Striped Silver Dollar 5cm

Striped Silver Dollar

Striped silver dollars are a very unique variation to the extensive silver dollar family. Just like the vast majority of silver dollars, these fish are wonderful large body, herbivores South American schooling fish.  Being a close relative to the infamous piranha, The striped silver dollar share a very similar body shape, tight pack schooling, and size without the crazy blood-thirsty aggression! The striped silver dollar however has a very unique look with a large silvery body with a very significant jade green sheen.

They also have very prominent almost hook-like ends on their dorsal and ventral fins but the most significant thing about them is the tiger-like black tripes they have along the body. This makes them very different from a lot of the other silver dollar species because other common species simply do not have this much variation. Being a slightly larger species they max out at around 12 cm.

They make a great addition in a South American biotope aquarium will add tonnes of activity with their tight schooling behavior as they constantly swim back and forth in the aquarium. Telling males from females apart is very difficult with these fish as they offer no external distinguishable features. The best method would be to set up a dedicated breeding aquarium and noticing the gender when they breed which also isn’t easily achievable in the aquarium environment. Silver dollars are also regarded as very peaceful fish meaning they can be kept with a range of fish. Their wild location is the vast rivers of the Amazon in South America. 

Tank Recommendations for your Striped Silver Dollar

Being a very active species and larger sized the spotted silver dollars need a tank which is around 570 liters (150 gallons). They also definitely need to be kept in a school of at least 5 individuals to feel secure. If this requirement isn’t met then silver dollars can often be very skittish or show aggression. Because of their active swimming pattern they would prefer to have an aquarium with length to it rather than depth or width. A sand substrate would be best as spotted silver dollars can often get spooked easily, when this happens they may dart around the tank and a sandy substrate act as a buffer whereas something like gravel could cause damage. For the aquascape, it is best to keep as much open swimming space as possible however pieces of large branching or smooth driftwood can be added to the aquarium. Dim lighting is also best for these fish.

Suitable Tank Buddies

Striped silver dollars can be kept with a wide array of species due to their peaceful nature however fish with long, flowing fish should be avoided as the silver dollars can be known as fin nippers. small or nano fish should also be avoided or kept with extreme caution as even though spotted silver dollars are herbivores they have been observed to display omnivorous behavior. Aside from this a wide range of cichlids and commonly available species can be kept with them. 

Usually Compatible

A vast range of bottom-dwelling South American cichlids such as Geophagus, Salvini, Convicts, and other peaceful South American species such as Flag-Tail Prochilodus, Dianema catfish, and larger body Tetras. 

Sometimes Compatible

Semi-aggressive species such as jack Dempseys and smaller species such as Corydoras catfish.

Rarely Compatible

Large and aggressive South American cichlids such as jaguar cichlids, dovii cichlids, and nano species such as neon tetras.

Feeding your Striped Silver Dollar

The striped silver dollar is a very easy fish to feed. It will readily eat a wide range of foods being frozen, pellet, flake, and fresh food. Their diet should contain good quality herbivore-based pellets supplemented with the green matter.