Breeding Spotted Silver Dollars

[TheOscarman1981]

in my main aquarium my 150 gallon 5x2x2 foot tank I have 2 oscars and 4 spotted silver dollars, 1 male, 3 females. today I was sat watching them and noticed my male silver dollar actively chasing the females after watching them for ten minutes or so they we're actually spawning. I noticed that they seem to prefer spawning over the rocks and not amoung the plants like I thought they would I don't think I will get any babies as the Oscars are actively following them round the aquarium and eating the eggs as the are spawning I also noticed that the female only released 3 to 5 eggs at a time.

 

[Ichthys]

Cool. I have a mixed group of 11 dollars. Every full moon my pair of 'common dollar sp#1' scatter eggs all over the tank. The lone male Red Hook colours partially up,, and the 2 male spotties try it on with their 2 females. The females haven't been interested at all so far.

How old/big are yours? Are the eggs tiny, like the eggs of small tetras?
How long did the spawning last. The commons take 24 hrs or more, with breaks.

 

[TheOscarman1981]

I'm not to sure how old they are I've had them for about six months but they were about 2 to 2 1/2 inch long when I got them and there about 3 1/2 to 4 inch long now.

The eggs are maybe 2 to 3 millimetres in size and it lasted all day I noticed it in the morning and they were still at it when I went to bed. They were just releasing 4 to 5 eggs at a time then swimming around aquarium and repeating.

I notice that the male had coloured up, his fins had turned a deep black and he had gained some extra red at the bottom of his belly and his spots where a darker black than usual.

The only thing that I'm gutted about is I will not be able raise the fry as the Oscars were following then round the Aquarium eating the eggs as the were released and not got a big enough Aquarium spare to separate the two I think that maybe my next project getting fry and raising them.

P.s what size Aquarium do u have cos I had my 4 in a 4 foot aquarium and that just was not big enough as they were really easily spooked and Used to smash in to the ends of the tank all the time.

 

[Ichthys]

Yeah dollars need space, especially if they're with big cichlids. Mine are in a 6x2x2 with a large Black Ghost. Some of the other dollars, including the spotties, follow them round eating the eggs. My male spotties are like male Livebearers, they'll try it on with anyone when they're In the mood.

I believe my pair is Metynnis altidorsalis, one of at least two Metynnis species traded as common Silver Dollars (imo) (I also have two females(?) of the other species). Their eggs are tiny and very hard to see, no more than 1mm.
So I wonder why my Spotty females won't breed? They're older than yours, I've had them a couple of years and they're a good 4.5-5", males 4-4.5".

I know they spawn at full moons. Mine sometimes do a new moon too. Did you notice or do anything different? What do you feed them?

 

[TheOscarman1981]

As it happens there was some thing I don't normally do I was doing a water change about 1/3 and I got a phone call with a family emergency and had to leave it 2/3's full for about 4 to 5 day before I got a chance to fill Aquarium and it was about 2 to 3 days later that the first female spawned and then about a week after that the second female spawned I know it was a different female as the first to spawn has only one eye she was like that when I got her. Hope this helps

 

[TheOscarman1981]

P.s as for foods I just feed them a veggie based flakes and supplement that with different types of lettuce they also like to eat the Oscars poop for some reason.

 

[Ichthys]

All animals that eat plants or algae rely on gut bacteria to digest the cellulose cell walls for them. There are always a few bacteria that become dislodged and are pooped out with the poop. Herbivorous fish eat the poop usually of other herbivorous fish to replenish their own gut bacteria.
They need a fairly constant supply of plants to not need replenishment. Mine get Romaine lettuce (the only one they like), dandelions, nasturtiums in the summer. They all love sunflower seeds.
This is why wild caught plecs often die of starvation even when there's plenty of food once they get to a tank. They need to eat poop to get some bacteria.
Most of my dollars are rescues. When they're new they poo green, and eat the poop of the others. After a week or two they start pooing brown, because they're now digesting the plants.

So yours had a proper dry season week, then the rains came. Fair enough, thanks for sharing that.

 

[TheOscarman1981]

Thanks for that info on food I will try some dandelion leafs but they eat most of the different lettuces I give them and some times cucumber but not all the time, with the cucumber I take long thinnish slices of the outer green as I've been told that the softer inner part can give them the runs is there any truth in that or is that a myth.

 

[Ichthys]

Well cucumber flesh is mainly just water, so I can't see it being a problem. If anything it would kinda flush them through if they ate enough.

 

[Scorp]

Hi, I have just spotted eggs in my tank of Silver dollers and i can see some small frys popping up and down, but now there is like a fungus and its seems all the eggs are stuck together.Do i change the water cause i feel the eggs are dead from this fungus.