Silver Dollar Behaviour

[Miss Wiggle]

Hi everyone,

just rescued a tank and it's inhabitants from a colleague, we know the stocking is all wrong and were re-homing all the fish, just quarantining them in there temporarily. It's 120l and has 5 angels, a gourami and a silver dollar.

We've never kept dollars so don't know a lot about them, his new owner was (maybe still is) coming to get him today but were a little concerned about his behaviour.

He's just staying very still most of the time, hovering just above the substrate and not really doing much. He's lost a few scales and just seems very shy and lethargic, a few times we've seen him swim around and he just tried to eat a leaf (we've put some shelled peas in but he's not touched them), we put some salt in the tank last night incase it's a bacterial infection.... is this behaviour what you would expect from it being in too small a tank with no other dollars or do you reckon there's something up with him? If he goes where he was going to it'd be a massive tank with other dollars, reckon that's enough to sort him out or should we try and hold on to him until he's better?

 

[vancouver]

It's probably just really freaked out. Very uncomfortable, and probably stressed from being moved. I would just give it places to hide so it can feel as comfortable as possible.. they can be pretty skittish even when in schools, so being alone is probably just freaking it out that much more.

I would get it into a tank with other dollars if at all possible... again it will stress it out, but it should feel a lot more calm when it's got buddies to chill with.

 

[Iron Man]

I agree. I kept 6 of these fish in my 55 gallon for a short while and in just that time I discovered they are quite intelligent fish with lots of personality. If they don't feel great about something, they'll show it. Mine were in a nice school which was heavy on the planted side and they were still skittish for some time until they warmed up to me. They remained in the plants, very still, for most of the time.

I'm not saying nothing could be wrong with him...but seeings how these are very very hardy fish and also very school oriented and shy.....he's probably just scared out of his wits.