Fish Compatibility
With replies to your post seeming to indicate this is not a possibility, I have to say I believe it to be perfectly do-able from what I’ve experienced many years back and from what I have just been told by several well respected sources last night in personal conversation.
While some species of Silver Dollars may get up to 6″ or 8″, they are for the most part almost strictly herbivors. As a usually “rule” of most fish being opportunistic when it comes to survival (i.e., putting food in one’s mouth), many fish will dine on a smaller morsal, even including smaller fish when the opportunity presents itself, regardless of its natural diet and food preferences — but I have to say in general, or as far as I can determine, most (perhaps all?) Silver Dollars of varying genus prefer not avail themselves of this potential food source, instead living in harmony with much smaller heterospecifics.
Coincidentally, and without yet seeing your post, this very topic came up last night between several top fish breeders here in the Northeast and myself at our (NJAS) monthly Board meeting. We were discussing Silver Dollars and their notorious predilection for vegetative matter — including aquarium plants! Two top aquarists, both p;resently keeping a number of Silver Dollar species, related how they often have “schools of baby guppies” in these same tanks of mixed Silver Dollars (Metynnis, Mylossoma and Myleus) with these guppy fry swimming around these fish (the Silver Dollars were in the midst of a schools of small guppies) without ever making the slightest attempt to grab one.
This coincided with my same experiences of many years past when I was keeping Silver Dollars, and although these may be only isolated instances it tends to show Silver Dollars of at least many species have no interest in devouring their smaller tank mates. There may have been extenuating circumstances with all these encounters, such as the Silver Dollars perhaps always being well fed, only as admittedly this does seem unusual but I’m passing this on for what it shows. You should be aware though, that as a result of most Silver Dollars’ eventual large size they need large tanks, which you need to consider when/if thinking of buying them. Ray
Category: Philippines Internet Koi Society
