# silver dollars paired off now what should I do????



## jaymz (Jun 29, 2011)

So I adopted a group of 9 silver dollars for my 120g and 4 have paired off and i've moved them to my 70g breeder i have no experience with egg layers and not sure if I should add cones? or slate? any help would be awesome..Currently in with Amazon Swords java ferns and red lotus with black sand. Parameters are PH 6.4, 8 dgH, 0.0 Nh3


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## mollyb (May 18, 2010)

pretty sure silver dollars spawn like tetras, 1 male, a few females, make runs through plants and scatter eggs, I do not know for sure, but the eggs might be non adhesive, and the parents (or other adults) might be the main predators on the eggs, so dense planting or a spawning mop might help. I don't think there is any parental care, but I do hear rumours of piranhas caring for their clutch, not specifically directly (like with cichlids) but more like guarding the territory while the eggs hatch. Silver dollars are not that far from piranhas, may be some similarities. Also, I understand piranhas like floating plants as well. I didn't look any of this up, just dredged from my grey matter, so could be wrong...

Good luck, Brent


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## Clownloachlover (Apr 21, 2010)

The best way to acquire a breeding pair is to purchase a half dozen juvenile silver dollars and raise them together. The parents will not consume the eggs or fry, although other fish will, so when spawning them it is wise to place them in a separate tank. To facilitate spawning, make sure the water is soft (8 dgH or below) and warm (80 to 82 F), keep the lighting dim, and provide fine-leaved plants.
Eventually a pair will spawn, and the female will lay up to 2000 eggs. The eggs will fall to the bottom of the tank, where they will hatch in three days. After approximately a week, the fry will be free swimming and able to eat fine foods such as commercially prepared fry food, finely-crushed spirulina, or freshly-hatched brine shrimp.


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