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What is your favorite fresh water fish?

RamPuppy

Moderator
Moderator
My favorite Freshwater fish is a toss up between three of my all time favs.

A) Silver Arrowana, I know in asia they are regarded as 'less of a fish' than the asians, but I think their eel like bodies are just incredibly graceful and gorgeous... I have had two, both I kept until they were almost to big for my tank and then I returned them to the store. Always wanted to get a bigger tank and have a go at getting one full size.

B) Bichar Dragon, what a cool fish. Love the fleshy fins and the intricate design of their coloring. I have only owned one, he was 14 inches long when I sold him, and loved to eat ghost shrimp that I primed with good grub for a few days... my tank was heavily planted, and he loved to sligther through the 2 inch tall micro-sword bed I had covering the bottmo of the tank... he'd slip his head out of the grass, catch a glimpse of a shrimp, and stalk him to death! It was awesome.

C) One of the cutest but most rarely seen fish in my collection, was a black ghost knife. I have only seen three in all of Texas over about twenty years of looking, and now regret having sold him when I had to break down the tank... hope I can get another some day. Looks very much like a knife fish but does not get nearly as long, they are jet black and totally nocturnal. Hide all the time except the pitch of night, but a very cool fish none the less. One time, he hid for so long in my planted tank I thought he was dead, turns out he was coming out just long enough to snag a shrimpie and dissapear again at night... what a cutie.
 
Here is a cool link to a Black Knife Fish website.. there are 4 small avi's running on the page, so it may take a few to load...

http://www.aquariumfish.net/catalog....ack.htm

Here is a similar link to the Bicher, mine was Polypterus Weeksi by the way. (not shown here, but they are all close) Mine was far more bottom dwelling than these, and he used his fins as feet to crawl along.

http://www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/wild/polypterus.htm

And the Silver Arrowana

http://www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/wild/polypterus.htm

Silver is the top video, mine has more color to him, probably from the krill that he loved so much.
 
Fav freshwater fish: (not in order)

<ul>
*Angelfish
*Betta(Siamese Fighting Fish)
*Cory(corydoras catfish)
*Neon tetra
*Glowlight tetra
*Cardinal tetra
*Black moor goldfish
*Shubunkin(calico goldfish)
*Regular fantail goldfish
*DoJo loach
*Platy
*Danio
*Otto(otocinclus algae eater)
*Plecostomus
[/list]

Seems long, but that's almost all that I've ever had  
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Just for something extra:

Largest freshwater fish: (used to be)

<ul>
*Regular fantail goldfish(second to him was the shubunkin)
[/list]

Largest freshwater fish: (current)

<ul>
*Black and white marble angelfish(second to him is the black veil angel)
[/list]

Greetings,
           FTG
 
I like angels, I have a ryuken and a moore right now, but I am going to put them in a friends pond I am thinking...

Oh, I have two applesnails that are about the size of a raquetball right now, they are pretty darn cool.
 
Well, if you want something to keep your mind thinking all day, I have two golden apple snails. One in my 10 gallon goldie tank, where I have a little fantail and black moor, and one in my 29 gallon, where I have/had everything I listed except goldfish and betta and plecostomus and cardinal tetra. The snail in the 29 gallon is the size of a big seedless grape, while the one in the 10 gallon is the size of a Granny Smith apple!!! That makes absolutely no sense...
 
ok, do we have to pick fish that weve kept as pets??
 
hey rampup , i never knew that you took care of arowanas , arowanas are my most favorite fish . i have one at a moment a silver one . when i got him he was 6 inches now he is 1 foot long . they geet 3 feet so thats why i recomend a 300 gallon tank whcih i'm saving for . they are also prehistoric ancestors of the arowanas of the past . i feed mines crickets and food sticks to keep the aggression level down . not a good beggners fish and there known to jump out of fish tanks and breaking the lids by jumping ( they are very good jumpers ) . hey rampup , tell me about yuor arowanas .
 
