Banded Silver Dollar

About

Found in South American river systems, Metynnis hypsauchen fasciatus is a banded subspecies of the familiar silver dollar group, distinguishable from its close relatives by the vertical dark bars running across its laterally compressed, disc-shaped body. Like other metynnis, it has that characteristic coin-like profile that makes the whole genus so recognizable, but the barring gives this form a bit more visual interest than the plain silver varieties most hobbyists encounter first. In the wild these fish inhabit river environments with plenty of plant material, which matters in the aquarium because their herbivorous tendencies are strong enough that soft-leaved plants rarely survive long in their company. Despite being classified as omnivores, expect them to treat most vegetation as fair game. They are peaceful schooling fish that genuinely do better in groups, and a solitary specimen tends to be shy and stressed. A 55-gallon tank is really a starting point rather than a comfortable upper limit for a proper group. Driftwood, robust plants like java fern, and open swimming space suit them well. This is an intermediate-level fish mainly because of the tank size commitment and their plant consumption, not because of any particular fussiness about water or aggression issues.