# For those who have Silver Dollars



## Morpheus (Nov 12, 2008)

What do you feed them? I read up on them before going out and purchasing 5 of them as tank mates for my Oscar. Supposedly they are herbivores? I have had them about 5 days and have been feeding them Spirulina flakes. Two of the fish are about 3" and three are about 1 1/2". The smaller ones devour the spirulina, while the bigger ones seem not so thrilled. So what do you feed? Keep feeding what I am? A good tropical flake? A good cichlid flake? Also, I like to feed my Oscar frozen bloodworm once a week as a treat. Will they eat this and is it ok? Thanks for any replies.


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## Vincent (May 7, 2004)

I just feed mine the same pellets that my cichlids eat. They are actually very aggressive feeders compared to many of my cichlids.


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

Keeping Silver dollars is akin to keeping medium sized cichlids with your Oscar. What size tank is your Oscar in? If it's anything smaller than a 90 gallon, those silver dollars plus your Oscar won't have much room.

This is my personal opinion, so feel free to think what you want, but I wouldn't keep an Oscar in anything less than a 5'x2'x2'. It's not so much about volume, though that does play a big part mith a messy fish, it's about giving a large fish room to move. You can put some large pieces of driftwood and root/branch tangles in there, what ever, but a 14 inch fish needs its' space, even if it's just slowly cruising around. Plus a 5 footer would have room for your Silver Dollars and maybe a nice Severum as well.


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## Morpheus (Nov 12, 2008)

DFF, thanks for the advice. They are in a 75 gallon. And I posted this stocking question in the Oscar forum and was told it would be ok based on my filtration system and water maintenance schedule (30% every three days.) Thanks for the replies.


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

I keep 4 Silver Dollars in a 150 gallon tank with 2 large Uarus, 1 large Festivum, and 2 quarter sized Severums, along with other fish.

Everyone gets NLS pellet food. I also throw in leaves of romaine lettuce which the Uarus, Silver Dollars and Festivum love.

My Festivum also loves corn.

Mike


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## Morpheus (Nov 12, 2008)

Thanks mambee. The Silver Dollars are a little to small right now to handle the pellets the Oscar eats, so I picked up some cichlid flakes tonight and they went bananas. I plan on mixing the flakes and spirulina for them until they get a little bigger.

Although, the last few feedings, they have been trying the Oscar's food (mini cichlid gold sinking pellets) so once they are big enough and the Oscar graduates to a larger pellet I will most likely switch to to feeding them the pellets.

Any advice on Silver Dollars and frozen bloodworms? I like to give them to the Oscar once a week as a treat. I thaw out a cube in tank water then dump them in. Do you see this causing issues if the SD's grab some?

Thanks again.


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## srook23 (Feb 21, 2009)

I have 6 silver dollars in my Mbuna tank as filler fish. They eat whatever the cichlids eat. I normally feed pellets and flakes.


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

My Silver Dollars eat whatever everyone else eats: NLS, frozen brineshrimp, and frozen bloodworms.

Mike


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## xalow (May 10, 2007)

I have fed blood worms to my silver dollars and didn't have any trouble but I feel that they most enjoy eating algae wafers which I sometimes break up for the smaller one.


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## Morpheus (Nov 12, 2008)

I decided to get some cichlid flakes and I mixed it with the spirulina flakes for the combo platter. Thanks everyone.


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