All time favorite fish?

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Astoria

Exodon
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Jan 13, 2021
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Mine is a toss up between the Vieja Zonatus, and the Guttulatus.

Years ago a LFS owner walked me to a tank with a small silvery looking fish. I had asked for something different and with bright colors. She told me the fish was probably a Zonatus or Guttulatus but she wasn't sure. A guy out of Dallas brought in some unexpected. This was in Austin TX.

I took her home and she quickly grew and into her well deserved nickname "Cyco." I had hoped it would be a male but in the end it didn't matter because I feel in love with that fish!

Looking back im guessing it was a Guttulatus because 2 or 3 years later I made an order through Don Conkel and got a male Zontaus and loved that fish too. The Guttulatus made several trips from state to state because I moved so many times. The Zonatus made a few trips too.

I just loved their personality and colors

Let's hear yalls stories
 
So wheres the picture of your favorite fish? I cant decide what's species is my all time favorite fish.... got to think on that one and get back to you on each category haha
 
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I love any species of Polypterus.
I got my first bichir from my LFS for 40 bucks around 2 years ago. He was a 10 inch WC Polypterus bichir "lapradei" with a big split fin. Of course the shop had him labeled as "palmas", but I was a newbie back then, so I thought he was a "palmas" for a long time. It wasn't until I watched The Ultimate Bichir Care Guide by Josh's fish a month later until I figured out he was a lap. ?

When I got him, I thought he would make a cool "dragon fish" for my aquarium, but I would have never guessed that that one fish would turn into a crazy passion.

I have since gave him away along with some others to make room for more Polypterus, as I did not want to overstock my aquarium.

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There is no fish I enjoy watching swim more than a Black Ghost Knife.
But the social interactions within a large colony of Apistograma is amazing.
Then again I've never had a personal bond with a fish more so than I've had with some of my Oscars.
Although the prettiest fish I've ever kept were Blue Demspeys...

But all that said, and I can't tell you why. My favorite fish of all time is the Trimac.

This is a breeding pair I had years ago. I miss them dearly...

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Uaru Amphiacanthoides
To me they're a cooler Discus. I've kept many other "prettier" fish including discus (also bred them). But for some reason I really like Uaru. Maybe because they're not so common and that gives them a few coolness points, but I think the main attraction is their behaviour and the metamorphosis they go through as they grow. If I had to only have one species of fish to keep, that would be it. Uaru F. are also cool but they are rare and a bit more sensitive.
 
T.lineatus (aka Fahaka Puffer) has to be my favourite fish i’ve kept personally followed very close by Gymnothorax Polyuranadon (the only true f/w moray)...

For fish i havent had the chance to keep would probably be the Dragon Moray Eel and F/W Stingrays and more unrealistically, a shark of some sort but i doubt i’ll ever own a tank large enough to keep one myself...
 
I like all spiny eels(Mastacembelidae), hoping to get a fire eel some day, but I find them all to be very interactive and having fun personality’s. My Macrognathus circumcinctus would poke fish with his nose for fun lol.
 
Mines easy, the European Perch. I fell in love with these guys the first time I set eyes on one when my brother caught one of about 6" from a local farm pond. The blood red fins, the stripes, THAT dorsal fin, crikey, and their huge cavernous mouth. My goal one day is to grow about half a dozen juveniles out in a large coldwater set up.

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