# Which fish species is the most underrated in your opinion?



## Sarpijk (22 Apr 2020)

Hi, last night I was watching my Zebra Danios( wild form of course) and I really admired the deep blueish colour of their backs and the yellow gold stripes , the males are in mating costume!

I got the zebra Danios as a last option because I was hoping to get the more "exotic" Danio Kyathit or  Danio Tinwini.  

I realise that this is a species I only rarely see used in aquariums in general  while when I happen to see them they are the genetically modified dyed morphs- there are even people that think that the glowing colours are natutal!

I also have been keeping White cloud minnows. Not as striking but they also look great sparing in the mating colours.


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## igirisujin (22 Apr 2020)

Keyhole Cichlid.

Beige in colour and unassuming, but I love watching them. Gentle and calm fish I’d love to keep again one day.


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## Conort2 (22 Apr 2020)

White Cloud Mountain minnow.

Cheap as chips and common but super hardy and beautiful once settled in. Called the poor mans neon but neons are so inbred and diseased these days I’d choose the minnows other then every time. Also their close relative tanichthys micagemmae is a stunner if you can find them.

cheers

conor


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## Sarpijk (22 Apr 2020)

Conort2 said:


> White Cloud Mountain minnow.
> 
> Cheap as chips and common but super hardy and beautiful once settled in. Called the poor mans neon but neons are so inbred and diseased these days I’d choose the minnows other then every time. Also their close relative tanichthys micagemmae is a stunner if you can find them.
> 
> ...


Yes, thanks for pointing out the price factor especially when it gets you a hardy species .  I think the fact that at the store they almost always look drab and uninteresting compared to more colourful species doesn't help.


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## dw1305 (22 Apr 2020)

Hi all, 
<"Black-neon Tetra"> (_Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi_)? Cheap to buy, easy to keep and colour up really nicely in a planted tank. 

cheers Darrel


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## zozo (22 Apr 2020)

The Goldfish!... Potentially able to reach 30 years of age... And worldwide billions per year go over the counter and down the drain again.

Thus not only most underrated but also most abused...


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## Sarpijk (22 Apr 2020)

zozo said:


> The Goldfish!... Potentially able to reach 30 years of age... And worldwide billions per year go over the counter and down the drain again.
> 
> Thus not only most underrated but also most abused...


I'd rather have goldfish stay underrated that keep seeing them in glass bowls or crammed in " tiny" 10 litre aquariums.


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## castle (22 Apr 2020)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> <"Black-neon Tetra"> (_Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi_)? Cheap to buy, easy to keep and colour up really nicely in a planted tank.
> 
> cheers Darrel



Lovely fish, but for me too fast - every other fish in the tank got the scraps. Also, I never observed any kind of 'character' in them.


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## castle (22 Apr 2020)

A couple: 

Kryptopterus bicirrhis - a default in shops, seen as a common fish but I don't think many people have seen a dozen of them in a tank where they're the biggest fish, with plenty of floating plants and infinite bugs in the substrate. They shoal, have individual characters, live for a long time comparatively speaking. I would keep them again, but life is too short and I want to try other fish. They're also fish that learn to recognise you, come to the glass just to 'look' at you.

Badis Badis - Outrightly my favourite fish I have ever kept, when I can get my 'dream' aquarium, these fish will be in it. They have real character, social structure, good days and bad. They change colour based on their mood, and it's lovely from the deepest black, through blue to the bloodiest fo red. They're fussy eaters, they're unfussy eaters. They don't get big, but they need a big place. If you ever wanted to keep say 6 of these (2M4F) then, really you'd need a 180cm length tank. They will swim together one day, and chase each other around the world the next. They're very territorial, which I guess is a shame.


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## Nick72 (22 Apr 2020)

I think Odessa Barbs get over looked.

I'd love to have some but my tank runs between 28-29c and there's no room underneath for a chiller.


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## Paul27 (22 Apr 2020)

Definetly White cloud Minnows.

Also Kribensis, had them many years ago, found them really interesting and they breed easily. Great to watch how they are with there fry and they have alot!.


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## Gill (22 Apr 2020)

Another for WCMM, Also Honey Gourami, Sparkling Gourami, Liqourice Gourami, Paradise Fish_, _Rosy Loaches.


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## DeepMetropolis (22 Apr 2020)

Honey gourami for sure the most funny gouramis ive seen. And pencil fish also.. 

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## Sammy Islam (22 Apr 2020)

I would say small gouramis and pentazona barbs.

Small gouramis as they are generally colourful and add a whole new dynamic to the tank. But have known problems and breeding isn't great so they are hit and miss sometimes. 

The pentazona barbs colouration is amazing and they have unique behaviour compared to other barbs. Also they do best in dark planted aquariums or blackwater  which is probably why they get overlooked?


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## Tim Harrison (22 Apr 2020)

_Hemigrammus_ _erythrozonus (_Glowlight Tetra), massively overlooked and underrated. They always look really washed out in shop tanks but get them home and in a densely planted or blackwater aquarium and they usually colour up beautifully, and improve markedly as they age. And they're very cheap. 

_Paracheirodon_ _axelrodi_ (Cardinal Tetra), a popular aquarium fish for good reason, but it seems not too popular with scapers and accordingly often overlooked. Probably thought of as being too common and something of a cliche. Same with _Paracheirodon_ _innesi_ (Neon Tetra). I find a lot of other tropical fish pale and uninteresting in comparison.


