Amazon Fish Suggestions

[Roan Art]

Moving my son's 3 silver dollars into a 75g and I'd like some suggestions on some colorful fish that I can add to it. Amazon types, pretty much. Nothing aggressive and certainly nothing nippy.

I'm going to plant the tank with low-moderate plants and float some for shading. Dollars like it dimish and lots of hiding places.

I intend to add a few more dollars -- do you guys think a total of 6 is good for a 75g? Will they be okay with smaller dollars?

Thanks,
Roan

 

[TetraBotia]

Moving my son's 3 silver dollars into a 75g and I'd like some suggestions on some colorful fish that I can add to it. Amazon types, pretty much. Nothing aggressive and certainly nothing nippy.

I'm going to plant the tank with low-moderate plants and float some for shading. Dollars like it dimish and lots of hiding places.

I intend to add a few more dollars -- do you guys think a total of 6 is good for a 75g? Will they be okay with smaller dollars?

Thanks,
Roan

I thought Silver Dollars were herbivores?

Fish to add, amazon, peaceful, nice looking?
Rasboras, Neons, you might try High Fin White Tails (not more than one male though if you get a few of those), Pristella.

I love Emperors (Palmeri) BUT- you have to know how to sex them, because you do NOT want more than one male. They would be a great contrast to your Silver fish. They are agressive, but their agression is usually only to each other if you have more than one male, OR, if some fish decides to start harrassing them. They coexist very peacefully in my tank, full of other peaceful fish. So they don't really look for a fight, but they will give one to whomever starts one. (All of these fish we are talking about are in the same family as Piranha).

Sexing them is difficult when they are young. Adult males are easily spotted because they have long trailing tips of black in their Caudal and Dorsal fins... But this is not very pronounced or even noticeable with juveniles.

Full grown their coloring is like light blue and gold eyeshadow... very pretty and unique coloring, with very elegant lines...

Seemingly little known is that Males mostly have blue eyes, females green. This too is hard to notice in juveniles, but much easier than trying to use the "fin" categorization. So if you buy juvenile fish, look for a hint of blue and that is your males. It is usually recognizeable.

Rare but not unheard of- mine have bred in my tank once...

 

[Roan Art]

I thought Silver Dollars were herbivores?

Yep, they are, but there are some plants they won't eat. Ozelot and radican swords they don't like -- anything really dark green and "fibrous". I've had those in their tank for quite a while and they've never touched them. I've asked for some more suggestions on plants in the Plants forum.

Fish to add, amazon, peaceful, nice looking?
Rasboras, Neons, you might try High Fin White Tails (not more than one male though if you get a few of those), Pristella.

Rasboras sound nice.

I love Emperors (Palmeri) BUT- you have to know how to sex them, because you do NOT want more than one male. They would be a great contrast to your Silver fish. They are agressive, but their agression is usually only to each other if you have more than one male, OR, if some fish decides to start harrassing them. They coexist very peacefully in my tank, full of other peaceful fish. So they don't really look for a fight, but they will give one to whomever starts one. (All of these fish we are talking about are in the same family as Piranha).

Those sound cool. I'm going to do some research into that. I'd either not heard of them or saw them with some other name.

What about other tetras, like Rummy Nose, Bleeding Heart and Congo?

Roan

 

[TetraBotia]

Yep, they are, but there are some plants they won't eat. Ozelot and radican swords they don't like -- anything really dark green and "fibrous". I've had those in their tank for quite a while and they've never touched them. I've asked for some more suggestions on plants in the Plants forum.

Java Fern and most Anubias should be fine then.

What about other tetras, like Rummy Nose, Bleeding Heart and Congo?

Roan

Never kept em, so anyhing I know is anecdotal or from a book. I would stay away from Red Eyed Tetras though. I saw a school of them just about tear a guppy up. They get that Piranha frenzy going and just lose control.

The other one I mentioned I think I mis-named- I think it is High Fin White Skirt... I got those because of their unique color (somewhat unique in the Characin world).

 

[FreddytheFish]

What about other tetras, like Rummy Nose, Bleeding Heart and Congo?

Other tetras sound fine. I think its unfair to say that Red-Eyes will tear a fish up, I don't know what was wrong with the ones TetraBotia saw, that's definatley not normal.

Roan- you might want to read this link: http://www.****************/pages/amazon_001.htm#top2

 

[TetraBotia]

Other tetras sound fine. I think its unfair to say that Red-Eyes will tear a fish up, I don't know what was wrong with the ones TetraBotia saw, that's definatley not normal.

In a fish store. The kid working there said "watch this" and threw in a guppy into a tank about about 60 of those fish. About 15 seconds later all hell broke loose.

 

[Roan Art]

Java Fern and most Anubias should be fine then.

Yah, now that you mention it I did have Java in there at one time. Took it out to put in another tank. Anubias I'll try as well. Dang if I can remember the ones they ate. One was a cool red one -- dragon's tongue? or something.

Never kept em, so anyhing I know is anecdotal or from a book. I would stay away from Red Eyed Tetras though. I saw a school of them just about tear a guppy up. They get that Piranha frenzy going and just lose control.

Ugh, yer right, I'll not bother with those.

The other one I mentioned I think I mis-named- I think it is High Fin White Skirt... I got those because of their unique color (somewhat unique in the Characin world).

Nod, I wondered about skirted tetras, but I don't think they really appeal too much to me. Have to take another look at them.

Thanks a bunch
Roan

 

[Roan Art]

. . .Roan- you might want to read this link: http://www.****************/pages/amazon_001.htm#top2

Hey, Freddy . . .
Yah, I go to his site a lot. He's got some very good goldfish info too. I've read his Amazon stuff, but I wanted to see if anyone here had any other suggestions.

Thanks!
Roan

 

[pbrack]

Marbled hatchetfish are supposed to be pretty cool! I'm hoping to get some within the next few months. I can keep you posted if they work out good!

 

[TetraBotia]

Marbled hatchetfish are supposed to be pretty cool! I'm hoping to get some within the next few months. I can keep you posted if they work out good!

I have those... they are pretty peaceful. Keep a lid on the tank, as they are related to the flying fish of the ocean, if I am not mistaken. They are known to be tank jumpers, nonetheless.