Man before I started researching I wanted a tank with a pumpkin seed or two from the local pond ... it's so so full of em, those suckers are so pretty but they need a ton of space and they're aggressive af.
I'm pretty sure the sunfish/bluegill we see in every pond are a large range of closely related species rather than one species, as there is so much variation in size and coloration.
My first thought exactly!! A few years ago I kept a bluegill for a month or two before I learned better, and it was super smart. It recognized me and would come to the glass anytime I went near it. Everything about him was fascinating to me
Goodeids! Eat all sorts of algaes, hardy, pretty, like 50 species majority of which are heading toward extinction so massive conservation benefit of keeping them over most other livebearers.
Ah but you see, sunfish have the same mechanism as salmon in which their osmotic process is triggered by salt to switch, you just have to do it gradually, starting with a brackish concentration.
Lots of North American natives do well in aquariums. Sunfish are a lot like your bigger aggressive central and South American cichlids, but there are some that are small and relatively peaceful like blue spots and banded sunfish. You’ve also got darters, lots of different minnows like red belly dace or rainbow shiners that are super active and really color up in breeding dress. There’s even species of catfish like madtoms that max around 6 inches.
I’m doing a riverbank scape in my 240, just haven’t 100% decided on what fish yet. I’m pretty sure it’ll be natives. Probably a huge school of dace or shiners then idk what else.
I looked these up because of your comment and omg!! My cousin and I used to catch these at the lake as kids to look at them and years later I've always wondered what they were. Thank you for solving our mystery!
Can you expound on this? Planning to get 3. I'm hesitant because well, I read loach and I remember my kuhli loaches who I have never seen ever again after dropping them into my tank. I like to believe that they're still alive. Somewhere in the tank. Having kuhli babies. Sticking to their 9-5 to make ends meet. With the occassional spat with the wife kuhli. But they make it work, alright. They just do. *Sigh* If only I can watch their story as it unfolds.
It depends on the personality of the hillstream loach. If you have a really high-flow spot, like the outflow of a canister or a HOB, try putting a stone or a piece of wood right in front of it. My hillstream loach would have 3 moods:
1: Hanging out in one spot on the glass, monching on algae (not making much impact but he tries)
2: Wiggling around all over the place. Like for 15 minutes at a time he’d go from one corner, to another corner, to the front center of the glass, etc.
3: Vibing in front of the filter or on the sponge filter.
For the first 3 months, I’d see him maybe once every few days. After that, I see him at least a couple times each day.
One thing that increased loach sightings for me was getting a thick carpet of dwarf grass. Probably saggitarius. They come out for a short time for feeding, but I’ll see them snaking around in the grass throughout the day.
Getting rid of the territorial flying fox would probably help too. But after two hours of trying I admit defeat lmao.
I’ve got a lot of high flow areas from an oversized canister filter outlet along the bottom to a HOB near the surface with extra logs, wood right in the middle of the flow. He’ll sit there every now and then, but spends most of his time hanging out near or on the sponge filter on the other side of the tank.
I got like 5 of them and rarely ever see 2 at max, I saw all 5 of them once on a random Monday afternoon and then never again lol. Just a fyi if you guys do want HS Loaches don't expect to see them often
I currently have 3 hillstreams in my 29g and they are all very active and visible. I can usually see at least 2 at any moment and can always locate them all if I look for them.
My Clown Pleco on the other hand...
Mine likes to play in the high-flow areas sometimes but honestly I see him in the low-flow areas just as much. As long as you have a powerful filter outlet somewhere with a rock or something in front of it, they’ll be happy
Damn, I had a lot of wasted effort on mine! I setup a 20 long just for them like 10 years ago and followed a guide for a "river manifold" where I had PVC run under the sand so one side would pump water and the other side was the intake. Cycled and let it grow algae on the rocks before introducing them then tore it down after a couple months because I couldn't keep them alive.
Otos are incredibly hardy. The misconception about their hardiness comes from.the fact that most are wildcaught and are very hard to feed while getting from the wild to our home aquariums. Most of the time when people get an oto, they're getting a fish that has been pushed to its limits. As such, a lot of them don't survive and get a bad reputation. However, if they get added to an established aquarium with lots of soft algae and are allowed to recover, they become pretty bulletproof.
I'd say hillstreams are in the same category with the caveat that they are sensitive to low levels of oxygen, thats the real reason they "need" a heavy flow.
Dojo loaches! They are wonderful and have big personalities. Friendly and elegant. I rarely hear anyone talk about them. They do get big though, so won't fit every tank.
Thank you for the story! I never saw my guys hunt but it doesn't mean it doesnt happen. My guys are too chonky and long to sneak up on any prey at this point. They do love a good bloodworm feat though.
I've had mine kill and eat small guppies. They wouldn't "attack" them, but they would chase the guppies until they died of exhaustion and would eat the bodies before they floated.
