Silver dollars and Congo Tetras?

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hjmfish1013

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Nov 27, 2017
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15
Hi everyone, I am stocking a cycled 60 gallon tank (48x12x23). I was wondering if this stock would work:

4-5 Silver Dollars
6 Congo Tetras
3 Pictus Catfish
Maybe 1 African Leaf Fish (Ctenopoma acutirostre)

It wouldn't be a planted tank, so I wouldn't have to worry about the SD eating anything.

I have heard people say Silver Dollars won't fit in a 60 gallon, but I have also heard people say they have done it. Does anyone have a definite answer for this? I also didn't know if they would be okay with the Congo Tetras, who can be very active.

The African Leaf Fish isn't completely necessary to have, I could live without it, but it would be great if there was room for it.

Any advice is appreciated, thank you all.
 
IMO, your selection of fish are good. If possible stock a school of a smaller variety Silver Dollar fish such as the Spotted "Maculatus" SD. Pictured is one of mine, which spent the first 5 yrs. Of his life in my 65 gal. Tank. I think the original school was 5.
 

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IMO, your selection of fish are good. If possible stock a school of a smaller variety Silver Dollar fish such as the Spotted "Maculatus" SD. Pictured is one of mine, which spent the first 5 yrs. Of his life in my 65 gal. Tank. I think the original school was 5.

Thank you for your response. That fish is beautiful. So you think that my stock could fit in a 60 gallon for life? (Because I don't think I'll be able to get another upgrade)
 
As long as you keep up with Water maintenence and design your aquascape as to maximize the available swimming space the SD' s should be fine. My 65 gal tank was only 3' long, your 4' long tank is actually better suited for SD' s than mine was.
 
I'd skip the silver dollars as your tank is just not big enough to make them comfortable. I had four in a 90 gallon and thought they were crowded. Sure, you can keep them in a 60 gallon if you change water frequently, but will the fish be happy? I'd double the school of Congo Tetras as they are quite striking, especially in a school. The leaf fish can be aggressive.
 
I'd skip the silver dollars as your tank is just not big enough to make them comfortable. I had four in a 90 gallon and thought they were crowded. Sure, you can keep them in a 60 gallon if you change water frequently, but will the fish be happy? I'd double the school of Congo Tetras as they are quite striking, especially in a school. The leaf fish can be aggressive.

Thank you for your response. So you think even the smaller species of silver dollars wouldn't be comfortable? And as for the leaf fish I owned one years ago and it left everything alone unless it was small enough to fit inside its mouth.
 
As long as you keep up with Water maintenence and design your aquascape as to maximize the available swimming space the SD' s should be fine. My 65 gal tank was only 3' long, your 4' long tank is actually better suited for SD' s than mine was.

Did yours end up growing out of your tank? I'd be afraid of them getting too big.
 
No, mine did not outgrow the 65 gal. The males grew to 4" The biggest female grew to 5".
Rienderer, makes good points, regarding fish tanks, bigger is always better and SD' s look awesome swimming in a long, roomy tank. My current school of SD's are in a 120 long tank.
IMO keeping a small school of a smaller variety SD is perfectly okay in your situation. I dug up an old pic of my school of SD' s swimming in the 65 gal. Also pictured is my school of Columbian Tetras. You might consider stocking Columbians. IMO, much more colorful than Congos and a lot cheaper. There is also Anubias plants in the pic. My SD' s left it alone.
 

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Thank you for responding, and great picture again. I'll go check out a couple of my nearby stores and ask the woman who owns one of the smaller ones. I'll also look into the Columbians, however I haven't seen them at the stores.
 
The Columbians are often labeled as Blue and Red Tetra. They always look a little bland and colorless at the store, but color up quickly once they settle in. They are one of the larger tetras.
 
The Columbians are often labeled as Blue and Red Tetra. They always look a little bland and colorless at the store, but color up quickly once they settle in. They are one of the larger tetras.

Okay, I'll do some research and be on the lookout next time I go. How big do they get?
 
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