Fish I wish I bought sooner

[Flumpweesel]

So my last fishy additions were 4 longish finned rosy barbs and I just want to say they are great little fish .

Super active, super social but take no guff from the stroppy Krib. They respond to me their mighty feeder eat algae that I have loads of and they are pretty and very very shiny  it's almost like having goldfish again.

Annoyingly they won't pose for photos but here is the least blurred of my attempt. (Must work on my tanktography)

Anyway which fish do you wish had entered your tanks sooner?

[Fish Folk]

On 12/3/2021 at 5:25 PM, Flumpweesel said:

So my last fishy additions were 4 longish finned rosy barbs and I just want to say they are great little fish .

Super active, super social but take no guff from the stroppy Krib. They respond to me their mighty feeder eat algae that I have loads of and they are pretty and very very shiny  it's almost like having goldfish again.

Annoyingly they won't pose for photos but here is the least blurred of my attempt. (Must work on my tanktography)

Anyway which fish do you wish had entered your tanks sooner?

“Stroppy Krib” … if aquarists formed rock bands, this has got to be in the running among the top five names

[Guppysnail]

Panda corydora. They behave much differently than other Cory species I have kept. They are so adorably clownish. If I had added them first I would have set the 29 up as a panda tank instead of a guppy community with panda cleanup crew. 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

I second panda corys, magical little buggers playing, mating, eating and having a ball as long as you don't walk up with a camera or phone and interrupt them!

[Chad]

Panda Cory’s. You’re making a great case. I want to try them out. My pick are rummynose tetras. To see a group school like that has made me wish I’d thought about schooling fish sooner. As beautiful as any fish is, after a while you grow used to them and it’s their behavior that stands the test of time as I’ve kept more and more species. And those tetras school so neatly, it’s hard for me get work done. I just want to stare a bit more.

[scott the fishman]

On 12/3/2021 at 2:25 PM, Flumpweesel said:

So my last fishy additions were 4 longish finned rosy barbs and I just want to say they are great little fish .

Super active, super social but take no guff from the stroppy Krib. They respond to me their mighty feeder eat algae that I have loads of and they are pretty and very very shiny  it's almost like having goldfish again.

Annoyingly they won't pose for photos but here is the least blurred of my attempt. (Must work on my tanktography)

Anyway which fish do you wish had entered your tanks sooner?

LOL RIGHT THERE WITH YOU. i just got 8 rosy barbs and thet have added alot of color and personality to my tank. i took a few pics just nowto show them off.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

For me it's ENDLERS! Specifically I have male Endlers (I do NOT want a breeding project thank you). If they could talk they would NEVER shut up- literally never a dull moment with them in the tank. I admire their enthusiasm and energy. If only I had 1/10th of it. 

[Helan]

Mine would be a clown pleco. But I am having trouble finding one ,no one seems to be selling or breeding them

[drewzero1]

My most recent change of heart has been gouramis. I'd avoided them because of their aggressive reputation, but a few months ago I picked up a pair of honey gouramis for my dad's new tank.

While I've been taking care of them I've come to realize how graceful and (usually) gentle they are. They chase each other around occasionally but don't mess with the endler's or pygmy cories. I enjoy the way they're always exploring their surroundings and checking out the snail.

This has led to me choosing a pearl gourami for my own tank. I'm really enjoying it so far!

I'll agree with @xXInkedPhoenixX that endler's livebearers are also on this list for me.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@drewzero1 Honey Gouramis are so pretty. I'd like to have one someday but I'm afraid to get attached to solo fish anymore. Which is why I got a herd of Endlers

[drewzero1]

@xXInkedPhoenixX I hear you on that. I've had some really sad losses when I've lost fish that I'd gotten attached to, finger trained, etc... I still miss my two big female mollies coming up to nibble my fingers when I fed them or rearranged things in the tank.

I'm trying to get a herd of endlers but don't seem to be getting any fry. I've got a trio in the tank with the honeys, maybe they see the gouramis as a threat? I don't think the gouramis' mouths are big enough to eat them. I've had the endlers since September but I've only seen one fry which ended up disappearing (before I moved danios, corys, and molly out of that tank).

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@drewzero1 As previously stated I've not had a Honey and I'm not sure how big Endler offspring are but I'd imagine small. My Oto babies can very easily, I mean very easily be eaten by my Harlequin Rasboras which I feel like they are a similar size as Honey Gouramis. Now Oto babies are egg hatched so I guess they might be smaller than a live bearer baby but since I've never had live bearers I dunno!  I would not be an iota surprised if they get eaten. 

Edited December 4, 2021 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[ADMWNDSR83]

I haven't read all of the responses, so this may have been said before, but after seeing my first brood of seven multi fry coming out of their birth shell, I'm hooked!  I would love to get a 50 gallon lowboy and give them a palace, but my house isn't quite that large!

[KittenFishMom]

@ADMWNDSR83 What kind of fish is a multi fry?