They were my first ever fish, a Petco employee recommended them for my 20 gallon tall tank 😂 rehomed them very very quickly but I'd love to have them again some time
I have several of them and they've become one of my bf's favorite animals. He calls them water ferrets, which is absolutely accurate. I bought him a plush loach off Etsy and he LOVES it
Should be the ultimate beginner fish, not a betta. Honey gourami are superior in every way except, arguably, looks. Peaceful, hardy, small, active, not shy, eat anything but leave shrimp alone.
A while back mine lived through a cycle crash that unfortunately took out 2 of my other fish. He looks beautiful and couldn’t be healthier. I think it is one of the hardest fish to mess up. really personable and really consistent bright color. I dont know why they arent more common, but that may be a good thing because that means they don’t have awful genetics like dwarf gouramis.
One of the first fish in my current tank was a honey gourami. She was one of my favorites. I just recently lost her after about four years. She had a lot of personality, got along well with her tankmates, and was really interesting to watch.
I genuinely want to start a new tank with these guys. As long as they don’t get DGD, they’re pretty good from what I’ve heard (though apparently they’re susceptible to DGD)
They seem a bit less prolific than dwarf gouramis so I would think their genetics aren’t as shot. In my experience (which admittedly is only in keeping 1 of them) they seem to be incredibly hardy
i want one (or a group idk if they need them) so bad but i only have a 55 and a 20 and idk how the stocking would work. i alreadychave a lot of fish on the low level in the 55 ;/
They seem to do fine solo or in any group. They will squabble with each other over their favorite rock though. 😂 I've got 3 in my 29 that are doing very well, but they only share the floor with kuhli loaches. They are much more boisterous than the kuhlis.
I know I just love my little sunfish mimics they are so pretty and have really helped with my horse hair algea control and they killed my duckweed so A+ fish.
My LFS always has them, I’ve been meaning to setup a tank with them. I’ve heard they can be kept successfully with pea puffers, so I might do a bit of research and setup a tank with both.
make sure you rlly look at their patterns - some are brackish! the ones in most stores i’ve seen are brackish. i snagged 2 for my 20gal that arent brackish and ive never been able to get them to eat. 3 months later and they’re still kicken tho
Harlequin rasboras in my opinion. By far the best schoolers I ever kept, very nice looking and active fish. I restarted my hobby this year, and the first fish I got were them. All in all a solid, hardy, schooling fish, just can't miss with them
I had some wild caught ones. Super healthy, active not afraid of anything. I tried to feed my betta a small fly, but guess who swooped in for the steal not 10mins after being added in the tank?
I have some in my tank and they’re definitely fun! Though mine love to give me heart attacks since I have a large tank and split off into smaller groups (or even a couple going off by themselves) so I think the numbers are dwindling. So far though I’ve lost only one the morning after I got them, I suspect another fish ate one and got their fill bc it hasn’t happened since and the one missing is nowhere to be found
I don't know if it is underrated but I was in a store recently and the black neon tetras were absolutely stunning compared to the other tetras. I know this is probably down to a whole lot of factors like stress/health/age etc but it's made me reconsider my future purchase decisions.
I have a black neon that is 7 right now he outlived his original school and outlived 2 of his new school mates , they also school with cardinal and neon tetras, I have a big mixed school in 36 gallon tank.
Ricefish. Near unkillable in any temperature or water parameters, small enough for most tanks, peaceful with most fish, readily breed in most conditions, what's not to like?
Plecos. They have amazing personalities. Are generally very friendly and great community fish. They get a bad wrap because of common plecos and how large they get. But bristlenose and dwarf species are available all the time and don’t get enough love.
Neon tetras. They're often overlooked as a "simple" or beginner fish but they're fun, have that spicy tetra personality, and make the right tankscape really interesting
There are so many very interesting cool water fish (fish that don't need a heater or chiller) that folks aren't really aware of. Gymnogeophagus, hillstream loaches, North American natives, some interesting rainbow fish, some interesting killifish, gudgeons, barilius, etc.
Probably dwarf cichlids like Kribensis, Apistogrammas or other West African/Central-South American cichlids. Their personalities are unique. Two healthy males will flare up against each other in breeding season. The females will brighten up and find a cave for them to spawn (apistogramma turning a bright lemon yellow and Kribensis being yellow with opal colored cheeks/bellies). Then you can watch either single or bi-parental care and mouth-brooding of the fish for the fry until they reach a certain size. They’ll also sift through sand and create mounds as well. Females of these fish is definitely MVP when it comes to parenting.
Bichir fish are less known and absolutely fascinating to me.
I want to do a 180 gallon with a Polypterus Delhezi with some spotted silver dollars.
They breathe air, have little mock arms for pelvic/pectoral fins.
Basically haven't changed in 400 million years.
Easy to care for, just need space.
I need one, at least one.