Hi All,

My favorites are:

1.) Blue Gularis -- Fundulopanchax sjoestedti

2.) Sabrefin Killifish -- Terranos dolichopterus

3.) Nothobranchius symoensi (no regular name)

4.) Golden Pheasant -- Callopanchax occidentalis

5.) Hi Fin Swordtails

6.) Nanochromis nudiceps (dwarf cichlids)

7.) Malpulutta kretseri (no regular name)

8.) Phalloceros caudimaculatus reticulatus -- The "Caudi"

9.) Gold and Green Severums

10.) Gnatholebias zonatus -- (no regular name)

Bobby
 
Well, I pretty much told you about my arrowanas! I can't think of much else to say! They are definately only a fish for the experienced.

Biggun,

Severums are pretty cool? What do you think of Parrot fish? I know there is a lot of controversy over their cross breeding severums with.. um... is it a red devil? I can't remember!
 
  • #10
Hi RamPuppy,

I am not a big fan of Parrot Cichlids or the newer Flowerhorns. There is something about hybridizing animals as opposed to plants that just seems wrong. Plants often become stronger and nicer and grow well; whereas, fish seem to become deformed and have to struggle to live. That said, Parrots are cute -- almost cartoon-like -- and Lord knows people love them. I think they are a cross between gold severums and red devils. Now I hate that they die alot of fish -- like Parrots -- and/or feed them hormones for color. These actions IMHO harm the fish and hurt the hobby.
Two hybrids that seem to come out strong are Texas Cichlids crossed with either Jack Dempseys or Convicts. The "Texas Jacks" are gorgeous and stong and the "Texas Convicts" have great body patterns.
Of course, all colorful platies, swords and mollies are the result of hybridizing several species of each and then breeding the desired color back to the parent with the desired original shape -- i.e. red or "rubra" wild platies crossed with wild green swords in the 1920's to get red swordtails. The hybrid fry were crossed back to swords to make hybrid red swordtails that looked like 100% swordtails -- even though they had platy color genes.

Bobby
 
  • #11
Well, i have to say i really like my FW puffers, but they're gradually fading away because i can't keep enough snails to feed them. (Unlikely as that may sound, i know). One more died last week.
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OTOH, i miss not being able to keep any tetras. I really would like a school of neons or cardinals.

The kribs i got this year are something new to me, but i really like their coloration. Now if only they would breed... and stop being such big bullies (yea, right
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).

Kuhli Loaches were a favorite of mine for years growing up, but you never get to see them.

Cherry barbs are beautiful.
 
  • #12
Hi D muscipula,

Sorry to hear about your puffers. You might ask your local store if you could catch any little snails out of their tanks. Some stores are happy to get rid of them and let you have them. You could set up a 2 gallon snail bowl and feed them lettuce or flakes and see how many snails you could grow.

Cherry Barbs sure are beautiful.

Bobby
 
  • #13
Biggun,

I toatally agree... if the cross results ina stronger animal that will stay in the trade and not be released where it does not belong, I guess I really don't have a problem with it. I do however think that when you have to cull 90% of a hatch because it's deformed and won't make it because of an artificial practice, that your playing a little to close to heaven if you get my drift.

I absolutely HATE the injection of inks and dies into fish, when I was a kid I had some painted glass fish, and I when I was older, and understood a little more what was going on I was appauled, every one of those fish I ever owned died because a cancerous growth would grow on it's fins and weight it so it couldn't swim. It angers me that such a naturally amazing fish is not good enough for some, had they not been painted, I would have bought them, and probably loved them more for their near invisible look.

