Will the Silver Dollars Starve the Rest?

A

AviDusty

Small Fish
#1
Sep 9, 2008
11
0
0
Melbourne, Australia
#1
Hi all!
I have just two Silver dollars and a Bristle nose in a 10G tank. I am cycling a 40G tank to transfer them in and may be add several other fishes.
My concern is that the Silver dollars gobble all the food as fast as...!
I don't know how the Bristle nose survives?! If I put more fishes are they going to starve?
Please, anybody there with Silver dollars -advise!
Love
Avi
 

A

AviDusty

Small Fish
#8
Sep 9, 2008
11
0
0
Melbourne, Australia
#8
I do throw spirulina wafers - 3 wafers broken into pieces. But the BN appears always late - after the last piece of anything has been gobbled down! May be she has enough algae on the plastic plants and is not too hungry.
By the way - BN are the only fish I have had succes in my 10G for 13 years - the first one lived for 7 years and the second one - for 6 years. Every other thing I've tried was dead within a very few months! I have been keeping the tank just for Pretty Face 1 and Pretty Face 2, as I called them.
GiantManLittleFish, I believe your BN died of "natural causes" and then some fishes tried to use it as food. Has happened to me - if I had not find where a weak fish had gone immediately, I would find a nearly eaten up corpse later.
Thank you all for the advice. In the bigger tank the pleco might be hungrier and act quicker.
Avi
 

Last edited:
GiantManLittleFish

GiantManLittleFish

Large Fish
#10
Sep 29, 2008
171
0
0
Eastern Illinois University
#10
I bought a baby silver dollar and he is just as fast as the medium sized one. All my fish get their food fast, but the silver dollars get any thing that drops down. I do how ever sneak a few shrimp pellets down the tank for my catfish. I have to throw in extra because the other fish get to them first, but out of five I drop maybe two will land. You just have to try different strategies to get them fed.
 

A

AviDusty

Small Fish
#11
Sep 9, 2008
11
0
0
Melbourne, Australia
#11
Thanks GMLF!
You are the only one I know who has a single silver dollar (now two). I have only my two ones and am cycling a 40G tank to put them in. At the moment they are waiting in a 10G place. Everybody says that one should keep at last 4. My two look quite happy with each other's company and they are not too nervous at all. I can't have a bigger tank and I want to keep them. Do you believe they'll be OK, according to your experience? Do you think I can keep two pearl gourami in the 40G as well?
Cheers
Avi
 

GiantManLittleFish

GiantManLittleFish

Large Fish
#12
Sep 29, 2008
171
0
0
Eastern Illinois University
#12
Well in a forty gallon in my opinion that is pushing the limits. Silver dollars love to swim back and forth so length of the tank is very important for them. Pearl gouramis grow to be about 5 inches roughly. That size tank is suitable for them. PG's are timid as are the SD's so they would make great tank mates, but in a forty gallon it's pushing it, but if you can do enough water changes and keep water parameters at the right spot, then go for it. Some people will probably argue this, but I think you can pull it off. Also plenty of plastic plants to give them hiding spots when neccessary. My SD by it self is not shy at all, but still hid if other fish wer epicking on him. Now that I have two they both rarely hide. The larger one seems to stick up for the smaller one. Also cycle your forty gallon fast because that ten gallon is no place for a silver dollar to live. But no matter what people tell you all fish are different and don't always go by their typical profiles. So, try it and see what happens for you.
 

A

AviDusty

Small Fish
#13
Sep 9, 2008
11
0
0
Melbourne, Australia
#13
Thanks for the support.
These poor two silver dollars of mine have been for a year in a standard tank in the LFS according to the guy who sold them to me. They are not very unhappy yet in the 10 G, as I feed them 3-4 times a day and they can laze about the rest of the time. I am all the time checking and changing the water, so hopefully,they will survive. But haven't they grown!

I am cycling the 40G with amonia. I got the amonia back to 0 and I got so much nitrate, it will need 100% water change (did 30% a day ago and still is over the top) The nitrite level is still very high though. We have very soft tap water in Melbourne - not enough buffering.
The PH went about 7.8. So I reduced the amonia by another half, put some KH powder, and som citric acid and will see if that will help. But today I got a bloom of red algae. Can't speed anything!
May be will let just the two silvers alone in the 40 G and if they die, will do something more "scientific".
Onother question: I want to keep the 10G, but remove the underground filter. Do you think, it's a good idea to install a canister filter and what type?
Thanks again
Avi
 

Last edited:
A

AviDusty

Small Fish
#16
Sep 9, 2008
11
0
0
Melbourne, Australia
#16
It's done, man!
Cycle complete - after 90% water change. It's taken about 3 weeks. Not bad at all. The two silvers and the BN pleco are there and loving it! I think I'll leave it at that. Then may be just 42 G will not kill the silvers.
I did buy an Eheim 2213 for the 10 G! Wanted to see if really Eheim is so much superior. Haven't tried it yet. Need advice what will thrive in the 10 G. Don't want many, just interesting and happy!
Cheers!
 

You must log in or register to reply here.