that aquarists routinely forego live plants in a tank containing silver dollars and resort to decorating with plastic plants instead. Spawning In most cases, sexual maturity sets in when M. argenteus grow to around four inches long, though this remains variable. Among a given shoal, the males tend to become active before the females and spend a period of time sparring while the females look on. When the females do eventually become sexually active, courtship and spawning in a healthy shoal kept under optimum conditions often become a daily activity. M. argenteus are prolific, group-spawning egg scatterers which show little if any interest in their own young. They scatter eggs among fine-leaved plants as well as directly on to the substrate during a characteristic, side-by-side, shimmying courtship ritual. It is a common practice among breeders to put a layer of marbles on the bottom of the tank if breeding is desired in a community tank. The idea is that the eggs fall between the gaps in the marbles where they can develop in peace: other fish can't get to them during that vulnerable period and when the fry do eventually rise they are equipped with a chance of dodging predators. References Serrasalmidae Fish of South America Fish of Brazil Endemic fauna of Brazil Taxa named by Ernst Ahl Fish described in 1923