The silver dollar fish is a beloved freshwater species that has been a popular choice for aquarium enthusiasts for years.
With their unique and eye-catching appearance, they’re more than just pretty to look at—they’re also fantastic fish to own. Caring for silver dollar fish is straightforward and won’t require endless effort or time. These low-maintenance fish are hardy and can live long, healthy lives if given the proper care.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about silver dollar fish care so you can confidently add them to your aquarium.
Species Summary
The silver dollar fish (scientific name: Metynnis argenteus) can be found all throughout South America in rivers that contain heavy amounts of long vegetation. Their tall and thin build makes them perfect for navigating this environment and swimming between stems with ease.
They eat mostly plants and are known for their ability to devour any plant in their path. In fact, one of their nicknames is the “plant piranha!” This is worth noting because it will impact how you decorate and fill your tank when it comes to plant life.
Silver dollar fish are also used to a variety of hiding spots in their natural habitat other than plants. Rocks and driftwood are scattered throughout the water they live in.
These are top dwelling fish which means they will spend most of their time in the upper half of your freshwater aquarium. Knowing this will be useful for when you map out potential tank mates later on.
Lifespan
The typical silver dollar fish lifespan is roughly ten years. However, it’s not that uncommon for them to exceed this by a year if they have good genetics and receive optimal care.
Because of their natural habitat, these are very hardy fish. However, this still means you can shorten their lifespan significantly if you don’t maintain the right tank and water conditions. As long as you take those things seriously you should expect to see them live quite long and happy lives!
Appearance
The silver dollar fish looks just like, a silver dollar (shocking). Their bodies are tall and flat which gives them a rather circular appearance from the side.
Their dorsal fins look a bit like a tilted equilateral triangle that starts at the highest point on their body. The front ridge of the dorsal fin is typically more opaque than the rest of it.
Their caudal fins are forked ever so slightly and are perfectly symmetrical. The silver caudal peduncle on these fish extends a bit into the caudal fin.
Silver dollar fish have slightly lumpy bodies. Starting at their head it’s a fairly clean triangle on top and bottom until the midpoint. Then where their dorsal fin starts is slants down before hitting a very slight bump. Meanwhile on the bottom, it flattens out before making a sharp turn up to the caudal fin.
Size
The average silver dollar fish size is around 6 inches in length. There is the occasional report of them hitting 8 inches but that’s not to be expected.
These aren’t small fish which means you’ll have to plan your tank accordingly. Not only are they long, but they’re tall! The on;y space-saving featured about silver dollar fish is their width.
Silver Dollar Fish Care
Silver dollar fish care is not rocket science. These are hardy and durable fish that can thrive in a wide range of conditions.
Tank Size
A 75-gallon tank should be plenty for your silver dollar fish. This is assuming a 5 fish minimum for your tank. These are schooling fish that do much better in a group than alone, so we don’t recommend including less for the sake of saving space.
You’ll want to have a long tank for your adult silver dollar fish because they are active fish that like to swim. This will give them some distance to cover without feeling cramped.
Water Parameters
Maintaining the right water parameters is crucial when it comes to silver dollar fish care. Despite their hardy nature, they can get into trouble if parameters shift too much.
- Water temperature: 75°F to 82°F
- pH levels: 5-7
- Water hardness: 4-18 dGH – most experienced aquarists prefer somewhere in the 8 to 15 range.
Silver dollar fish require a well-made habitat for enrichment and comfort. These fish are prone to high levels of stress if they spend time in an environment that they don’t understand or lacks what they need.
First, you’ll want to include a decent amount of plants that they don’t find tasty. This will allow them to feel at home without you having to add new plants every couple of days. If these fish like the plants in their tank, they will devour them in a matter of days!
Two great options are java moss and hornwort. These will provide them with a familiar and comfortable atmosphere, but not tempt their appetite.
An ample amount of driftwood and rocks will also be useful. Even though the silver dollar fish spend most of their time in the upper half of the tank, they will still appreciate having places to hide.
A gravel substrate is ideal since it will perfectly mimic the river beds in their natural habitat. Dark gravel is preferable.
Food & Diet
The diet of silver dollar fish can be a little confusing at first. While these fish are technically omnivores, they spend most of their time scarfing down plant life.
You have plenty of options when it comes to their preferred source of plant-based foods. Some of our favorites are:
- Algae wafers
- Plant-based flakes
- Cucumbers
- Peas
- Lettuce
- Other leafy greens
- Seaweed
They will also appreciate the occasional treat of bloodworms and brine shrimp, but these should be fed to them quite rarely.
The standard feeding schedule for silver dollar fish is very convenient. These fish can do fine on a two times a day schedule which is way more convenient than 3-4 daily feeding sessions that some other species require.
Silver dollar fish are very pleasant fish to keep. They’re calm, not aggressive, and fairly active.
You’ll almost never see them show any kind of aggression toward each other or other fish in your tank. This makes them a great community fish that you don’t have to worry about.
Since they’re schooling fish you’ll always see them swimming with their buddies. It’s rare to catch one lurking out on their own since that will make them very shy and nervous.
Silver Dollar Fish Tank Mates & Compatibility
There are plenty of critters that make great silver dollar fish tank mates because of their gentle nature. For the most part, these fish simply want to mind their business and find plants to snack on!
Peaceful bottom-feeder fish are usually quite compatible with silver dollars since they spend most of their time in the upper half of the tank. This means not only will both species not want to fight, but they won’t even be near each other in the first place!
A few of our favorites in this category are bristlenose and clown plecos. Kuhli loaches and cory catfish also make good silver dollar fish tank mates.
There are a number of cichlids that also make great tank mates. The Oscar fish, red empress, and blue dolphin are all strong cichlid pairings.
Due to their size and durability, you have a lot of options when it comes to finding a tank mate for silver dollar fish. Just because you don’t see it on our list above doesn’t mean it isn’t compatible! If they have similar water requirements and aren’t aggressive, they can probably work!
Breeding
Silver dollar fish breeding is pretty straightforward once you’ve identified a compatible mating pair.
You’ll need a breeder tank that’s somewhere in the 40 to 50-gallon range. The water temperature and pH levels should be on the higher end of their normal range to encourage the process.
Floating plants are a necessary inclusion in the breeder tank as well. This will mimic their natural environment and make the fish think they’re in an acceptable place to spawn.
The eggs that the female creates will fall to the substrate and the parents won’t be very involved with them after that point. This might seem a little odd since these are fish that prefer to be near the surface of the water, but it’s worked for them so far!
After a few days, the eggs will hatch and you’ll need to feed them foods like plankton and small flakes in order to assist their growth.
Tying It All Together
The silver dollar fish is one of our absolute favorite freshwater fish. They’re unique, fun to look at, peaceful, and very low-maintenance!
Caring for them is a fun experience that anyone can handle once they know what to do (which this guide has taken care of). Also because of their long lifespan, you’ll probably have these fish for quite a while as long as you provide them with a healthy tank to live in.
If you have any additional questions about silver dollar fish care that we didn’t cover in this guide please let us know. We want to make sure these resources are as useful as possible!
