Black Barred Silver Dollar
Myloplus schomburgkii
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Adult size
- 12 cm
- Minimum tank
- 173 litres
- Temperature
- 23–27 °C
Species profile
Barred Bichir
Polypterus delhezi
Common names: Barred Bichir
Recognized speciesOddballs
Adult size
Up to 35 cm
Up to 35 cm
Countries of origin
Good fit for your tank?
Good fit for
- A dedicated tank built around this one fish
Think carefully if
- You keep smaller fish, which it may eat
- You cannot provide about 243 litres for a fully grown fish
- You keep shrimp you want to protect
A prehistoric-looking, armoured fish with a row of small dorsal fins and dark bars. Keep alone or in a small group in 243 litres or more.
Appearance and Identification
A prehistoric-looking, armoured fish with a row of small dorsal fins and dark bars. It has poor eyesight, hunts by smell, breathes air, and will escape through any gap. It eats anything it can swallow.
Check the scientific name when buying, as common names vary between sellers and countries.
Sexes are usually hard to tell apart.
Tank Requirements
- Suggested filter
- About 970–1,220 litres an hour
- Suggested heater
- About 250–375 W for this tank
- Minimum tank volume
- 243 litres
- Minimum tank length
- 120 cm
- Minimum group size
- 1
- Recommended group size
- 1
- Activity level
- Moderate
- Flow preference
- Low to moderate
- Planting preference
- Moderately planted
- Hiding places
- Yes
- Lid recommended
- Yes
- Jumping risk
- Moderate
Allow plenty of room, use a very secure lid and fit strong filtration. Predators produce a lot of waste, and many are strong jumpers.
Behaviour and Tankmates
A predator that spends much of its time watching and waiting for prey.
Usually best alone, or in a very large tank with others of its size.
Many are intolerant of their own kind.
It will eat any fish that fits in its mouth, so keep it with fish too big to swallow, or alone. It is likely to eat shrimp.
Water Parameters
Fairly tolerant of different water, if it is clean and stable.
Parameter caveat
Keep up regular water changes, and acclimatise new fish slowly.
Feeding
- Diet types
- Carnivore, Predator
- Feeding frequency
- Daily
- Preferred foods
- Quality carnivore pelletsWorth training it onto these, as they are balanced and clean.
- Frozen prawn, mussel and fishUse a variety. Avoid a diet of feeder fish, which can bring in disease.
- EarthwormsA good food, and most predators take them readily.
A nocturnal predator that eats worms, crustaceans and small fish. Feed sinking carnivore pellets with frozen bloodworm, prawns and earthworms.
Feed small amounts, and remove anything left after a few minutes.
Breeding
- Breeding type
- Egg Scatterer
- Breeding difficulty
- Moderate
- Parental care
- None
- Baby foods
- InfusoriaNeeded for the first days, because most fry are very small.
- Newly hatched brine shrimpIntroduce as soon as the fry can take it.
An egg scatterer with no parental care. Adults eat eggs and fry, so use a separate tank with fine plants, moss or mesh on the bottom, and remove the adults after spawning. The fry need very small foods at first.
Habitat and Origin
- Geographic origin
- Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo
- Natural habitat
- Freshwater Stream, Lake
- Aquarium contexts
- Planted Aquarium, Species-Only Aquarium
- Audience level
- Advanced
Classification
- Profile type
- Recognized species
- Genus
- Polypterus
- Family
- Polypteridae
- Species group
- Fish, Oddballs
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- Adult size
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- Minimum tank
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- Temperature
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- Care level
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- Adult size
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- Minimum tank
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- Temperature
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