Silver Mono (Monodactylus argenteus) Care Guide
Monodactylus argenteus is a diamond-shaped silvery schooling fish that needs increasing salinity with age, ultimately requiring marine conditions.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Monodactylus argenteus, the silver mono or Malayan angel, is a diamond-shaped silvery fish of the family Monodactylidae. It is a schooling, euryhaline species that generally requires increasing salinity as it matures.
Taxonomy
- Family: Monodactylidae
- Genus: Monodactylus
- Scientific name: Monodactylus argenteus
- Common synonym: Malayan Angel
Habitat
FishBase records the species across the Indo-West Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to Samoa, New Caledonia and Australia. It is found in bays, mangrove estuaries, tidal creeks and the lower reaches of freshwater streams, inhabiting marine, brackish and freshwater conditions to depths of about 12 m.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 400 L
- Temperature: 24-28 °C (75-82 °F)
- pH: 7.5-8.5
- GH: 15-30 °dGH
- Group size: keep in groups of 5 or more
- Lifespan: 6-10 years
- Water type: brackish, trending marine with age
Diet
The silver mono is an omnivore. FishBase reports it feeds on plankton and detritus in the wild. In the aquarium it accepts a varied diet of meaty and plant-based foods, fed twice daily.
Compatibility
It is a peaceful schooling fish; FishBase notes adults can be territorial and are commonly found in large schools, so keeping a group reduces stress. Suitable tankmates include scats and archerfish; small or aggressive fish should be avoided.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 2016).
Silver Mono (Monodactylus argenteus) Breeding Guide
Overview
Monodactylus argenteus, the silver mono or Malayan angel, is a diamond-shaped shoaling fish of the western Pacific and Indian Ocean, recorded from the Persian Gulf, Red Sea and Mekong Delta. It occupies a wide range of habitats including open ocean, brackish water and freshwater rivers, and is a model organism in salinity-tolerance research. Juveniles are especially tolerant of changing salinity, but adults require increasingly marine conditions, and the species is not bred in home aquaria.
Sexing
No reliable external sexing characteristics are documented for this species, which is one of the obstacles to any breeding attempt.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
Detailed spawning behaviour is not documented in accessible sources. The species' life history — freshwater and brackish juveniles transitioning to marine adults — indicates an open-water reproductive strategy in coastal seas rather than the confined, controllable conditions of an aquarium.
Common Challenges
The combination of a shoaling habit (groups of five or more), the need for adults to be kept in marine-strength water, large adult body depth and the absence of documented spawning makes reproduction impractical for hobbyists. Monos are kept as brackish-to-marine display shoals rather than as a breeding project.