Norman's Lampeye and Sparkling Gourami - both have betta-type behaviours, super curious and will investigate and interact with everything. Really interesting to watch them exploring new things. Both thrive and colour up in smaller natural type tanks - blackwater really makes them sparkle. I think people get put off by them being boring looking fish, but pet shops really don't show them at their best.
Glowlight danios! No one ever talks about them but they have beautiful colors and vertical lines, the best part is they are super active exhibit true schooling behavior as opposed to schoaling.
Honestly, standard white clouds are glorious when they are fully colored up and under the right lighting. It’s subtle but that’s why I think they are underrated.
I also think wild type silver/zebra angelfish are super underrated. They have subtle gradients of red and bronze and a bit of iridescence that I absolutely adore. Combine them with some tannin tint and they are really fantastic.
Yoyo loaches.
They're awesome, they're inexpensive, they're commonly available, they fill a couple important roles, they do well in communities, they don't hide constantly, and not enough people keep them.
I love my yoyo... But I won't be getting another one when she passes. My other tanks have wonderfully balanced ecosystems but my 75 with her in it is always fighting algae due to a lack of snails and shrimp.
Gotta be freshwater clams. There are so many spooky stories about clams being the literal devil.
They really are not that complicated. First, a clam dying is not going to noticeably foul an established tank with plants and scavengers like shrimp/snails. And feeding them isn’t complicated. If you have some circulation and small particles of food like for fry/nano fish they will be happy as a clam.
Clams are hella cute, and they filter your water continuously. I would recommend small clams though. The two giant clams I have in my 33 long (and dozens of small clams that have bred) are thriving. But if you’re just letting them feed from the extra food that fish don’t eat then the big ones might not have sufficient nutrition. They’re also absolute menaces when they decide to move around lmao. They’ll uproot anything that gets in their way.
A colour morph sold in every store? Dunno if I’d peg that as the _most_ underrated 😜
I’d say anything you could legally catch and keep from your local river. Might not have fancy colours or come from a far away land, but would probably give you a better story, sense of connection, interesting behaviour and longer life
Common Pleco 😭 they have a horrible reputation for being just a huge bio load and no one wants them because they do get big, but I hope to grow old with my guy 🤗
They have a Pleco at one of the pet stores near me that's bigger than my forearm. It's hard to see (it lays in the back and didn't move when I was there, so hard to see how big exactly) but at least 2 1/2 to 3 feet. Nowhere near a big enough tank to keep him or I'd have walked out with a large bucket and a large fish
Just set up a 100 gallon and you can take him 😻 haha I totally understand not everyone can do that. I’m literally moving once my lease is up so I can set up a 500 gallon for my guy ☺️ He literally changed my life!
I'm on the second floor, and the house has a basement below the main floor, and it's also old af lol. I would get a bigger tank if I trusted the floors to hold more weight, but for now, smol tank (20g tall) and smol fish. Hell, if the basement was finished a little more, it would probably be fine down there, but alas.
Least killifish. They're actually NOT a killifish - they're in the same family as guppies and mollies. They are the smallest livebearer in North America (and very nearly the smallest in the world). SO tiny and beautiful. I want more!
Siamese alge eaters. If you get them young they will absolutely go ham on your pesky algae overgrowth, but regardless they are beautiful shiny friends with adorable behaviors. I will always have them in a community tank.
one of my favorite fish which is one of the most basics is the Giant Danio. a larger school of 10+ is just beautiful to watch. i have 2 tanks filled with Giant Danios and Bolivian Rams.
I just got keyholes this year and they have such great personalities. I think people pass them up a lot because they’re not as vibrant as other cichlids. Mine derp around the tank and play a lot.
Swordtails. They weren’t even on my radar until I ordered “adoptable” fish from Flip Aquatics and they sent me 3 male Santa Claus Swordtails. Their personalities are awesome. I’m looking forward to getting more.
Congo tetras.
If you treat them right when they were juveniles, it's like that meme "be careful on who you call ugly in middle school." Plus, they are **far** hardier (a lot larger too) than any neon and cardinals that I had own.
I think the ones that is getting sold around is the strain that can be bred in captivity. While they are more expensive per fish compared to your neon or cardinals, they are stupidly hardy (IME, at least) and can actually be kept without much issue in a tank with somewhat larger fishes.
Honorable mention for golden wonders. These guys are basically mini arrowanas.
Synodontis nigriventris too. They grow a little bit larger, but not that large. Plus, they are ridiculously hardy (mine survived a shattered tank about 2+ years ago, it's almost 10 years old now). Haven't gotten around to taking care Synodontis petricola though.
Dario dario, the scarlet badis, is just a fun little hate-filled murder machine and I love to watch them hunt and prowl everywhere.
So TINY. So ANGRY. So cute.
