Rescued a massive Silver Dollar, will it shoal with smaller Silver Dollars?

Shasmisha

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 4, 2022
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New York City
Hi everyone, I saw the Silver Dollar at my LFS. I figured I'd get it since I have a mostly empty 125 gallon tank. I wanted to see if anyone would know if the Silver Dollar would shoal with smaller ones. I have never seen a Silver Dollar bigger than 2in diameter at a fish store, this one is 6--7in in diameter. I wanted to get around 6-10 so they can shoal, but I don't want to do it with big one wouldn't shoal with them. I know they feel less stressed in bigger shoals. Wherever the Silver Dollar was, it seemed it was super stressed and kept bashing its face. Its upper lip is practically gone and flat. I don't want it to continue to stress out and bash its face again. I am willing to grow out a shoal if need be, but I have no idea how long it would take. I have a heavily planted 20 gallon with a filter for a 90 gallon where I can house them.
 

Deadeye

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Silvers aren’t picky. Whenever I got new, tiny ones to put with my larger ones, they would immediately group together. They’ve even adopted a skirt tetra into their group.
Silvers dongrow fast if properly cared for too, so it won’t be long until the small guys get near the size of the big one.
 

FJB

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Dec 15, 2017
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Big one will shoal with small one and viceversa. They like company, even of not the same species.
Good luck and show us pictures of both small and large. Interested in seeing what you found.
 
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robmcd

Goliath Tigerfish
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Jan 19, 2007
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SDs grow like weeds, and will shoal together at any size.
 
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Shasmisha

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 4, 2022
7
7
3
New York City
Hey y’all! Thanks so much for your replies. He’s some pics of the SD I rescued. I have not had any luck finding any SDs at any of my LFSs. So I’m waiting for shipments to come in. They were literally all sold out -__-

17513AD4-24E6-48F6-9892-DD34F35D6BC7.jpeg

92482D9D-4680-445A-8CE4-EC3CC9D6D133.jpeg
 

Shasmisha

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 4, 2022
7
7
3
New York City
Thank you for the ID! I'll make sure to find the same kind. I'm having a hard time getting it to eat right now. It just runs away whenever I drop food.
 
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FJB

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Dec 15, 2017
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Indeed, a male red hook. Now you have two different genera of silver dollars. After it feels more comfortable it will eat anything you throw at it. Nice fish!
Even though it would be nice to get a group of those, it would be too much for a 125g tank. Better off thinking about a group of the small ones (genus Metynnis), where the big red hook will be the large big brother who will be happy to school along.
Good luck!
 

Deadeye

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Agreed about other species still schooling with it, I had a metynnis silver dollar school with red belly pacu, so similar idea.
I will say that that tank won’t be “mostly empty” for long. All of those fish have the potential to get very large, with the arowanas each outgrowing 300 gallons frequently.
 

fishguy1978

Redtail Catfish
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Mar 30, 2020
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Gorgeous male. I have 4 or 5 species of Silver Dollars including 6 female Myleus rubripinnis in a 260g. I have 6 M. Hypschauchen in a 120g which started out as one adult with 5 quarter dollar size fish. I think it to blinks of the eye for them to huddle up and become a school. My 220g houses 11 in a mixed school of M. Lippincotainus and M. Argentus.
For you 125g the M. Hypsauchen or the M. Lippincotainus may be the better option as they don't get as big as M. Rubripinnis.
 
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