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## tiger15 (22 Apr 2020)

I think labyrinth fish as a group  is the least appreciated in the hobby.  There are specialty fish keepers in cichlid, live bearers, Killy fish, tetra, fancy angel, discus and gold fish, but no labyrinth fish. There are many labyrinth fish in the wild yet to be introduced to the hobby, and just betta alone are in the dozens species.  Many are colorful, have interesting breeding and parental behavior from bubble nesting to mouth brooding, all plant friendly and small enough for aquarium.


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## ScareCrow (23 Apr 2020)

I'm a big fan of kribensis. There are so many variations and their behaviour is really interesting.

I've never kept cherry barbs _Puntius titteya _but the males get a solid red that rival cardinal tetras, without being as delicate_.
_


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## mort (23 Apr 2020)

I think that the underrated species could potentially include all the species we add to accompany our main attraction, or act as dither fish. The humble tetras, rasbora or barbs are all beautiful in their own right and I've personally changed my stocking plans in the past simply because they become the stars of the show.

The tank next to my chair has simply had a colony of beckfords pencilfish in it for about 8 years now. My plans were for a pair of something bigger with the pencils and some cories as interesting side notes but the pencils really interact and have kept my enthusiasm all this time. They spar, breed and bask in the sunlight so nicely as a group that I haven't found anything I really want to add to them. On the plus side they love a jungle type tank and don't seem to predate on my cherry shrimp so it's a tank I don't see changing in a while.


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## jolt100 (23 Apr 2020)

tiger15 said:


> There are specialty fish keepers in cichlid, live bearers, Killy fish, tetra, fancy angel, discus and gold fish, but no labyrinth fish.


There is a Labyrinth society in the UK,  my friend kept Parasphromenos and even collected a couple of new species.  

I think most Killifish are under rated in planted tanks. Too many myths about being hard to keep. If there's enough hiding places they perform well. 

Cheers 
John


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## castle (23 Apr 2020)

jolt100 said:


> There is a Labyrinth society in the UK,  my friend kept Parasphromenos and even collected a couple of new species.
> 
> I think most Killifish are under rated in planted tanks. Too many myths about being hard to keep. If there's enough hiding places they perform well.
> 
> ...



It's the breeding that puts me off, just feels like a little bit too much work.


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## castle (23 Apr 2020)

Neolamprologus multifasciatus - if you're in a hard water area (like me) I think these are excellent enjoyable fish. I had a 'colony' in a 90cm tank, after two breedings there were over 100. I gave the lot to my LFS. Too many fish, but lovely to observe the behaviour and social dynamics. They're again fish that observe you, they'll peak out of their shells when you're nearby. They enjoy each others company, sometimes they don't but I get that, I don't always get on with my housemate either. Lovely colouration when in breeding form. I still collect empty garden snail shells, I'd like them again some day. If I could have had a 200cm tank, I'll have had them but also introduced a pair of Telmatochromis vittatus and considered that a lovely tank where I suspect balance would be maintained.


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## MWood (24 Apr 2020)

ScareCrow said:


> I've never kept cherry barbs _Puntius titteya _but the males get a solid red that rival cardinal tetras, without being as delicate_._



I've had these a few times, and I don't know why they aren't seen more often. As you say, the males get an amazing deep crimson colour and become quite chunky. The females are great too, and both get to a decent size. They are really easy to breed too, if you have a reasonably well planted aquarium it's likely that decent numbers of fry will turn up regularly. Cheap too!


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## dean (25 Apr 2020)

tiger15 said:


> I think labyrinth fish as a group  is the least appreciated in the hobby.  There are specialty fish keepers in cichlid, live bearers, Killy fish, tetra, fancy angel, discus and gold fish, but no labyrinth fish. There are many labyrinth fish in the wild yet to be introduced to the hobby, and just betta alone are in the dozens species.  Many are colorful, have interesting breeding and parental behavior from bubble nesting to mouth brooding, all plant friendly and small enough for aquarium.



I know a lot of specialist who keep these 
Not sure where you live but there’s a society in UK for just these species 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/653236004747602/?ref=share


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## tiger15 (25 Apr 2020)

dean said:


> I know a lot of specialist who keep these
> Not sure where you live but there’s a society in UK for just these species
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/groups/653236004747602/?ref=share
> ...


I live in US.  There are betta societies here, but not  labyrinth fish per se I’m aware of.  Not sure if it exists in U.K., Killy fish societies are common here,  but few species are sold in LFS.  There are fish competition every year on Killy fish and betta.  Many labyrinth and Killy fish are small enough to be kept in containers, and some are sensitive that need rainwater softness and live food  to thrive so can be demanding.


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## Aqua360 (25 Apr 2020)

All this fish chat makes me want to keep a shoal of minnows or danios again, or a breeding pair of keyhole cichlids as mentioned above...need to resist the monster in the closet lol. 

Have managed to get down to one single aquarium with shrimp only, haven't kept fish in a while but the fluval tanks always tempt me! 

In my opinion a really underrated fish would be tiger barbs, colourful, punchy, active and socially complex; just such good fish to keep.

And for inverts, Ramshorn snails I find fascinating these days haha


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