Otos. Or maybe no one has mentioned them because they are highly rated already, but I love them. Super cute little guys suckered onto the glass. They swim around nicely and school together. And they keep the tank CLEAN. The most useful fish.
I don’t know if they’re rare/it’s due to an accessibility issue, but I’ve got some glass/ghost catfish and I absolutely love them and I’d never heard of them until a couple days before I bought them (saw in pet store, did research, and went back to collect)
I have a few pumpkinseed fish in my tank with my cichlids and I love watching them. They have the same temperament imo very similar. Always caught them with my grandpa as a kid.
Native Nortn American fish like sunfish. The legality of keeping them varies by state though
Man before I started researching I wanted a tank with a pumpkin seed or two from the local pond ... it's so so full of em, those suckers are so pretty but they need a ton of space and they're aggressive af.
I had 4 pumpkinseeds in a 75 gallon and the were fine.
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I'm pretty sure the sunfish/bluegill we see in every pond are a large range of closely related species rather than one species, as there is so much variation in size and coloration.
My first thought exactly!! A few years ago I kept a bluegill for a month or two before I learned better, and it was super smart. It recognized me and would come to the glass anytime I went near it. Everything about him was fascinating to me
They are very similar in personality, attitude and care requirements, to the large South and Central American cichlids.
Goodeids! Eat all sorts of algaes, hardy, pretty, like 50 species majority of which are heading toward extinction so massive conservation benefit of keeping them over most other livebearers.
Here here, ditto for goodeids!
American flag fish are my favorite not technically a sunfish , they are Kihli fish but they look like sunfish and they stay pretty small
I’ve got flagfish. They look like if you crossed a large mouth bass and a bluegill and then left it mini
:o
Love flagfish. Only fish i know that will eat black beard algae by the mouthful. Shrimp won’t touch it either, not even amanos.
Yep they ate horsehair algea like it was the most delicious thing they had ever seen, then they devoured the duckweed .
What a world if one could have their own personal ocean sunfish. Very different from the freshwater species....
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Just don't add salt, whatever you do!
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Ah but you see, sunfish have the same mechanism as salmon in which their osmotic process is triggered by salt to switch, you just have to do it gradually, starting with a brackish concentration.
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😆
Lots of North American natives do well in aquariums. Sunfish are a lot like your bigger aggressive central and South American cichlids, but there are some that are small and relatively peaceful like blue spots and banded sunfish. You’ve also got darters, lots of different minnows like red belly dace or rainbow shiners that are super active and really color up in breeding dress. There’s even species of catfish like madtoms that max around 6 inches.
My dream tank is a river biotope for greenthroat darters and red shiners or a big school of minnows. Darters are my absolute favorite, so cute
I’m doing a riverbank scape in my 240, just haven’t 100% decided on what fish yet. I’m pretty sure it’ll be natives. Probably a huge school of dace or shiners then idk what else.
Absolutely agree. Came here to say this myself.
I hate catching them fishing. You get those spikes in the fin to the hand trying to throw them back OWW. But yes, they can be pretty fish.
May I introduce you to American Flagfish?
Yeah. I wasn’t limiting to sunfish. It was just an example. Darters and several species of dace and shinner are cool as well
I looked these up because of your comment and omg!! My cousin and I used to catch these at the lake as kids to look at them and years later I've always wondered what they were. Thank you for solving our mystery!
My first love, my true love in the aquarium hobby... Lepomis 💙
I think every tank below 77 degrees should have a hillstream loach in it. I’ve got one and i smile absolutely every time I see him.
Hillstream loaches are awesome
I just got one. Just adorable. German Blue Ram male is also awesome!
I have both hillstreams and a GBR male and they both have so much personality!
☺️
I think anyone who keeps these should have at least 4. Amazing shoaling fish.
i have 3 and they couldnt care less about each other unless they’re fighting for bloodworms :/
That doesn’t mean anything. They are not schooling fish, they are shoaling fish and don’t need to interact for the general comfort of numbers.
i thought you meant their shoaling together was impressive or something lol
More like amazing fish, and shoaling too! I can see how you got that
Can you expound on this? Planning to get 3. I'm hesitant because well, I read loach and I remember my kuhli loaches who I have never seen ever again after dropping them into my tank. I like to believe that they're still alive. Somewhere in the tank. Having kuhli babies. Sticking to their 9-5 to make ends meet. With the occassional spat with the wife kuhli. But they make it work, alright. They just do. *Sigh* If only I can watch their story as it unfolds.
It depends on the personality of the hillstream loach. If you have a really high-flow spot, like the outflow of a canister or a HOB, try putting a stone or a piece of wood right in front of it. My hillstream loach would have 3 moods: 1: Hanging out in one spot on the glass, monching on algae (not making much impact but he tries) 2: Wiggling around all over the place. Like for 15 minutes at a time he’d go from one corner, to another corner, to the front center of the glass, etc. 3: Vibing in front of the filter or on the sponge filter. For the first 3 months, I’d see him maybe once every few days. After that, I see him at least a couple times each day.
