# planted tank with silver dollars



## NGosal (Jun 9, 2014)

Does anyone know how bad silver dollars well decimate a planted tank? I want them so bad but I've spent so much time growing my plants.


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## Clownloachlover (Apr 21, 2010)

I have heard that they are a no no with live plants and will tear them up big time...maybe if you catch them in the act you can rub their noses in it and yell really loud at them!


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## mrbob (Aug 9, 2012)

Don't do itttttttt....


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

They will eat the plants fast. Very fast! Ive seen it first hand.


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## Momobobo (Sep 28, 2010)

Even my Lemon Tetras would slowly nibble away any soft plants I had. So I would imagine a SD would be waaaay worse :bigsmile:


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## NGosal (Jun 9, 2014)

Ah man this is not what I wanted to hear. Lolll. Thx guys. I will not get them then.


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## mrbob (Aug 9, 2012)

Their diet is almost exclusively vegetarian and in captivity they will often eat all the plants in a tank.


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## NGosal (Jun 9, 2014)

This sucks cuz they are such beautiful fish. Especially the spotted ones. I really really wanted them for years now. ARRRRGH!!!


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

they will even eat plastic plants.


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## NGosal (Jun 9, 2014)

Lol. Someone should breed a strain more inclined to eat pellets/flakes instead. I'd pay top dollar for them.


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

charles said:


> they will even eat plastic plants.


That's funny Charles. I guess that settles it.


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## TomC (Apr 21, 2010)

Sounds like a good excuse to get another tank.


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## Clownloachlover (Apr 21, 2010)

Silver Dollars...Rocks only...plastic plants could become dinner...live plants will become invisible in short order. I have seen them eat flake food but they are fussy eaters. maybe if you plant egeria densa the plant will continue to supply food for the silver dollars. If you are not familiar with that plant, it grows like wildfire under most conditions. I have some in my 220 gallon tank and I trim about 6 to 8 inches off it on a weekly basis. that being said, depending on the number of silver dollars even the egeria densa may be extinct in your tank in short order!


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## NGosal (Jun 9, 2014)

Lol. I will not be pursing silver dollars anymore folks. I love my plants.


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## NGosal (Jun 9, 2014)

And I don't want another tank anytime soon. I just set this tank up 5 weeks ago. This and my 300 gallon pond is a handful at the moment.


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## pistachoo (Sep 6, 2010)

Huh. My brother must have a weirdo silver dollar: he doesn't seem to care about the java fern overgrowing the tank, and loves his sinking algae tablets. It's funny to watch him eat one because it doesn't fit in his mouth so he swims around flipping it and catching it again while trying to avoid it getting stolen by his nosy roomies (irridescent sharks).

Nevertheless, I wouldn't base any decision on this one oddball: planted tanks are too pretty to have ripped up by aggressive vegetarians!


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## cody-reece (Jul 30, 2014)

If you feed then algi wafers alot and I mean LOTS they wont eat much. I own 1 in a community tank.


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

Silver dollars are best kept in a group. The more the merrier. Otherwise they tend to be shy and more skidish than they already are. 1 might not totally destroy a planted tank but 5 sure will. Java fern is generally left alone by most fish. I should nibble on a piece to see what all the fuss is about lol


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## cody-reece (Jul 30, 2014)

Yeah very true. I had 2 but one got sick so now I have 1. He is very shy. Will eat but hides after.


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## shady280 (Oct 17, 2011)

I had 4 silver dollars. They must have been weirdos. Wouldn't touch any green food. Didn't try plants tho. They would eat pellets, flakes and bloodworms.


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