Tittt
so I just picked up a few gatf (I think). They are 4-5” and 3 silver dollars that are 2-3”. The tinfoil barbs are much bigger so I thought they might outcompete first food at that size.
I have a couple slightly bigger silver dollars that I can add to the tank, I’m just wondering if 5silver dollars would be too many for 3 gatf at that size? Right now the sd are petrified of their own shadow. I wonder if adding more would help them be more confident.
Hot damn I forgot this thread existed. Lawdy my writing style changed after I went back to school in 2012-2014.
Anyway. I never had luck with $'s as dotbers for ATF. The whole point is to give the ATF a group to school with and to learn behaviors from. Tinfoils are ideal because they're big, dumb, fearless trash cans for pellets.
$s are skittish, flighty and can be picky eaters sometimes when small (well, at least compared to the barbs). If your teacher fish is flighty and won't eat, that's the behavior your ATF is at risk of picking up. There's also the very real problem of the $s not looking so much like an ATF other than the color, so they may not school as well. Tigers have very good eyesight.
I don't like $s for ATF teachers. You may have luck, but if I were you I'd take them back for a credit and get some barbs. If the lfs only has huge mongo sized barbs, check out a box store. They almost always have barbs that are at an ideal sacrificial size.
And keep that in mind- these fish are the sacrificial cathode for your GATF. There's a real chance you'll lose some.
