Rarest Fish You've Kept

[JE47]

There was a similar thread post a year or so ago that included both exotic and rare fish this thread is dedicated only to rare fish. The thread was born out of the fact that I have been searching for a fish whether it is rare or not is I could not tell you what I can tell you is that has been very difficult to get a hold of and is called hyalobagrus flavus a fish that I have never seen in a fish tank. This inspired me to ask:

1. What is the rarest fish you have kept?

2. What inspired you to keep it?

3. Would you recommend others keep it?

4. Do you still keep it?

Excited to see everyone's answers 😀

[Tlindsey]

On 5/13/2024 at 1:43 AM, JE47 said:

There was a similar thread post a year or so ago that included both exotic and rare fish this thread is dedicated only to rare fish. The thread was born out of the fact that I have been searching for a fish whether it is rare or not is I could not tell you what I can tell you is that has been very difficult to get a hold of and is called hyalobagrus flavus a fish that I have never seen in a fish tank. This inspired me to ask:

1. What is the rarest fish you have kept?

2. What inspired you to keep it?

3. Would you recommend others keep it?

4. Do you still keep it?

Excited to see everyone's answers 😀

The white cheek moray. I love moray eels.  Would only recommend to experienced hobbyist. Don't keep them now. @JE47

[Chris]

1) Probably Pseudomugil Cyanodorsalis. Maybe Limia Nigrofasciata? Not sure which would be considered "rarer".

2) Co-Op videos! Way back in 2017 or 2018 Cory toured a fishroom that had a group of Cyanodorsalis breeding in a little nano tank. They males displaying really interested me, and I bought some from Gary Lange on Aquabid. I got the Limias because Cory kept some similar fish and I happened upon those in an LFS. 

3) Sure! Both were fun, but maybe not for everybody. The Cyanodorsalis really needs brackish water (they can live in full saltwater), and don't look like much unless they're breeding. Still very cool. The limia are a little more accessible, and they're livebearers. Not a ton of color, though. 

4) Nope! I bred the Cyanodorsalis a few times and then sold off my group and the fry to use the tank for something else. The limia I kept in a lightly brackish tank with some gobies and a figure 8 puffer, so fry never survived. They eventually died out. 

[NOLANANO]

I didn't see the numbers at first. Let me add and answer them:

1)Probably my Amazon Puffers. Not the rarest by any means but I have never seen anyone else with them and have only run into one other poster on here with experience with them.

2) I was bored with my tank and didn't know what direction I wanted to go in. I only have one tank and its planted and having a community tank is a must for me so my options felt limited.  When researching fish that could fill this niche I came across the amazon puffer which was a fully freshwater puffer that only grows to 4-5 inches at most and can be kept in communities. I found a vendor online and began my research and preparation. A few months later I made the plunge and have had 4 Amazon puffers ever since.

3) I would recommend them but with a caveat. I would tell the person that they do glass surf quite a bit. Not frantically but its definitely a constant behavior. It makes me feel bad for them at times because it feels like they just want to be on the move and the tank isn't big enough for them. BUT the flip side is that they are super cool fish. When they aren't glass surfing they are exploring and hunting, looking for something to eat and its fun to watch them explore. They will also follow your finger on the glass if you can get their attention. They work for me because I have other fish in the tank but if it were a puffer only tank, I think they would get boring.

4) I do still keep them and despite my minor complaints, I love them.

Edited May 13 by NOLANANO

[Biotope Biologist]

1. Filament Gobies I might have one of but a few captive populations from what I understand

 

2. Peer pressure mostly 🤪

 

3. Yes! If I could only get them to ACTUALLY produce offspring for me. They are showing breeding colors right now

 

4. Yes they are little water puppies. Remind me alot of bearded dragon keeping. Food motivated, sassy temperament 

 

[JE47]

On 5/13/2024 at 4:07 AM, Tlindsey said:

Don't keep them now. @JE47

I don't think I am in any danger @Tlindsey while I love all fish. Eels are of a kind that I appreciate from a distance

[AtomicSunfish]

Back in the 90s I had a five star general (Hemichromis elongatus). They’re related to the jewelfishes, but they’re a bit larger and even more aggressive. This one was close to full size at around 5 inches. I think it was female. Anyway, I put her in with my 11-inch Oscar in a 55g (back then that was considered adequate space). The Oscar had lived in that tank for several years, and even used to share it with a Jack Dempsey, a convict, and a firemouth. At one point there was even a regular jewelfish in there (H. guttatus). The Oscar peacefully dominated all of them. But in this case, and by the next day, the five-star general had taken control of the tank, and relegated an Oscar more than twice her length and some 5x her weight to about a quarter of the tank, often pressing him into the corner. Well, I separated them and kept her alone in a 29g, so I took her back. Gorgeous, awesome fish, which was why I got her, but way too aggressive for me.

On the other end of the spectrum, when I was collecting native fish, I caught a swamp darter and a blue spotted sunfish. I kept them in a 10g, and they were very happy there. Both cute, beautiful, great fish! Sadly, my apartment at the time was struck by lightning and burned down, and I lost the little natives, along with African dwarf frogs. Amazingly, some (not all) of my kribensis cichlids in a 30g survived. A very strange event in my life, to be sure.

[OnlyGenusCaps]

1. Cyprinodon longidorsalis - They are extinct in the wild with a small group of keepers in Europe, and two sustaining breeders in the US (one of who expects to age out of keeping in the next year or two).

2. I love pupfish.  I lived in Arizona and the native pupfish there are simply the most wonderful fish in the world in my opinion.  But, you can't own those.  So, this was the nearest I could get, and I had hoped to be one more person to help maintain them.

3. Yes, please!  Everyone should keep them.  I would love for these hardy, charismatic, and so very threatened fish to be kept more widely.  It is genuinely rare for hobbyists to actually make a difference in conservation (despite our soothing words to ourselves).  But in this rare care, it could.

4. Yes, I have a few left.  Much to my same and chagrin, they don't do well for me despite being easy for others.  I bred them, with much difficulty, and passed the offspring along.  But my last stragglers will be gone soon, and I will miss them greatly. 

[Schuyler]

Aphyosemion Ocellatum 

They came from a club auction. Pretty much the only way to get them is if you know someone. They also show up on Aquabid once every few months.

They're cool looking killifish but hard to breed and slow growing... If you're into killifish and want a bit more of a challenge then go for it but there are other kills if recommend before these