All fish / Serrasalmidae

Black Band Myleus

Myleus schomburgkii

Also known as black bar myleus, black barred silver dollar, disk tetra, black band pacu, schomburgk's silver dollar, myleus schomburgki, black band silver dollar, ブラックバンドシルバーダラー, 黑带银板, 黑带银币

A large, deep-bodied silver dollar relative with a broad black vertical band across the middle of its silver flanks. It is kept as an eye-catching, peaceful shoaling fish for very large Amazon-style aquariums with other robust species.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

30 cm

Temperature

23 to 28 °C

pH

5.5 to 7.5

Smallest tank

1000 litres

Keep as

Group of 5 or more

Diet

Herbivore: vegetable-based pellets, spirulina flakes, blanched greens, fruit and occasional prawns or insects

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 15 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Amazon and Orinoco basins: Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Guyana

Breeding

Rarely bred in home aquariums because of its size and the space needed for a group. In the wild it spawns in flooded areas during the rainy season, scattering eggs among vegetation.

Good to know

Grows far larger than juveniles sold suggest and needs a very big tank with a tight lid, as it is skittish and can jump. It will eat almost any aquatic plant.