D Muscopula,

On your snail problem... I would suggest that immediately you run to all the local fish stores and get as many of their snails as possible, most will probably give them to you, as they would consider it a service to be rid of them. I would then set up a breeder tank, evens omething as small as a 5 gallon with a simple sponge filter in it would be enough, and get'em in there. Feed some to your fish right away so they can eat and be healthy, but preserve the rest for breeding stock. Many species breed in the gravel, so you'll want some of that, and you can just throw blanched romaine, spinach, green beans, and other goodies in there to feed them, fish food for mulm is good too, snails eat anything they can get in their mouths usually. (my apple snails think repeatedly that chewing on my silk plants in the goldfish tank is just a grand idea&#33
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Now, another option, one I am not sure is even a good idea, is to look into getting some snails called Sea Bunnies. You will of course have to setup a small salt water tank, with a little live rock, and observe the minimums for keeping a saltwater tank. Buy a couple of seabunnies, puttem in there, and watch... they are called bunnies for a reason, we are talking, multiple breeding sessions a day! I don't know if there is a freshwater equivalent, but it there is, it's a much better choice.

I also just did a google search and found this on a freshwater puffer site.

Recommended Diet. Tetra Freeze Dried Blood Worms and Freeze Dried Shrimps, Frozen and Live Brine Shrimp, live Ghost Shrimp, and an occasional treat of a few live Black Worms. Click here for more information about Black Worms.

the link 'here' would be this URL.

http://www.aquariumfish.net/information/black_worms.htm#top2

I hope that saves your fish buddy!
 
  • #14
My favorite fresh water fish is a Japanese Koi. I did keep them in an aquarium when they were very young, but they now live in a pond. In addition to being good looking fish, you can train them to eat out of your hand.
 
  • #15
Hey, everyone

I have to say that my very favorite fish is the Neon tetra, it's small and common but very beautiful. They mesmerize me every time I see a shoal. (nearly all my passwords for different things is Neon Tetra)

Other fish I love are:

1. Bumble bee gobies
2. White clouds (regular and golden)
3. Silver dollars
4. Rosy barbs
5. Gold tetras
6. Red eye tetras
7. Black neon tetras
8. Hillstream Loaches
9. Red tail sharks
10. Goldfish (common and fancy)
11. Least killifish (Heterandria Formosa)
12. Endler's livebearers
13. Bronze corys
14. Neon blue rainbowfish
15. Collie Loaches
16. Figure 8 puffers
17. Glowlight tetras
18. Dwarf gourami
19. Platys (Red painted and Red wagtails)
20. Zebra Danios

Of course there are many more but I have to run now, Later L.A. Trap
 
  • #16
mine are
coolie loach(acanthophthalmus kuhlii)
arowana (osteoglossum and scleropages spp.)
feshwater stingray(potamogytron spp.)
black ghost knife(apteronotus albifrons)
ornate bichir(Polypterus ornatus)
Giant gorami(osphronemus goramy)
lungfish(any)
I have never kept any of the fish above. I am looking for the arowanas and lungfish the most.
 
  • #17
My favorite fresh water fish is a Red Bellied Piranha, although illegal in some states, hehe.
 
  • #18
It's hard to say. I like so many.

Nothobranchius ugandensis (Killifish)
nothobranchius rachovii (Killifish)
Kuhli Loach
Fundulopanchax gardneri (Killifish)
Aphyosemion australe (Killifish)
Most other killifish
Neon Tetra
Discus
Hatchetfish
Pearl Gouramis
Red Bellied Piranha
Black Arowana


You can see pictures of my planted tanks and fish here:

http://www.geocities.com/elgecko1989/fish.html
 
  • #19
when i had freshwater mine were -puffers- oscars- butterflyfish and mainly anything very strange looking and aggressive
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  • #20
Favorite fish...hmmm...

I really like the Bala Sharks(since i have 4 of them)
I love my African Ciclids and how they change colors as they mature. And My Red Tiger Oscar is a very interesting fish too.

I also have Tiger Barbs, a 9" Pleco, a few Bettas, and 3 Long Finned Tetras. My sharks and Ciclids are the friendliest. I hand feed them.
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Im trying to hand feed my Oscar but I have only had him for a week so he is still very cautious.


Check out my site! I will soon be adding pics of my new 40 gallon Vivarium! My Tanks
 
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