# Underrated Fish??



## igmillichip (Feb 7, 2010)

So.......debate, poll, discuss, disagree........a thread for everyone surely. :whistling2:

So many fantastic fish are simply 'under-rated'. 
There are fashions....they come and go, and with them the fish.

Not a Moorish Idol; Not a Frontosa, not even a stingray to polish the silver whilst you're on holiday.....

...but a......

{well there you go}..... A lace gourami? a Convict Cichlid? a superb Goldfish perhaps? dancing dazzling phantom tetras even?

?????

ian


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

bleeding heart tetras...

most tetras are underrated...










congos too...


fine fish...


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## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

goldfish, and pearl gourami. i also think neon tetra, in a big school they are gorgeous fish.


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## igmillichip (Feb 7, 2010)

@Goldie and Habu.....I couldn't agree more.

I don't have the normal bleeding hearts, but I have some _Hyphessobrycon pyrrhonotus_ (the red back bleeding heart).

Black Phantom Tetras are blow away superb. Talk about showy.

Palmeri Emperors.....probably my favourite tetra. A large well kept male is not just brilliantly coloured, they almost have a cheeky character.

Yes...Pearl (lace) gourami. Have many people actually seem a full grown male in his breeding colours?.......unbelievable. Those who keep them have the pleasure of the beauty (knocks some marines for six basically....and for a couple of euro...or pounds). 
Indian Gourami (lovely), Honey (true) gourami, chocolate gourami, and, of course, the good,old Siamese Fighting Fish.

One of my favourites, but maybe a bit of an odd-bod, is _Crenuchus spilurus_ (the sailfin tetra).

I have the original issue of Inne's Aquarium fishes from the 1930s....and so many great fish in there would be in my big list of now underrated fish.

ian


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## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

convict cichlid...
you could not get another more easy fish to breed and care for..
they are very forgiving and have a huge attitude, but are really looked down on because they ARE aggresive parents.. they are cheap as chips for said reason


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## Eroom (Apr 5, 2011)

Convicts are great. Fun to watch and always looking for you when you walk by the tank. Nearly got mine hand feeding and I've only had them 4 months:flrt:


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## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

Eroom said:


> Convicts are great. Fun to watch and always looking for you when you walk by the tank. Nearly got mine hand feeding and I've only had them 4 months:flrt:


had my ghost knife hand fed on the first day lol.. cons are just bruisers though. they'll show a much larger fish where to get off


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## Eroom (Apr 5, 2011)

spinnin_tom said:


> had my ghost knife hand fed on the first day lol.. cons are just bruisers though. they'll show a much larger fish where to get off


I have got 16 of them in there....you have to count your fingers when your finished:lol2::lol2:


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## Moogloo (Mar 15, 2010)

Im a huge one for pointing out underrated fish when im showing them off!

But seriously, there is no such thing as underrated goldfish, neons or convicts. Def not, they cant be underrated when they are so seriously overrated!!

For me...

-Honey Gouramis (i try get people to avoid dwarf gouramis as they are sickly weedy things)
-Glowlight Danios
-White Cloud Mountain Minnows (males get stunning!! Bright yellow n white fins!)
-Congo Tetras
-Pencil Fish!!!
-Copperline Harlequins
-Giant Danio!!
-Partipentazona Barb
-Pearl Gouramis
-Bronze Corys

lots of things!


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## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

+1 on the wcmm's
'poor man's neon tetra' 
for what they are, a fish with declining wild populations.. they are like a pound each at the lfs :O


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Plus 2 for WCMM.

Also Killifish, more places need to stock them!


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## hippyhaplos (Jan 12, 2010)

Guppies(decent ones)
neons(not rotten stock)
Goldfish in the sense their care is beyond underrated.
Zebra Danios 
Silver Tip Tetras


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## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

hippyhaplos said:


> Guppies(decent ones)
> neons(not rotten stock)
> Goldfish in the sense their care is beyond underrated.
> Zebra Danios
> Silver Tip Tetras


+1
add penguin tetra to that list too 
they are just silly looking tetra, but in a good school of 20+, they look amazing, they angle themselves to about 45* and they look like plants 
but not many people want 20 little silver fish swimming around their tank..


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## Eroom (Apr 5, 2011)

I like WCMM but really can't stand guppies. I dont know why.:blush:


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## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

Eroom said:


> I like WCMM but really can't stand guppies. I dont know why.:blush:


the wild type guppies i like, but you don't get them, it's all the silly fancy guppies with all artificial colours 

white clouds are really nice in a school, though. did you see the pfk article? it just had white clouds i'll try and dig out a link


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## Eroom (Apr 5, 2011)

spinnin_tom said:


> the wild type guppies i like, but you don't get them, it's all the silly fancy guppies with all artificial colours
> 
> white clouds are really nice in a school, though. did you see the pfk article? it just had white clouds i'll try and dig out a link


Yeh I saw it. They had them in a river sim tank. High flow with minimal planting.

