Snails Versus Silver Dollars

[kaine]

My three silver dollars (4inches each) since moving into a bigger tank with a large snail population are eating them, is this normal? in my book it says they eat fish foods and vegetation.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

My three silver dollars (4inches each) since moving into a bigger tank with a large snail population are eating them, is this normal? in my book it says they eat fish foods and vegetation.

First off, Silver Dollars aren't actually New World Cichlids, in fact they aren't Cichlids at all! They are actually from a family called Characins.


But yes, eating snails is fine. These fish are omnivorous but should have a large amount of vegetation in their diet.

 

[Colin_T]

They must be hungry silver dollars to eat snails.

 

[raptorrex]

They must be hungry silver dollars to eat snails.

valid point

 

[Iron Man]

My SDs were highly preferential towards vegetation/algae. They didn't directly eat algae but would chase the platies and mollies around that did and pooped it out.


Get you some flakes with more vegetation in it and see what they do.

 

[raptorrex]

My SDs were highly preferential towards vegetation/algae. They didn't directly eat algae but would chase the platies and mollies around that did and pooped it out.


Get you some flakes with more vegetation in it and see what they do.

mine munch anything that goes in the tank, oddly they don't eat cucumber of courgette, but everything else is good chicken, bloodworm, daphnia, shrimp pellets, flake, fresh peas and any plants i have in the tank.

 

[kaine]

Thanks,i know that they aren't hungry as they have doubled in size since i was given them.they get plenty of flake food & also seem to like Dried Tubiflex,Frozen Bloodworm,Frozen Brineshrimp as well as live Daphnia,bloodworm & brineshrimp,havnt tried them on chicken yet..The 1 thing that they don't seem to like eating are plants