Silver Dollars - Community Tank Problem - Need Advice

[jessfish]

Hey everyone, I am new to the forum & new to fish keeping!

As of right now I have a 46gal tank that is overstocked. I've had it running for 5 months & most fish are still small (biggest is pleco who is 5in).

However I did not expect the (5)silver dollars to grow as fast as they have! The last few weeks a few of them have started nipping bad at the bala shark & the fantail goldfish (they've always seemed to nip him a little - but nothing that was ever bad).

I know this behaviour is due to the growth spurt & the size of the tank. so I DON'T need to hear about that...what i do need is advice for changing this nipping behaviour or your thoughts on taking a few silver dollars back.

My plan is to give the dollars another week (i am adding caves & hiding places to tank this week) but if the nipping is still happening in the constant manner it has been I am going to take 1 or 2 silver dollars back to the LFS. Which will leave me with either 3 or 4 silver dollars.

Is this a good ide?
Does anyone have advice for me (i currently cannot afford a new tank for at least 6 more months - but much bigger is my plan!!)

THANKS!!!! :)

Specifics:
Tank 46gal bow front
5 silver dollars
1 bala shark
2 longfin danios
1 redfin tetra
1 fantail goldfish
1 sailfin pleco
1 german ram
1 silver molly

[Brhino]

fish nip because they are stressed. One source of stress in your tank is the overcrowding, which you know about and are attempting to fix. However, another source of stress for a shoaling fish is when it is not in a large school of the same species. You have four shoaling species in your tank (the tetras, the danios, the silver dollars, and the bala shark) and only the silver dollars are close to a happily sized school. Removing some of the silver dollars will reduce the overall overcrowding, but will probably maintain or increase their stress due to their school size. I'm afraid if you want a stress-free tank you're going to have to remove some species entirely and beef up the numbers on the shoaling species that remain.

Additionally, the bala shark and the sailfin pleco will soon be too big for the tank, regardless of whether it is "crowded" or they have it all to themselves. Both of those are simply species that need a larger tank.

[jessfish]

Thanks!

My plan is a MUCH bigger tank for the bala & pleco for sure - i know they will grow out of the tank sooner than later!

With the shoaling species I am a little worried that lowering the #of silver dollars will make their behaviour worse - since there will only be 3 or 4.

Would it be effective to take out the tetra, danios, molly & 1 or 2 silver dollars? I don't think removing the little fish will make a diff to the overcrowding causing stress though....& i don't want to get rid of the shark

ahhh! now i'm a little stressed! lol

[jessfish]

Would it be effective - or helpful in any way - to take out just the smaller fish?
the 1 tetra, 2 danios, 1 molly?

it would reduce #'s but i'm not sure if that will help the stress on the silver dollars?? - this way the number of silver dollars would still be ok

[Brhino]

it won't do much for the bioload, although the tetra and danios are schooling fish, so it's better to have lots or none of them - and given that you don't have room for lots at the moment, none would be an improvement. Mollys aren't really schooling fish, so that won't make much difference.

I doubt any of that will have much effect on your silver dollar behavior. It'll just remove a few fish that have the potential to be stressed.

[toddnbecka]

I'd remove the bala shark, pleco, and goldfish asap. Aside from being a schooling fish the bala will grow too big for almost any size aquarium. The goldfish really doesn't belong in a warm water tank, and fantails aren't compatible or evenly competetive with more active fish.
The danios and tetra should either be moved out or more added, they're schooling species.

[Lady Hobbs]

Totally in agreement with all written here by todd.

[jessfish]

I think i am going to give it another week - as i am changing around the tank a little & adding more caves/rocks & such - if i am still having problems with nipping from the silver dollars i'll remove 1 or 2

since the dollars are causing the problem i am not going to get rid of fish that are fine - in order to keep fish that are nipping. & with plans for a much bigger tank i'm not worried about the pleco or bala & they are still pretty small - its the dollars that have had a surprising growth spurt (had them since jan & they r half their adult size - they were smaller than a quater when i got them)!!! yikes - wish i had been warned that they grow really really fast!!

i might still take the tetra back to the lfs since he/she seems lonley - there were more but he is the only one that has survived since september

[Lady Hobbs]

They are really wonderful peaceful fish but grow very fast. These are mine at 2 years old. Only reason I got rid of mine is that they eat plants.

[jessfish]

They are really wonderful peaceful fish but grow very fast. These are mine at 2 years old. Only reason I got rid of mine is that they eat plants.

oh i agree - they are very beautiful! i never wanted silver dollars but i ended up changing my mind on a different fish i was going to get & got the dollars instead.
I love them & have been totally impressed with them!
but now i know they grow fast & better to start off w less than more lol

at least i know if i do take a few back to the LFS they will re-sell them & they should (hopefully) go to good home that has proper space for them!!!


i'm still not sure thats the best thing though! i won't get rid of the pleco/bala shark/or my goldie...which leaves the little fish (molly & tetra) & the dollars as the odd ones out!
its soooo much harder than i thought to have to make a decision to give some up so the rest r safe & happy...but i want them all to be happy including the remaining dollars!!! ahhhh so difficult!!