Silver dollars...A love - hate relationship

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Husmut

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
May 21, 2005
Messages
75
Location
Melbourne, Australia
My silver dollars have been doing some prunning in my tank. They have decimated my val and giant val and have now moved on to my fox tail. I wanted to ask if any one knew of a tall, background plant that would not be eaten by them?
 
A tall PLASTIC plant :roll: SD's are voracious plant eaters and there are few if any that'll not get atleast nibbled if not ouright devoured.
 
I heard a lot of plant eating fish don't like the taste of java ferns. For the background maybe you could try putting in some fast growing plants such as anacharis?
 
hmm ive heard theres a grass thats "cichlid proof" i saw it on florida driftwood. maybe it'll work?
 
Thanks. Just for the record, the plants in my tank that have not been touched by the little buggers are the Java fern, lace fern, the small ball one (which I cant remember the name of but is pictured front centre in my picture) ozelot sword, annubias sword and a grass that I also cant remember the name of. Unfortunatley for me, none of these can be developed into a tall backdrop plants! Plastic may be the go but I am a bit of a freak for 100% natural
 
Silver dollars and plants just don't go together, as you are discovering. I really wanted a school of silver dollars as the main inhabitants of my 55, but can't do it because of the plants.

There are some extremely natural looking silk plants that you can consider, or build a cork background, to which you can attach java fern, if it seems they do not have a taste for it. It may be that after they are done with the other more delectable plants they will move on to the java fern, but you can give them a big ole romaine lettuce leaf every couple of days and that might distract them.
 
Yeah. Zucchini works for that. The backdrop idea is awesome! I might try it with java moss or the lace fern though. Ill tell ya, the thought of them moving on to the "show" plants scares me! I knew what I was in for when I first introduced them, but hoped that I could control it. I wouldn't say I have failed as I still haven't tried alot of the plants that are listed as ones that fish dont like, but nothing prepared me for that appetite! Would algae tablets help?
 
I don't know if algae tablets would help or not - I think providing them with a leafy plant-like substitute would be the best way to go, since it is closer to the plants that they are going for in your tank.
 
you could also try onion plants--not as great as vals for bkg plants--but they do grow really tall and are quite beautiful. my silver dollars never bothered them...
 
Onion plants? Never seen them around here! Sounds stupid but do they go by another name that you know of?

Tankgirl.... 8O
 
the scientific name is crinum thaianum. i have several and the leaves are about 1/2" wide and grow very very tall--they float at the top and sometimes gently curve down. i would say mine have leaves that are about 24" now. the leaves are a very vibrant green. it's a quite dramatic plant, and one of my favorites.

http://species.fishindex.com/plant_23.html
 
I've grown them before- they do not require a whole lot of light, either. Definitely an option. It is nice to have the endorsement of someone who has grown them with silver dollars, too. :D
 
They look great! Thanks guys! May have to import them though as nobody round here sells them! Its worth the trouble though. Are they common in America?
 
These are not usually available at the LFS, at least in my area, but most online retailers carry them.
 
Back
Top Bottom