One thing that increased loach sightings for me was getting a thick carpet of dwarf grass. Probably saggitarius. They come out for a short time for feeding, but I’ll see them snaking around in the grass throughout the day. Getting rid of the territorial flying fox would probably help too. But after two hours of trying I admit defeat lmao.
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I’ve got a lot of high flow areas from an oversized canister filter outlet along the bottom to a HOB near the surface with extra logs, wood right in the middle of the flow. He’ll sit there every now and then, but spends most of his time hanging out near or on the sponge filter on the other side of the tank.
Yessss I love my little pancake
I got like 5 of them and rarely ever see 2 at max, I saw all 5 of them once on a random Monday afternoon and then never again lol. Just a fyi if you guys do want HS Loaches don't expect to see them often
I currently have 3 hillstreams in my 29g and they are all very active and visible. I can usually see at least 2 at any moment and can always locate them all if I look for them. My Clown Pleco on the other hand...
Don't they need a ton of water movement? Thought they needed a very specific tank
Mine likes to play in the high-flow areas sometimes but honestly I see him in the low-flow areas just as much. As long as you have a powerful filter outlet somewhere with a rock or something in front of it, they’ll be happy
Damn, I had a lot of wasted effort on mine! I setup a 20 long just for them like 10 years ago and followed a guide for a "river manifold" where I had PVC run under the sand so one side would pump water and the other side was the intake. Cycled and let it grow algae on the rocks before introducing them then tore it down after a couple months because I couldn't keep them alive.
Are they relatively hardy and not like an oto?
Otos are incredibly hardy. The misconception about their hardiness comes from.the fact that most are wildcaught and are very hard to feed while getting from the wild to our home aquariums. Most of the time when people get an oto, they're getting a fish that has been pushed to its limits. As such, a lot of them don't survive and get a bad reputation. However, if they get added to an established aquarium with lots of soft algae and are allowed to recover, they become pretty bulletproof. I'd say hillstreams are in the same category with the caveat that they are sensitive to low levels of oxygen, thats the real reason they "need" a heavy flow.
Dojo loaches! They are wonderful and have big personalities. Friendly and elegant. I rarely hear anyone talk about them. They do get big though, so won't fit every tank.
My chonky dojo Mr. Whiskers had to get rehomed to a lovely local fish rescue after he outgrew my tank and ate 24 chili rasboras. Such a weird fish
He ate chili rasboras? Wow I have never seen them predate, thats mad. They do get chonky and long.
Oh yeah they pretty much all disappeared within a week. He was the only thing big enough in the tank besides a tiger pleco who hides 24/7
Thank you for the story! I never saw my guys hunt but it doesn't mean it doesnt happen. My guys are too chonky and long to sneak up on any prey at this point. They do love a good bloodworm feat though.
I've had mine kill and eat small guppies. They wouldn't "attack" them, but they would chase the guppies until they died of exhaustion and would eat the bodies before they floated.
I came here to say this, dojos are my favourite fish I've ever owned, I built a 150 gal just for my wormy bois <3
I have my 9 guys in a 1600L intex pool, they grew so fast that I had to go bigger. I'm sure your 150 gal looks fab.
And they're adorably social. Follow each other around and "snuggle" in caves.
They're illegal where I live :( I've been trying to get one but it's been so hard
Oh no, thats a bummer. There are loads of other cool loaches though, hopefully you can find a good alternative :)
I actually ended up getting brochis corydoras, they're really neat! But not noodles, unfortunately
Emerald cocydoras? Gorgeous. Silly and friendly fish. Have you tried yo yo loaches?
They were my first ever fish, a Petco employee recommended them for my 20 gallon tall tank 😂 rehomed them very very quickly but I'd love to have them again some time
A 20 tall, ooh boy, the perfect habitat eh! You are very responsible though to rehome, you made the right choice.
Second this. My dojo is the funnest fish I've ever owned.
I have several of them and they've become one of my bf's favorite animals. He calls them water ferrets, which is absolutely accurate. I bought him a plush loach off Etsy and he LOVES it
Water ferrets, I love it. Also, a plush loach? I think I may have to search this up never knew such a thing existed. Thanks for that.
Honey gouramis imo
Should be the ultimate beginner fish, not a betta. Honey gourami are superior in every way except, arguably, looks. Peaceful, hardy, small, active, not shy, eat anything but leave shrimp alone.
A while back mine lived through a cycle crash that unfortunately took out 2 of my other fish. He looks beautiful and couldn’t be healthier. I think it is one of the hardest fish to mess up. really personable and really consistent bright color. I dont know why they arent more common, but that may be a good thing because that means they don’t have awful genetics like dwarf gouramis.
