Silver Dollar (Metynnis argenteus or hypsauchen??).

[Alex Odesit]

Always love them, great tankmates for large cichlids, if you have big tank.
I have group of 5, largest around 7" old (female), and they over 3 y old.
What I noticed that male change coloration when in breeding mood. See those little dark cubes, female don't have it, also male are smaller.

[cedricguppy]

The truth is completely silver hypsauchen:

[Alex Odesit]

Thats how mine looks when they were young. Currently all of them are same pure silver colour, except only the timeS when male are in the mating mood.

[cedricguppy]

It seems that even when breeding males are colored silver. With the anal fin red. Your specimen is, I think, another species which is reported in growing.

[Alex Odesit]

May be you right cedric*. Here when they were small, pictures is not very good, but you can see it.

[cedricguppy]

Perhaps Metynnis lippincottianus. In the most common is one that seems most likely. Here it is that your specimen is super colorful.

[Alex Odesit]

I am not convinced.
Here the latest pictures from my thread in CA cichlids and none of my Silver Dollars looks spotted Metynnis lippincottianus to me.

[cedricguppy]

Sur les photos je remarque deux espèces. Une silver, les deux gros et une autre les trois petits. (?)

[Alex Odesit]

They (all 5) were absolutely same when I bough around 3 years ago. But they grew different sized. I noticed that the smaller ones have higher dorsal fin, and more aggressive, I believe they male. Larger fish females. Male also developing these darker spots occasionally when in playful mood.

[cedricguppy]

Male and female are the same size as an adult in hypsauchen (13cm), lippincottianus (15cm) and argenteus (14cm) It is evident that two species are different. The only case of its three most common is silver, it lippincottianus during stress or any other fluids. The only case of three there that has another color that is silvery lippincottianus. If this is not what it should look on fishbase or other which includes all species of Metynnis.

[cedricguppy]

View color of anal fin, it is possible that there is only one specimen of silver, the specimen that has the red fin!! one just below the root in the middle.

[Alex Odesit]

I will look for more pictures to show that more then one fish have red fin. If I can find it, I'll post it.
The silvers I have do not live under the stress and the coloration on last pictures is very common for them, most of the time.
The only dark blocks I see is when they try to mate, or fighting.
I do believe it is the same fish, but you free to think otherwise

[cedricguppy]

So I found this page, which is rather interesting. "However, it seems there is nothing on the difference : http://www.aquagora.fr/Metynnis-hypsauchen

[Alex Odesit]

Indeed interesting. Thanks for posting.
I am reading what I was actually observed on my own fish:
The male is more colorful (spots, blackheads and red throat) and the dorsal fin sharper and sharper. Over time, a dominant has taken the lead group, without much of an impact. I was treated to several parades between male and female, but nothing more (tap water not sweet enough).
Only in my case the throat is more orange than red (when fish in the mood). At the picture from your link I can also notice couple dark spots on it's body similar to my male but fewer of them.
We getting closer man
And since you pay so much attention to my SD, here some more pictures for you.
Note that these are older pictures (same fish) and see that more then one fish has red on the fins edge, of course some of them brighter then other.

[Alex Odesit]

One more thing, I just remember when my SD male was younger his dark blotch started from only 2, same as the picture from link you provided.

[Darrell Ullisch]

I can say without question that these are not Metynnis lippincottianus or maculatus. Those two species have large, rounded spots over the entire body in both sexes, and lippincottianus has a very bright, distinct orange spot at the ear position behind the gill cover.

M. hypsauchen males do develop markings at sexual maturity, and they do lose the orange in the anal fin, which females retain. There are several species of Silver Dollars that are dramatically dichromatic between the sexes, and some have been mistaken for different species in the past. One thing to note, all Metynnis species have the sexual characteristic of the extended rays forming a "bump" in the edge of the anal fin of the males. Females will have a straight or slightly concave edge.

[Alex Odesit]

I can say without question that these are not Metynnis lippincottianus or maculatus. Those two species have large, rounded spots over the entire body in both sexes, and lippincottianus has a very bright, distinct orange spot at the ear position behind the gill cover.

M. hypsauchen males do develop markings at sexual maturity, and they do lose the orange in the anal fin, which females retain. There are several species of Silver Dollars that are dramatically dichromatic between the sexes, and some have been mistaken for different species in the past. One thing to note, all Metynnis species have the sexual characteristic of the extended rays forming a "bump" in the edge of the anal fin of the males. Females will have a straight or slightly concave edge.

Hi Darrel,
I also incline to think that my fish is Metynnis Hypsauchen (all 5 of them being same species), and defiantly not M.lippincottianus. It is interesting info you provide about bump in the edge of the male anal fin, and female retaining red, I didn't know that, now all add up.
Thanks for taking your time and post it.
Alex

[Christie]

Love Silver Dollars.... Keep 5 of them, one of the first fish I ever bought, well them & the freaks I fell in love with . They have never spawned, I assume that they are the cheap kind since they came from Petsmart. It's funny to see them in stores now, forgot how tiny they start out.
- All 5


to give an idea how big they are.

[Alex Odesit]

looking good Christie

[Christie]

My fish photography is hardly what it use to be, but thanks Alex.