Salminus brasiliensis
Dorado
Classification
Characidae
Distribution
Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina.
Habitat
Primarily a riverine species, but is also found in lakes and ponds.
Maximum Standard Length
At least 40″ (100cm), with some female specimens being reported at over 56″ (140cm).
Aquarium SizeTop ↑
A truly humongous tank (or pond) would be required by an adult specimen, as it’s an incredibly fast-swimming, active, predatory fish. Something in the region of 20′ x 4′ x 4′ should be considered a bare minimum. A tank like this would hold over 9000 litres of water!
Maintenance
Speaking hypothetically, decor would not be critical. Obviously, an enormous filtration system would be needed to cope with the massive amounts of biological waste a fish like this produces. A decent amount of flow through the tank would also be needed.
Water Conditions
Temperature: 72-82°F (22-28°C)
pH: 6.0-7.5
Hardness: 2-15°H
Diet
Highly piscivorous in nature, juvenile captive specimens have been known to accept prawns, lancefish etc. An adult fish would need large amounts of fish such as whole trout. An expensive proposition!
Behaviour and CompatibilityTop ↑
Will not eat anything it can’t fit into its mouth, but this doesn’t leave many available species with which it could be housed in the long term. Young fish have been seen cohabiting with large tankmates such as Cichla sp., arowana and other tankbusting fish.
Sexual Dimorphism
Unknown.
Reproduction
Impossible in home aquaria. Should not even be considered an option.
NotesTop ↑
The common name of this species is derived from the Portugese dourado and refers to the beautiful golden colour of the fish. We’ve included this species on the site purely because there have been an alarming number of juvenile fish showing up in some aquatic stores and, as a result, in hobbyists tanks. This species is simply not suited to captive life in any respect. If you see one for sale, and they are undeniably an attractive fish, please don’t be tempted to buy it.
As responsible fishkeepers we should consider the long term well-being of any fish that we buy, and housing a dorado for life is beyond the reach of virtually all hobbyists. Sadly, owning this species and others like it seems to be fashionable at the moment, with some aquarists even viewing them as a status symbol. We can only hope this situation can be rectified in the future, as surely all these aquarium specimens are doomed to a premature death.
It’s a highly prized game fish in some of its native waters.
September 23rd, 2018 at 9:40 am
There are many things interesting things regarding this fish maintenance and behaviour.
First of all it is a very agressive fish towards co-specifics. If you are keeping juveniles up to ~25cm, i would advise keeping either one per tank or 10+ per tank, as to “dilute” agression. It’s quite interesting for I have witnessed a juvenile just slight greater than other juveline (about 20cm and 15cm respectively) bullying the smaller fish to death in a home aquaria. Yet the same fish was seen in a school of cospecifics when stressed/afraid, just some hour before!
Juveniles do appreciate decour as rocks and plants in order to hide when stressed. Yet, if frightened they may still burst in jolts of speed througout the aquaria, possibly harming themselfs.
They have strong jaws and sharp teeth (comparable to the infamous serrasalmidae even) and may bite down and eat even fish that do not fit whole in their mouth. So its better to keep then well fed!
In nature, they like to stay inside or at the end of river rapids to prey on those struggling to beat the current. In aquaria (or most likelly ponds) it wound be good to simulate that by placing a small waterfall or pump creating a region of fast flowing water. But these fish do migrate upstream during reproductive season, so maybe a waterfall could be dangerous for the fish…
And this fish are know to jump when scared.