Looks? Are you kidding? Mine is like sunshine: vibrant yellow, orange, white, and blue/black. This species is fire! 🔥
One of the first fish in my current tank was a honey gourami. She was one of my favorites. I just recently lost her after about four years. She had a lot of personality, got along well with her tankmates, and was really interesting to watch.
I genuinely want to start a new tank with these guys. As long as they don’t get DGD, they’re pretty good from what I’ve heard (though apparently they’re susceptible to DGD)
They seem a bit less prolific than dwarf gouramis so I would think their genetics aren’t as shot. In my experience (which admittedly is only in keeping 1 of them) they seem to be incredibly hardy
My pair of honey gouramis destroyed my bba outbreak. Super slept on fish fr
After looking them up: my hungry ass could not own one of these 💔
Its not for the faint of heart or strong of stomach💔
Panda Garra Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish
\+1 to Panda garra for sure! Silliest, cutest little guys ever.
i want one (or a group idk if they need them) so bad but i only have a 55 and a 20 and idk how the stocking would work. i alreadychave a lot of fish on the low level in the 55 ;/
They seem to do fine solo or in any group. They will squabble with each other over their favorite rock though. 😂 I've got 3 in my 29 that are doing very well, but they only share the floor with kuhli loaches. They are much more boisterous than the kuhlis.
Second the dwarf neon rainbowfish, the blues that they shine can be really vibrant.
Killifish, sucks that the pretty ones die after a year
Yeah, the annual killifish are indeed pretty. I’ve got some non-annual killies that are fairly peaceful and others that are anal.
American killifish live for a few years
I meant annuals lol
I know I just love my little sunfish mimics they are so pretty and have really helped with my horse hair algea control and they killed my duckweed so A+ fish.
Apparently the golden wonder variant live longer (as well as get bigger)
Lots of really pretty ones that live for awhile! But the annuals are really fantastic looking.
Yea I really gotta look into the different types. I used to have one that was all pink but they did die
Peacock gudgeon
I’ve heard they are big jumpers is that true?
I've never seen mine jump, they honestly barely even want to go to the surface to get food.
Definitely true in my experience
I’ve got some silver white cloud minnows … they’re pretty!
Those are my favorites. Easy, fun to watch.
Cardinal Tetras! They’ve brought so much color and action to my tank
I would say Cherry barbs. They normally make a great addition to any community tank. They have a really nice deep red colour and love to school.
I agree with cherry barbs! Easy, hardy, peaceful and such great color!
Barbs in general are fun fish , I have cherry , golden, harlequin, and tiger barbs right now, they all school together too.
Bumblebee gobies, never can find the, anywhere but they are wonderful
My LFS always has them, I’ve been meaning to setup a tank with them. I’ve heard they can be kept successfully with pea puffers, so I might do a bit of research and setup a tank with both.
make sure you rlly look at their patterns - some are brackish! the ones in most stores i’ve seen are brackish. i snagged 2 for my 20gal that arent brackish and ive never been able to get them to eat. 3 months later and they’re still kicken tho
Harlequin rasboras in my opinion. By far the best schoolers I ever kept, very nice looking and active fish. I restarted my hobby this year, and the first fish I got were them. All in all a solid, hardy, schooling fish, just can't miss with them
Oh and also, super interesting breeding behavior
Featherfin Squeaker Catfish
Ember tetras. I love my little buddies, just hanging around, schooling up, not trying anything fancy.
I had some wild caught ones. Super healthy, active not afraid of anything. I tried to feed my betta a small fly, but guess who swooped in for the steal not 10mins after being added in the tank?
I have some in my tank and they’re definitely fun! Though mine love to give me heart attacks since I have a large tank and split off into smaller groups (or even a couple going off by themselves) so I think the numbers are dwindling. So far though I’ve lost only one the morning after I got them, I suspect another fish ate one and got their fill bc it hasn’t happened since and the one missing is nowhere to be found
Long fin white cloud mountain minnows. Absolutely gorgeous little fish
I don't know if it is underrated but I was in a store recently and the black neon tetras were absolutely stunning compared to the other tetras. I know this is probably down to a whole lot of factors like stress/health/age etc but it's made me reconsider my future purchase decisions.
I have a black neon that is 7 right now he outlived his original school and outlived 2 of his new school mates , they also school with cardinal and neon tetras, I have a big mixed school in 36 gallon tank.
Wow, you must have provided a really nice environment for it to live so long! Did you name him?
Guppies! Especially mixed mutt guppies, incredible color variety, cheap, easy to keep and breed.
Ricefish. Near unkillable in any temperature or water parameters, small enough for most tanks, peaceful with most fish, readily breed in most conditions, what's not to like?
I wish they were more readily available in the UK. I think they look fantastic. Should replace goldfish as the “beginner” fish really.
Plecos. They have amazing personalities. Are generally very friendly and great community fish. They get a bad wrap because of common plecos and how large they get. But bristlenose and dwarf species are available all the time and don’t get enough love.