[KittenFishMom]

I have been thinking about going non-native for my inside tank.  My current native fish seem to only be willing to eat frozen blood worm, scud, and brine shrimp. My scuds colony had a collapse of some sort. I am trying to build up the population because it is too cold to get them in the lake now. I am also starting up a brine shrimp colony, but it will take time to get enough to feed all my shiners. (Note: The bigger/older ones have a dark spot on their dorsal fin, so now I think they are blunt nose minnows, but am not sure) 

I was thinking about thinning out the tank to just the very smallest of the fish and add some endlers or guppies, but I am beginning to realize the even the tiny fish will get bigger and probably eat whatever fish I add. All the native fish are skittish.  Reading this thread about friendly fish makes me wonder if that might be more fun.  It would also be nice to have fish that would eat a wider variety of foods.  I want to stop by a Mom and Pop pet store, near by, that has been around for decades and see what their fish are like and what they will eat. 

There is a person near here with a spring fed pond he has built that will give any native fish a good home, so I could send him  what is in my tank and start fresh with domesticated fish rather than trying to tame these fish to live in a 55 gallon inside an active home. I do think the fish were happier in the 120 tank in the quiet garage.

Yesterday I stopped at a Petco and asked what food they had for mystery snails. (I caught a bunch in the lake, including huge ones). The Petco employee said "Oh you don't feed them. They eat algae and stuff".  That is why I want to try this old pet shop that isn't part of a big chain.

I would love your input on the future of the indoor tank. I am new to the forum and am not sure if this should be in this topic thread, or if I should start a separate topic thread. Please let me know

 

[HH Morant]

I have been pleased with my hoplo catfish. I have 3 albino spotted hoplos and 2 brown hoplos. They have a lot of personality and they don't hide.

[mtnmonster]

For me it's neon tetras and khuli loaches. I always saw neon as boring fish until I added them to my community tank. They're actually fun to watch and the kulhis are just cool and way more active than I have seen in other tanks. 

[Chad]

On 12/5/2021 at 8:51 AM, mtnmonster said:

For me it's neon tetras and khuli loaches. I always saw neon as boring fish until I added them to my community tank. They're actually fun to watch and the kulhis are just cool and way more active than I have seen in other tanks. 

Wow, this is spot on with my line of thinking. I felt the same way about neons, finally bought some and love em. Now the kuhli loaches I've felt the same way about and passed by them. My thinking has always been, "Very cool at the store, but I'll never see them again in my tank". You're making a great case for me to give them a try. Thanks! 

[ADMWNDSR83]

On 12/4/2021 at 10:53 PM, KittenFishMom said:

@ADMWNDSR83 What kind of fish is a multi fry?

I sent this as a direct message, then realized others may be wondering as well.

 

"Multies" is short for Neolamprologous Multifasciatis, shell dwellers from Lake Tangyanika in Africa.  They are some of the smallest African cichlids, but make up for it with massive personalities.  When I set up their tank, I carefully levelled the substrate, and placed the shells around the tank perfectly so I could see in each oone, and it would be aesthetically  pleasing.  Within weeks, they have completely rescaped, burying some shells, creating all types of hills and valleys, and they come to the glass trying to fight every time I walk in the room!

[Ixrayu]

Right now mine is a toss up between the honey gouramis and long finned gold danios. Honeys with their feelers for exploring and the non stop action of the danios. Have them in a 40 breeder with pristella and von rio tetras...fun tank

[mtnmonster]

On 12/5/2021 at 9:59 AM, Chad said:

Wow, this is spot on with my line of thinking. I felt the same way about neons, finally bought some and love em. Now the kuhli loaches I've felt the same way about and passed by them. My thinking has always been, "Very cool at the store, but I'll never see them again in my tank". You're making a great case for me to give them a try. Thanks! 

They were very shy until I added a bunch of plants and some driftwood. They're still timid but come out throughout the day much more. They keep near the cover and shadows. 

[Chad]

On 12/5/2021 at 1:08 PM, mtnmonster said:

They were very shy until I added a bunch of plants and some driftwood. They're still timid but come out throughout the day much more. They keep near the cover and shadows. 

Can, and do, they bury themselves in a gravel substrate? 

[mtnmonster]

On 12/5/2021 at 8:28 PM, Chad said:

Can, and do, they bury themselves in a gravel substrate? 

Yes. They still do but not as much from what I've observed. They kind of dig out little hiding spaces under hardscape and the sponge filter. Since I fully planted the tank they spend their time exploring the plants. I think as long as you have plenty of hiding places and shadows they won't dig as much. 

[ADMWNDSR83]

On 12/5/2021 at 8:28 PM, Chad said:

Can, and do, they bury themselves in a gravel substrate? 

I have 6 kuhlis in my king betta tank, and I know they decided it would be funny to burrow under my dwarf baby tears, uprooting them all.  The substrate in that tank is a mix of sand and planted sub gravel.