how can you sex silver dollars?
- Thread starter ohhsweetness
- Start date
The only way I've figured out is by watching the colors when it's springtime and we open the windows. The water gets warmer, and maybe they hear the rain (who knows, really) but some of them (I have several different types) grow darker colors, red, and black. It's very easy to see when you have two with very dark spots, or dark stripes, and they're fighting over mating with a very silver female. Of course, everything that goes in my tank is recreational, as far as I can tell. I see no eggs. Or the others are eating them. I'd say it's the colors -- try raising temp to about 80 and see what happens. In homes with central heat and air, silver dollars may never show color, because it's always relatively cool. Mine are with gar, so I don't have a heater. They don't seem to care, but who knows? I'm glad, though, that they aren't in "mating season" all the time, because they tend to nip fins badly and it takes a few days to heal.
My regular dollars try to breed on what seems to be almost a daily basis. They will develop two black spots are the gill plate area and will get blakc edging to the fins. This is for the males. I havent really notice any changes in appearence in females.
And ive found that they try to breed around 4" and spotted dollars smaller around 2.5-3"
And ive found that they try to breed around 4" and spotted dollars smaller around 2.5-3"