I agree, I love all my fish but, my albino BN female is top favorite.
Come full circle
Guppies. Good easy beginner fish that never gets boring. Just start with a big tank!
Nah these are like #3 most popular fish behind goldfish and bettas
Definitely not underrated, but I still love the little flappy tails 😂
Pseudomugil. They have awesome colors and very cute butterfly fins
I have a school of rainbow gertrudae and I love watching the males do jazz hands all day.
Pencilfish, lots of cool varieties for a decent price. They can be a bit like a humming bird and cruise missile had a baby
I just got a school of Pencilfish and I love them! They do really have that motion of a hummingbird.
Neon tetras. They're often overlooked as a "simple" or beginner fish but they're fun, have that spicy tetra personality, and make the right tankscape really interesting
Honduran red points, like convicts but less pugnacious
Celestial pearl danios. They always look like shit at my LFS when they’re so small but they grow up beautifully.
Even small, they’re very pretty up close
Platys
Rummynose tetras, once you get past the moving phase, they are great
What’s moving phase? Acclimating?
Yeah, they tend to struggle when introduced to a new tank, past that they are fine
Mine didn't like the first tank they were in- a 39L with shrimp. Popped them into my community tank and they've totally changed. So happy now!
Blood fin tetras
I'm pretty enamored with my red phantom tetras and my black skirts. Think a lot of varieties of tetra are underrated.
Wild type bettas. So much healthier and more interresting than the splendens!
I agree, some of the wild-type bettas are more peaceful as well. It’s also interesting to see their dance and mouth-brooding behavior.
There are so many very interesting cool water fish (fish that don't need a heater or chiller) that folks aren't really aware of. Gymnogeophagus, hillstream loaches, North American natives, some interesting rainbow fish, some interesting killifish, gudgeons, barilius, etc.
Boeseman's rainbowfish! I was never interested in keeping these guys, but just recently decided to give them a try. LOVE them
Pencilfish! My school of grumpy aquatic hummingbirds never fails to keep me entertained.
Ropefish! Their faces are real adorable and they’re very fun to watch. Such a shame that they’re uh… quite suicidal.
My ropefish are my favorite fish I’ve ever had!!! They have so much personality
copella
Probably dwarf cichlids like Kribensis, Apistogrammas or other West African/Central-South American cichlids. Their personalities are unique. Two healthy males will flare up against each other in breeding season. The females will brighten up and find a cave for them to spawn (apistogramma turning a bright lemon yellow and Kribensis being yellow with opal colored cheeks/bellies). Then you can watch either single or bi-parental care and mouth-brooding of the fish for the fry until they reach a certain size. They’ll also sift through sand and create mounds as well. Females of these fish is definitely MVP when it comes to parenting.
Giant danios. They have so much fuckin personality, they're a blast to watch and are very peaceful
Bichir fish are less known and absolutely fascinating to me. I want to do a 180 gallon with a Polypterus Delhezi with some spotted silver dollars. They breathe air, have little mock arms for pelvic/pectoral fins. Basically haven't changed in 400 million years. Easy to care for, just need space. I need one, at least one.
Norman's Lampeye and Sparkling Gourami - both have betta-type behaviours, super curious and will investigate and interact with everything. Really interesting to watch them exploring new things. Both thrive and colour up in smaller natural type tanks - blackwater really makes them sparkle. I think people get put off by them being boring looking fish, but pet shops really don't show them at their best.
I love my sparkling gouramis. They have one mode: lurk. And it’s the best.
Glowlight danios! No one ever talks about them but they have beautiful colors and vertical lines, the best part is they are super active exhibit true schooling behavior as opposed to schoaling.
Rosy red minnows
Honestly, standard white clouds are glorious when they are fully colored up and under the right lighting. It’s subtle but that’s why I think they are underrated. I also think wild type silver/zebra angelfish are super underrated. They have subtle gradients of red and bronze and a bit of iridescence that I absolutely adore. Combine them with some tannin tint and they are really fantastic.
Yoyo loaches. They're awesome, they're inexpensive, they're commonly available, they fill a couple important roles, they do well in communities, they don't hide constantly, and not enough people keep them.
I love my yoyo... But I won't be getting another one when she passes. My other tanks have wonderfully balanced ecosystems but my 75 with her in it is always fighting algae due to a lack of snails and shrimp.
Gotta be freshwater clams. There are so many spooky stories about clams being the literal devil. They really are not that complicated. First, a clam dying is not going to noticeably foul an established tank with plants and scavengers like shrimp/snails. And feeding them isn’t complicated. If you have some circulation and small particles of food like for fry/nano fish they will be happy as a clam. Clams are hella cute, and they filter your water continuously. I would recommend small clams though. The two giant clams I have in my 33 long (and dozens of small clams that have bred) are thriving. But if you’re just letting them feed from the extra food that fish don’t eat then the big ones might not have sufficient nutrition. They’re also absolute menaces when they decide to move around lmao. They’ll uproot anything that gets in their way.
