Wide Bar Silver Dollar VS Red Hook Silver Dollar

Added: 2026-06-06

[00:00:01]This is a redhook silver dollar, a fish that looks basic but in a tank full of extreme colors, sometimes basic sticks out the most.

[00:00:12]In the same tank we have a cousin of the redhook, the wide bar silver dollar.

[00:00:16]This species is a bit more stylish.

[00:00:19]Both the redhook and a wide bar are among the largest growing species of silver dollars and they make great additions for community tanks featuring [music] larger fish.

[00:00:28]But which one is right for your tank?

[00:00:30]Today I want to compare the redhook silver dollar to the wide [music] bar silver dollar.

[00:00:40]These two species have more similarities than differences.

[00:00:43]They both originate from South America naturally occurring within the regions of the Amazon basin.

[00:00:49]Both species are members of the characin family.

[00:00:52]This fish group describes thousands of fish including famous members like the neon tetra and a piranha.

[00:00:59]Fun fact, what makes a fish a characin is a specific combination of anatomy, jaw structure and sensory systems. Most characin species have an additional fin called the adipose fin located between their dorsal fin and tail. This fin acts as a specialized sensory organ to detect water flow.

[00:01:16]Notice how you won't find this fin on fish like barbs or cichlids.

[00:01:21]Characins also have teeth fixed directly into their jaws. These teeth can range from tiny hidden brushes of tetra to razor sharp shearing blades of piranha.

[00:01:31]The redhook silver dollar and a wide bar silver dollar are both schooling fish that prefer to be kept in groups of their own kind. When left singular, both species can become skittish and hide a lot or the opposite and can become aggressive. Both species are primarily herbivores preferring greens in their diets but both will also aggressively devour protein.

[00:01:51]Both species do well in cichlid tanks.

[00:01:54]Silver dollars are peaceful and usually cichlids don't see them as competition, so they're left alone.

[00:01:59]Both species usually won't have a hard time keeping up during feeding time, as long as the food can fit into their freakishly small mouths. Their body-to-mouth ratio does not match.

[00:02:13]Now, what's the difference between these two fish? First off, appearance. Red hooks start off looking basic with a silver body and their signature red hook anal fin. As these fish mature, they start to develop yellow and orange blotches that can really stand out in the crowd.

[00:02:30]>> [music] >> White bars start off looking pretty basic as well. The difference being that they have that black smudge on their sides.

[00:02:38]As these fish mature, they get a glow up as well, developing some nice reds and oranges throughout their body, and males will develop these cool streamer fins.

[00:02:50]What I love most about these fish is their size. They don't get insanely huge like their cousins, the pacu, but they do get big enough to be grouped with monster fish. The red hook silver dollar can grow up to 10 in in length. Here's a video of some that looked to be close to that size at this public aquarium.

[00:03:06]These are round fish, so if it's 10 in long, the height has to be pretty close to that. And these guys were about 2 in thick.

[00:03:18]The white bar silver dollar is growing even larger, growing up to 12 in in length.

[00:03:25]In terms of growth rate, I'm noticing that my red hook silver dollars are growing faster than my white bar silver dollars, which is interesting considering that the white bars are the larger growing fish. I added my white bar silver dollars to this tank when they were about 4 in. And and now, about 1 year later, they've only grown about an inch.

[00:03:43]I added my first red hook about 5 months ago, and he's already the biggest silver dollar in the tank. The other two were added about about ago, and they're catching up pretty quickly.

[00:03:58]In terms of behavior, my red hooks seem to be the bolder fish of the two. The red hooks are always in front of me trying to get me to feed them. My wide bars are more shy, and they'll usually swim away if I get too close. And this is likely why the red hooks are growing at a faster rate.

[00:04:21]My red hooks stick together, and it's obvious that they appreciate each other's company.

[00:04:25]My wide bars are spread throughout the tank, and a more dominant fish will actually chase away the others if they come too close.

[00:04:35]This behavior is strange to me because you would expect the more timid species to school tighter, but these fish develop a hierarchy among each other, and things could get personal if there's not enough members of the hierarchy to spread the aggression. So, I do have another wide bar that I'm growing out, and I will add to this tank to see if it helps change the vibe.

[00:04:55]Finally, red hooks are a lot more common. You can find them at many aquarium stores, while wide bars are more rare. And I've actually never seen them being sold at local fish stores.

[00:05:04]I've had to order all of mine from online stores. Both species have a price tag at about $35 for a 3-in specimen, [music] but of course, the wide bars were an online purchase, so I had to pay an additional 60 bucks for overnight shipping.

[00:05:20]>> [music] >> In conclusion, red hook silver dollars will eventually look amazing. They have great team integrity as a schooling fish, and from my experience, I think that they have the better personality, being bold and a more interactive fish.

[00:05:34]Wide bar silver dollars, on the other hand, will be the more exotic-looking fish that will be more of a trophy or an art piece, if that makes sense.

[00:05:42]I'm growing both species because eventually I would like to add them to my Andino eel gun tank. This tank has huge peacock bass and that's the reason why I chose two of the largest species of silver dollars. I think they're going to look great in this tank. But which do you prefer? Red hook silver dollars or wide bar silver dollars? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for watching and I'll catch you on the next [music] one.