Fish fashions: most underrated fish?

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coldmachineUK

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So, with fish there are fashions I guess, and they come and go. To me this makes some fish underrated because they're not considered 'popular' and so less people keep them (with most not realising how nice they can be). This can ultimately end up with rarity attached too because LFS wont stock things that dont sell so well.

Here are my top three underrated fish, what are yours?

1. Black mollies (Poecilia sphenops)
First fish I ever kept, a long long time ago! Theyve been inbred so much that most stock is very unhealthy these days. I recently (back in Summer '06) bought a pair of females partly out of nostalgias sake but also because I still do love this fish.
They do have a little bit more personality than people give them credit for. One is nicknamed 'Molly Monster' b/c she eats like a horse.
They're very peaceful, gentle fish. People consider them 'starter fish' so theyre not very popular in the trade which is a shame, particularly since theyre brackish adaptable and can therefore feature in more unusual tanks.

2. Porthole livebearers (Poeciliopsis gracilis)
When people see 'livebearer' they often think 'oh, an easy fish for newbies' so people with fishkeeping experience often neglect these beauties. I have never owned or kept any myself, but theyve always been on my 'if I see these...' list :)

3. Chromide cichlids (Etroplus maculatus)
Ancestors of the modern cichlids, the chromides are still about and sadly not as popular as their modern vibrant, colourful and active counterparts like the African Rift Lake cichlids.
 
platys, mollies, most "typical" gouramis. The kissing gourami seems to be going out of style...and talk about a neat fish to raise.

swordtails also.
 
I always get comments on my diamond tetra whenever I post a pic of him. Maybe they just aren't available in other parts of the country but they are beautiful fish once acclimated to your tank, they don't look like much in the store. Everyone seems to gravitate towards neons and rummynose tetras and a lot of the less common and still beautiful species get neglected.

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I agree that Gouramis get a bad wrap. People don't like the whiskers on them. I think they look majestic.
 
Gouramis (the dwarf kind) get a bad rap from me because i had one that killed off 4 of its tank mates and terrorized the rest of them until i returned it.
 
I've never kept gouramis before either, but have always been tempted by two: moonlight gouramis, and dwarf honey gouramis.
Maybe I will get some one day!

Pleco, how about some underrated plecs? Like, IMHO the clown plec. But I'm no pleco expert, you probably know way more :)
 
coldmachineUK said:
Pleco, how about some underrated plecs? Like, IMHO the clown plec. But I'm no pleco expert, you probably know way more :)
IMO rubber-lip plecos...everyone always suggest bristle-nose plecos for small plecos... i like the look of the rubber-lip much better though :D
 
here is a good one:

hatchetfish. Very underappreciated, beautiful, unique fish. espceially the marbles.
 
coldmachineUK said:
3. Chromide cichlids (Etroplus maculatus)
Ancestors of the modern cichlids, the chromides are still about and sadly not as popular as their modern vibrant, colourful and active counterparts like the African Rift Lake cichlids.

i actually had a mated pair of these fish, sadly the female died though. they'd build a nest a chase other fish away from it.

these are intelligent fish, i cant even distract my surviving male with flakes while i give the BGK bloodworms. always paying attention. these fush are brackish, and since i've been keeping mine in fw (they were a gift) they lost most of their bright color, and have really dulled down. i'm thinking about acclimating him to my sw tank
 
I agree on the rubber lip plecos. When they are on the glass munching, my kids are on the floor dying in laughter because of they way they look.

The other one I really like but doesn't seem to get a lot of respect are serpae tetras. They're just kind of there, but in a big group, they have very interesting interactions. I have 7 that sleep in a straight line, side by side. I really need to get a picture of that.
 
I agree on the Bolivian Rams (saw those for the first time last week)
Marble Hatchets too
 
another fish is the "black neon tetras" because to most people that I have talked to, they all refuse them because they "dont have color" sure they do, you just have to give them the right conditions! I have 3, they have a beautiful blue line down that black/grey body!
 
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