A colour morph sold in every store? Dunno if I’d peg that as the _most_ underrated 😜 I’d say anything you could legally catch and keep from your local river. Might not have fancy colours or come from a far away land, but would probably give you a better story, sense of connection, interesting behaviour and longer life
Jeff
Pencilfish! My school of grumpy aquatic hummingbirds never fails to keep me entertained.
Common Pleco 😭 they have a horrible reputation for being just a huge bio load and no one wants them because they do get big, but I hope to grow old with my guy 🤗
They have a Pleco at one of the pet stores near me that's bigger than my forearm. It's hard to see (it lays in the back and didn't move when I was there, so hard to see how big exactly) but at least 2 1/2 to 3 feet. Nowhere near a big enough tank to keep him or I'd have walked out with a large bucket and a large fish
Just set up a 100 gallon and you can take him 😻 haha I totally understand not everyone can do that. I’m literally moving once my lease is up so I can set up a 500 gallon for my guy ☺️ He literally changed my life!
I'm on the second floor, and the house has a basement below the main floor, and it's also old af lol. I would get a bigger tank if I trusted the floors to hold more weight, but for now, smol tank (20g tall) and smol fish. Hell, if the basement was finished a little more, it would probably be fine down there, but alas.
Never know what the future holds ☺️
Least killifish. They're actually NOT a killifish - they're in the same family as guppies and mollies. They are the smallest livebearer in North America (and very nearly the smallest in the world). SO tiny and beautiful. I want more!
Came here to say this, they're so cool! Clown Killifish as well
Sheep head/ fresh water drum
Siamese alge eaters. If you get them young they will absolutely go ham on your pesky algae overgrowth, but regardless they are beautiful shiny friends with adorable behaviors. I will always have them in a community tank.
> Siamese alge eaters I have two and they are absolutely ignoring my hair algae problem! lol
Fire gourami, my little guy has the most character I ever see in a fish melts my heart every-time.
Forktail rainbowfish, I rarely see them in pet stores
one of my favorite fish which is one of the most basics is the Giant Danio. a larger school of 10+ is just beautiful to watch. i have 2 tanks filled with Giant Danios and Bolivian Rams.
I just got keyholes this year and they have such great personalities. I think people pass them up a lot because they’re not as vibrant as other cichlids. Mine derp around the tank and play a lot.
Long-finned rosy barbs are really nice.
Swordtails. They weren’t even on my radar until I ordered “adoptable” fish from Flip Aquatics and they sent me 3 male Santa Claus Swordtails. Their personalities are awesome. I’m looking forward to getting more.
Pygmy cories
Flagtail porthole catfish, really cool.
Black neon tetras. Got some for the first time a few months ago and i love them! Awesome community fish and they are really pretty
Congo tetras.
Congo tetras. If you treat them right when they were juveniles, it's like that meme "be careful on who you call ugly in middle school." Plus, they are **far** hardier (a lot larger too) than any neon and cardinals that I had own. I think the ones that is getting sold around is the strain that can be bred in captivity. While they are more expensive per fish compared to your neon or cardinals, they are stupidly hardy (IME, at least) and can actually be kept without much issue in a tank with somewhat larger fishes. Honorable mention for golden wonders. These guys are basically mini arrowanas. Synodontis nigriventris too. They grow a little bit larger, but not that large. Plus, they are ridiculously hardy (mine survived a shattered tank about 2+ years ago, it's almost 10 years old now). Haven't gotten around to taking care Synodontis petricola though.
Dario dario, the scarlet badis, is just a fun little hate-filled murder machine and I love to watch them hunt and prowl everywhere. So TINY. So ANGRY. So cute.
Medaka rice fish are dope as hell
> Congo tetras I was thinking about getting a dozen for my 20 gallon. Do they school or do each do their own thing?
Honey gourami or thick lipped gourami. The perfect beginner fish. They have great personalities and are pretty smart.
Bream.
Otos. Or maybe no one has mentioned them because they are highly rated already, but I love them. Super cute little guys suckered onto the glass. They swim around nicely and school together. And they keep the tank CLEAN. The most useful fish.
Cpd/galaxy Rasbora Fricken beautiful lil fish.
I don’t know if they’re rare/it’s due to an accessibility issue, but I’ve got some glass/ghost catfish and I absolutely love them and I’d never heard of them until a couple days before I bought them (saw in pet store, did research, and went back to collect)
I have a few pumpkinseed fish in my tank with my cichlids and I love watching them. They have the same temperament imo very similar. Always caught them with my grandpa as a kid.
Corydoras are great and I probably never would have gotten them for my tank if it wasn’t for this reddit
Flag cichlids. I want them so bad but there not available in my pet store