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Encyclopedia / Tetras / Spotted silver dollar
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Variations

1 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Spotted silver dollar

Metynnis lippincottianus · Spotted metynnis, Cacique silver dollar

Peaceful in schools of five or more but nervous in small groups.

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16.4 cmBody length, without tail ✓
23–27 °CTemperature ✓
6–7pH ✓
217 LSmallest tank ✓
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Tank mates
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Not recommended
  • Spotted silver dollar eats animals up to about 2 cm. Ember tetra only grows to 2 cm.
Not recommended
  • Spotted silver dollar eats animals up to about 2 cm. Chili rasbora only grows to 2 cm.
Not recommended
  • White cloud mountain minnow needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Spotted silver dollar is tropical.
  • They need different temperatures (23–27 °C vs 14–22 °C). No setting suits both.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 23–24 °C.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 23–24 °C.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

340 species in our list are a good match.

Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ✓0–10 dGH
Group size ✓5 or more
Temperament ✓Peaceful
Swims at ✓Middle
Care level ✓Hard
Diet Herbivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 3–5 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Peaceful in schools of five or more but nervous in small groups. Shreds plants.

Food

Vegetable pellets, spirulina and blanched greens with the occasional frozen food.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Males have a longer anal fin, which may show a red tinge.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Egg-scatterer · Moderate

No reports of breeding in the hobby; presumed to be an egg scatterer like M. argenteus.

Pairing

Needs a school of 6+ in a large tank; ripe females swell with eggs.

Setup

Very large tank or pond with floating plants or mops, soft slightly acidic water and warm temperatures.

What starts it

Rainy-season style water changes with soft, slightly cooler water and plenty of greens and protein.

Eggs

500-1,500 eggs

Raising the fry

Fry take powdered food and brine shrimp nauplii, then chopped greens; grow fast and need space.

Common mistakes
  • Tank too small
  • Keeping too few fish
  • No cover for the eggs
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionSouth America – Amazon basin (Brazil, Bolivia, Peru) & the Guianas
Rivers and lakesAmazon basin and Guiana rivers
HabitatVegetated rivers and flooded forest
Native rangeAbout 2,000 km across
See it on the world map

The story of the spotted silver dollar

A spotted silver dollar from the lower and middle Amazon and nearby rivers. Like other Metynnis it is mostly herbivorous and eats aquarium plants, so feed plenty of greens.

Edward Drinker Cope described this silver dollar in 1870 from Amazonian material. Its silvery, coin-shaped body is sprinkled with small dark spots. It has been widely kept and bred, and released fish have established themselves outside its native range.

First described by Edward D. Cope in 1870.

  • Like other silver dollars, it belongs to the same family as piranhas.
  • It feeds mainly on plants, seeds and fruit.
  • It feels safest in a group of its own kind.

Sources

15 facts checked with sources