I feel bad because I have some in my turtle tank which is not fast flow but they seem quite happy.


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## callum b (Sep 8, 2008)

Tom was it this tank..... How to set up a White Cloud biotope | Features | Practical Fishkeeping ? I really love how it looks.
For me, of the commonly for sale fish Congo tetras are really not seen in enough peoples tanks. A big shoal of adults in a 5 foot aquarium takes some beating. At my previous work we were struggling to sell our congo's so I moved them into a nice 4ft 250l display tank. It was decorated with large plain rocks and a sand bottom (similar to the tank in the above link). The colours of the congos stood out so well against the background of rock and they looked awesome. They all sold over a weekend!

I've also got a softspot for hatchetfish. Again I always found they just didn't sell that well but I loved them. For surface movement and something different they are brilliant.

Soooo many cichlids are underated lol. Nannacara anomala are awesome little cichlids and so are Dicrossus filamentosus. Both small, interesting little fish.

I can't beleive so many people are saying they class neons as underrated lol. They are one of the, if not the biggest selling tropical fish. Very few people who keep fish have not at some some point kept neons. Everyone loves their colour and they look stunning when in a large shoal. Definately one of the most rated (if not maybe slightly overrated lol) fish IMO.


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## Alaina (Nov 18, 2009)

My favourite fish of all, Panda Garra (Garra Flavatra)










Such vibrant personalities, i have 8 in my tank and they keep me amused all day!


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## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

@callum: that is it indeed.
hatchets didn't even cross my mind, i used to have 5 but severum got hungry.
buenos aires work the same as congo, they look drab in little shop tank so they don't sell. i have 7, whe my damn impulse buy pantano cichlid C/H. pearsei get sold or swallow gives me some money for them, i'll buy a few more buenos aires:mf_dribble:
i like how hatchets jump when they school. i've had one on the floor, 10 feet from the tank lol


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## igmillichip (Feb 7, 2010)

@Alaina....gara are great little fish. In fact, I see some relatives of theirs so often just shoved in with goldfish: the 'butterfly plecs' or Gastromyzon type fish. 
They are just fantastic little fish with bizarre behaviours.....but need a specialised tank.
My OH has a load (she calls them 'aliens'....she keeps them in what is a bubbling inferno using multiple 500 and 750 gallon per hour power heads with the air-ventura turned on full. These are in the front room....she used to have them in the bedroom. Talk about noise. 

Hatchets are one of my favourites. I presently have the maculatus hatchets (the big species), and they can really hold their own and have some character....much more than most other hatchets. 

On the subject of surface dwellers.......African Butterfly Fish!!! they cost from 6 to 12 euro here, and for that money you get a mini-arowana....in fact you can get quite a few mini-arowanas into a single tank that will fit in a house. Mega. 
To watch a farty little fish behaving as if it were a 3 foot predator when fed dried food is actually quite comical (yes they shake the flakes of dried food as if catching a small live fish)
Breeding them is fun.....but a total and utter waste of time and energy if you wanna see dollar signs....you will never get rich breeding african butterfly fish. But worth a try for the hell of it.

WCMM.....in proper conditions, and with the males showing off....the neon should really be called a 'poor mans WCMM'. 
But again, yet another fish that is just 'shoved' in with goldfish in so many shops.

ian


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## Mynki (Mar 24, 2010)

Morgan Freeman said:


> Plus 2 for WCMM.
> 
> Also Killifish, more places need to stock them!


Ha! I've got some uber rare South American annual eggs (Austrolebias paucisquama) that are ready to hatch now, the adults were collected by a friend of mine. I might wet them tomorrow if I get chance to set a hatchery tank up. Will give Simpsonichthys magnificus and Simpsonichthys gibberatus a try too when I get chance as I also have eggs of these ready to go. 

Other underrated fish are IMHO :-

Microsynodontis species. These are brilliant fish for aquaria. They're peacefull and grow very small compared to your average Synodontis species too. They're suitable for smaller tanks and look great too! The trade is missing a trick by not making these more readily available.

African leaf fish. I've got some of these in a Nigerian biotope tank (Along with some Microsynodontis batesii). They're fasciating to watch but do need a thorough understanding of their feeding requirements. 

Neolamprologus brichardi. As long as you have a good sized tank (400 litres +) you can keep a colony and will get to witness several generations of this cichlid living together. Grandparents assist with new fry and help protect them from other fish. Smaller tanks won't support a proper colony ad other species if that makes sense?


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## Devi (Jan 9, 2011)

Neon Tetras all the way. My dad just got his first tropical tank and he has me looking at these 'boring old fish' in a totally new way, they're stunning!


