this and one does not, the one that dose not have it has a red tinge to the top fin, maybe this relates to sexing?. unsure, I had red something obout red in the top fin, but can't for the life of me find the article again, my wife wants to fet some gold dollars now, but we will wait to see how these adjust to there new companions 1st.

They are a fascinating fish to watch.

[cocoa_pleco]

when i had my firebelly toads in the 20g long next to my betta in the 2g, all 3 toads would sit and watch the betta from the side of the tank, and the betta would stare at them.

[Lady Hobbs]

Mine all have fins tinged with red. Four are bright red with two red, but a tad lighter. By dots, I meant the brown spots they develop when they get larger and older. Some but not all, I guess.

I saw this site and see what it says about males and the red fin. Sheesh. Looks as all mine are male. Toss a female in the tank and whoppppeeeee. Check the pictures of the fish here and you will see small brown dots on them but not very prominent in this pic.

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/characins/sdollar.php

Mine must have forgotten to read this article before they ate my java fern!

[crackatinny]

I think I to have all males, we have never seen any without the red at the lfs shops we go to within a 70 mile radius of here. Our biggest would be close to 5 inch from snout to tail.

[crackatinny]

Interesting in that site, how one of the comments says top feeders, mine hate going up the top, mainly stick in the middle, if food tends to float, they flip the surface to make it sink, then peacefully eat at mid tank.

[Lady Hobbs]

Nice looking dollars you have there. Your's may make the 8 inch mark that some can get. My will now and then hit the surface but not often. They do best if I toss in the food and walk away from the tank. My angels are with them and are dominant feeders so these guys wait until their food hits the middle of the tank too.