Experiment with a silver dollar planted tank

[Lunahid]

I took over this tank from a family member a couple years ago - it was basically a bare tank with two five-year-old silver dollars. I've had my fair share of struggles with plants before, but I've always been intrigued by the idea of a planted silver dollar tank. My silvers have never been fans of hornwort, water sprite, or java fern, so I've been doing some research and planning to give it another shot.

I've finally started the overhaul - it's been five days now, and things are going alright. I used a mix of organic potting soil, old play sand, and eco complete as the substrate, with some red lava rock for decoration. I've had some success with potting soil in the past - I used it in a 20-gallon tank and managed to grow some great hornwort and java fern.

I gave the tank a complete makeover, moving out the fish for a day and draining it. I rehomed eight of the Rosy barbs and kept five, then planted as many different types of plants as I could think of - five different crypts, java fern, water sprite, lilaeospsis, valisneria, ambulia, anubias, and some floating duckweed and water spangles. The softer plants have taken a beating, but it's not too bad so far. I've been feeding the silvers a veggie-based flake and supplementing with whatever organic veggies I have on hand.

I picked up some driftwood to attach the anubias and java fern to, and I also got an automatic light - it's made a huge difference in the tank's appearance, even if the plants don't make it. I'm not getting my hopes up just yet - I'm expecting some plants to die off in the next few weeks. For now, I'm just treating this as an experiment and seeing where it goes.

As you can see from the pictures, some of the plants have already taken a hit - that's after just five days. I'm planning to add some more plants later this month - more crypts, water sprite, and ambulia, plus some pearl weed and water lettuce from one of my other tanks. I also want to add some java moss to the driftwood, but that'll have to wait for now.

My 20-gallon tank is looking good too - it's just got a dwarf gourami, three ADFs, a nirite, and a bunch of pest snails for now. I'm thinking of adding some shrimp soon. I just put in a banana plant and some Creeping Charlie stems, and it's looking pretty nice.

[Lunahid]

The tank's holding up well so far, the silvers haven't completely decimated everything just yet. They've made a pretty big impact on the valisneria though - it's the only plant that's really taking a beating from them. Everything else seems to be doing alright, which is a relief.

Cryptocoryne wendtii is looking good, no signs of nibbling, which is definitely encouraging. Hornwort's doing its thing, growing like crazy. Water sprite and java fern are untouched, and the duckweed and water spangles are thriving.

[whetu]

Here's a photo of my Silver Dollars with their fry, and it's interesting because I think the water sprite played a part in triggering them to spawn - it's the one plant they've been devouring.

[Lunahid]

Here's a photo of my Silver Dollars with their fry, and it's interesting because I think the water sprite played a part in triggering them to spawn - it's the one plant they've been devouring.

I think it's pretty interesting how Silver Dollars can have such different preferences when it comes to plants. For instance, whetu's Silver Dollars seem to love water sprite, but mine just aren't interested - I've got the spotty ones, and they leave it alone.

I tried feeding them spinach yesterday, and that was a fun little experiment. They wouldn't touch it until I ripped it up into smaller pieces, but once I did, they were all over it.

[cichlidgirl22]

Here's a photo of my Silver Dollars with their fry, and it's interesting because I think the water sprite played a part in triggering them to spawn - it's the one plant they've been devouring.

I'm really enjoying having my silver dollars in this tank, they're such fascinating fish to watch and I love seeing their unique personalities shine through.

[coltin]

Here's a photo of my Silver Dollars with their fry, and it's interesting because I think the water sprite played a part in triggering them to spawn - it's the one plant they've been devouring.

I'm really enjoying having my silver dollars in this tank, they're such fascinating fish to watch and I love seeing their unique personalities shine through.

They're quite the interesting creatures, and I've found mine to be pretty entertaining, especially when they're munching on veggies.

[whetu]

CT, when did you last have Silver Dollar on the menu

[coltin]

I recall having a raw, crunchy marine fish back in 2016 when I was on the streets - it was round and silver, like a dollar. Pet shops around here won't let me in, they're worried I'll snack on their stock.

[Lunahid]

I figured I'd give a quick update on the tank. It's looking alright, not perfect but I'm happy with how it's going. Today was cleaning day, so I cleaned the filter and tank, and got rid of some of the plants that were struggling. I also gave the hornwort a trim since it was getting a bit out of control.

The original crypts are starting to show some signs of stress, but they've grown a decent amount so I'm leaving them be for now. I added some new plants to the mix - a few swords, more crypts, some water wisteria, and a few random ones the pet store worker recommended.

On a funny note, the silvers completely annihilated the duckweed and water spangles. So if anyone's having issues with duckweed taking over their tank, just add a silver dollar and they'll take care of it for you. All in all, the tank is doing pretty well right now.

[rockyfox]

I was just updating on my tank's progress and I noticed your comment about my crypts. The one in the last photo is actually a Cryptocoryne wendtii, and I'm glad you like it. To answer your question, I didn't say I don't like java ferns, I said my silver dollars don't like them - they just won't eat them. I actually think java ferns are great plants, but they just don't work for my silvers. Thanks for the compliment on my aquariums, I'm glad you like them.