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## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

Devi said:


> Neon Tetras all the way. My dad just got his first tropical tank and he has me looking at these 'boring old fish' in a totally new way, they're stunning!


neons are what keep the tropical fishkeeping hobby alive. everybody who has had tropical fish, will have had neons or will have neons at some point. they are by no means under estimated


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## Devi (Jan 9, 2011)

spinnin_tom said:


> neons are what keep the tropical fishkeeping hobby alive. everybody who has had tropical fish, will have had neons or will have neons at some point. they are by no means under estimated


I underestimated them tbh. Never had them, never wanted one, thought they were boring common fish. I can't wait to go get my dads now, cycling complete Weds or Thursday!!


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## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

Devi said:


> I underestimated them tbh. Never had them, never wanted one, thought they were boring common fish. I can't wait to go get my dads now, cycling complete Weds or Thursday!!


how long have you been keeping fish?


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## Devi (Jan 9, 2011)

spinnin_tom said:


> how long have you been keeping fish?


Tropical for about 7 years.


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## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

Devi said:


> Tropical for about 7 years.


give it time.
neons will find a place in your heart 
i prefer bigger fish.
the smallest i like are buenos aires tetra


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## Graylord (Jul 17, 2007)

Underrated gems IMO; Beacon Tetras,Sparkling Gouramis and one of the most underrated of all time Diamond Tetras ....superb.
To add a now very uncommon fish the wild form of the Golden barb Puntius Semifasciatus ,i`ve picked some F1`s up recently and they are fantastic.


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## rubberbiscuit (Jan 5, 2009)

I love my Dwarf Cory tank (bronze, peppered and albino). 
I know they are as common as muck but they are great little characters.


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## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

rubberbiscuit said:


> I love my Dwarf Cory tank (bronze, peppered and albino).
> I know they are as common as muck but they are great little characters.


again, a strong face in the fishkeeping hobby.
not so much underestimated, lots of people don't care for them properly. 
they have 2 or 3, but they are schooling, preferably in groups of 10+ like any schooler.


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## Devi (Jan 9, 2011)

spinnin_tom said:


> again, a strong face in the fishkeeping hobby.
> not so much underestimated, lots of people don't care for them properly.
> they have 2 or 3, but they are schooling, preferably in groups of 10+ like any schooler.


You realise underrated doesn't mean rare right?


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## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

Devi said:


> You realise underrated doesn't mean rare right?


naturally i do.
neons and cory catfish are one of the mostly owned fish.
they are by no means rare.. they are however, the mostly un-underestimated groups of fish


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## Lord Monty (Jul 1, 2009)

about ten striped danio!


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## Moogloo (Mar 15, 2010)

Neons bore me 

They arent even so nicely coloured as the Cardinals...

Id use Cardinals in Aqua Scaped tanks as when the most focus in the tank is on the plant scape, a big shoal of cardinals looks good so long as you dont expect them to be exciting....


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## Birty (Apr 4, 2011)

Ancistrus and cory's! Cleaning crews should never be underestimated


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## caribe (Mar 21, 2010)

Cardinals and Congo tetra, Cardinals look great in planted tanks and Congo are great dithers for medium sized cichlids.


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## miss_mystra (Jun 24, 2010)

Goldfish! Everyone thinks they're boring and people just seem to have them and not give a monkeys in general... i'm glad i've learnt better and mine is bloody hilarious to be honest :2thumb:


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## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

miss_mystra said:


> Goldfish! Everyone thinks they're boring and people just seem to have them and not give a monkeys in general... i'm glad i've learnt better and mine is bloody hilarious to be honest :2thumb:


 
that's it though '.. and not give a monkeys' people don't care for goldies, they die and are thought to be boring and short lived.
they are beautiful fish, comets at least, when housed properly


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## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

all goldfish are lovely, well, im not keen on the bubbleeyes and really deformed ones, but i like most of them. one day when i have a huge pond, i will own bristol shubunkins, and would love to get hold of some jyokko goldfish :mf_dribble: though as far as i know they arent in this country...yet, so if someone knows if they are, tell me now :lol2:


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Tiger Barbs.


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## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

ooh, i do love tiger barbs, always wanted a big tank full of them, schools of all the different colour types.


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## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

goldie1212 said:


> ooh, i do love tiger barbs, always wanted a big tank full of them, schools of all the different colour types.


 
a school of 50 normal colour tiger barbs.. WOW
they flow, much like white coulds. they look so nice


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

The problem with all the common fish is they're usually kept in tiny groups in community tanks. Keep them in large groups and they look so much better.


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## miss_mystra (Jun 24, 2010)

"who you calling under-rated?!"


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

See, it's all about simple fish in a shoal. This has made me want to set up a black background tank with just some driftwood for decor now. Make the fish the focal point.


YouTube - ‪Barbus tetrazona.mp4‬‏


YouTube - ‪roter Neon‬‏


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