Silver Dollar

About

The silver dollar (Metynnis argenteus) is one of those fish that turns heads for the wrong reason at first. People often mistake its flat, disc-shaped silver body for a juvenile piranha. The two are actually related, sitting in the same broader family, but the silver dollar is a confirmed herbivore with no interest in its tankmates beyond the occasional smaller fish that might fit in its mouth. Worth noting: what's sold in shops as a silver dollar is often actually Metynnis hypsauchen, a nearly identical species you can tell apart by a small dark blotch above and behind each eye. Care requirements are the same either way, so for most hobbyists the distinction is academic. Native to the Tapajós River basin in Brazil, these fish are found in weedy, slow-moving water. Which explains their enthusiasm for aquarium plants. Any planted setup will need robust, unpalatable species or artificial alternatives. Silver dollars are skittish and genuinely need the security of a group; five is the minimum, and a larger school visibly settles them down. They cruise the middle and upper water column, which makes bottom-dwelling tankmates like larger catfish a natural complement. With a lifespan pushing into double digits, they're a long-term commitment and deserve a spacious, well-considered setup.