I like the look and some as active. Problem for me is massve bioload.
Your least favorite fish
- Thread starter Hybridfish7
- Start date
Late to this thread, but I personally don't find there to be any fish I dislike outright, oddly enough. I mean, there's those sole-type fishes and whatnot, that resemble a crumpet that looks as though it's been run over by a semi (and acts like one to boot!), but the very rare days where they might just scoot forward an inch make the experience of keeping them all worth it. And those that literally resemble and act like nothing but lumps of rock. Oh, and bichirs- I'm actually rather surprised they're so disliked; I've always found them quite pleasant to the eye and considerably unique; they seem to always generate a significant amount of attention at fish stores as well.
Plecos as well; I feel as though they're both far too underrated and overappreciated, depending on community and area; there's many that think only of common Ancistrus and Hypostomus whenever "pleco" is mentioned- maybe some have heard of the more commonly-revered species, like the yellow-seamed-and-spotted Baryancistrus of the Xingu, or Hypancistrus zebra, but not very usual for that to happen. Only treated as mere algae eaters, disregarded for their 'drab' appearance and altogether unmanageable adult size (in regards to H. plecostomus, at any rate). And then there are those obsessed with them; dedicating rooms for plecos alone, always after the latest species, or the rare ones; always chunnering on about their latest addition and whatnot to whoever might even show the tiniest bit of interest (am guilty of that, I must admit).
I don't think most of them actually produce that much waste; perhaps it's because I tend more to feed mine protein-based foods, but even when kept in 5G quarantine for a few days, there really isn't that much waste buildup (though "not much" is rather subjective). Never have they single-handedly caused a tank to spike or crash IME, and I face many more issues from uneaten foods that get swept underneath various bits and bobs around the tank than from the fish themselves.
Some mildly disgruntling fish to keep are some woodcats, that act like blind, bumbling chickens that only eat if they have food placed right where they sit or directly within their line of travel- sometimes it takes up to an hour, sitting there with a weak flashlight and melting bloodworm cube in my hand, trying to feed them sufficiently. It is what I get for keeping them more in a community setting, though.
And then there are those that are simply nasty for the absolute sake of it- some splitfin goodeids come to mind right off the bat; I made the mistake of keeping a sole male trout goodeid in a community; introduced a goldfish overnight, and came back the next day to see its eyes torn out, scales ripped from its body, fins tattered, and the goodeid bumping the fish around in a manner not unlike what a young child would do to a soccer ball. Goldfish was promptly euthanized, and the goodeid was sent straight to a chain store that accepted fish surrenders. Still don't hate them; just mainly beat myself up over not paying enough attention to their tankmate preferences.
A fish I see many have a love-hate relationship with are some of the cetopsids- I mean, it isn't too hard to tell why; they look like a dismembered chicken limb covered in cheap soap with holes done in with a rusty screw for eyes, and latch onto larger fish in an aggressively parasitic manner when given the opportunity. Then again, their habits are highly fascinating, and simply so unique that they have a firm spot up there on my list of fish I'd one day like to keep.
Similar thing with gulper cats- they're actually a bit less gluttonous than other woodcats IME; they can swallow massive prey items (in relation to their head, at least), but don't always seem to take that opportunity, where as little ones, like, say, T. exilis, will eat so much their belly gets distended to the point of appearing as though it might rupture any moment, and even then still try to shove more foodstuffs down its fat gullet.
The terribly misshapen genetic anomalies that exist solely due to the twisted manipulation of man are more terribly disheartening than something to be hateful of, at least in my eyes; it's hard not to feel much pity for a 'shortbodied' fish that looks and acts as though it might keel over any minute, for it doesn't (and my rights, it shouldn't) seem as if it should properly exist in the natural order of things. Though it might be rather hypocritical and controversial at best, I'm not completely opposed to longfin fish (except longfin splendens; just far more fond of mouthbrooding species and the longfin splendens always seem to struggle so much), especially in, say, plecos; the rational side of me plaintively cries for the denouncement of such thoughts, but it's rather difficult to deny.
Colour strains aren't all that bad as well, I think, as long as the fish doesn't suffer genetically or health-wise. Except Glo-Fish. That's just going too far.
The biggest irritant for me is running out of fish tanks- there are fish I might find rather irritating in some of my tanks because they don't fit well with the stock, or something of that sort, but they're not fish I don't enjoy; just fish I'd rather see in a different tank.
Plecos as well; I feel as though they're both far too underrated and overappreciated, depending on community and area; there's many that think only of common Ancistrus and Hypostomus whenever "pleco" is mentioned- maybe some have heard of the more commonly-revered species, like the yellow-seamed-and-spotted Baryancistrus of the Xingu, or Hypancistrus zebra, but not very usual for that to happen. Only treated as mere algae eaters, disregarded for their 'drab' appearance and altogether unmanageable adult size (in regards to H. plecostomus, at any rate). And then there are those obsessed with them; dedicating rooms for plecos alone, always after the latest species, or the rare ones; always chunnering on about their latest addition and whatnot to whoever might even show the tiniest bit of interest (am guilty of that, I must admit).
I don't think most of them actually produce that much waste; perhaps it's because I tend more to feed mine protein-based foods, but even when kept in 5G quarantine for a few days, there really isn't that much waste buildup (though "not much" is rather subjective). Never have they single-handedly caused a tank to spike or crash IME, and I face many more issues from uneaten foods that get swept underneath various bits and bobs around the tank than from the fish themselves.
Some mildly disgruntling fish to keep are some woodcats, that act like blind, bumbling chickens that only eat if they have food placed right where they sit or directly within their line of travel- sometimes it takes up to an hour, sitting there with a weak flashlight and melting bloodworm cube in my hand, trying to feed them sufficiently. It is what I get for keeping them more in a community setting, though.
And then there are those that are simply nasty for the absolute sake of it- some splitfin goodeids come to mind right off the bat; I made the mistake of keeping a sole male trout goodeid in a community; introduced a goldfish overnight, and came back the next day to see its eyes torn out, scales ripped from its body, fins tattered, and the goodeid bumping the fish around in a manner not unlike what a young child would do to a soccer ball. Goldfish was promptly euthanized, and the goodeid was sent straight to a chain store that accepted fish surrenders. Still don't hate them; just mainly beat myself up over not paying enough attention to their tankmate preferences.
A fish I see many have a love-hate relationship with are some of the cetopsids- I mean, it isn't too hard to tell why; they look like a dismembered chicken limb covered in cheap soap with holes done in with a rusty screw for eyes, and latch onto larger fish in an aggressively parasitic manner when given the opportunity. Then again, their habits are highly fascinating, and simply so unique that they have a firm spot up there on my list of fish I'd one day like to keep.
Similar thing with gulper cats- they're actually a bit less gluttonous than other woodcats IME; they can swallow massive prey items (in relation to their head, at least), but don't always seem to take that opportunity, where as little ones, like, say, T. exilis, will eat so much their belly gets distended to the point of appearing as though it might rupture any moment, and even then still try to shove more foodstuffs down its fat gullet.
The terribly misshapen genetic anomalies that exist solely due to the twisted manipulation of man are more terribly disheartening than something to be hateful of, at least in my eyes; it's hard not to feel much pity for a 'shortbodied' fish that looks and acts as though it might keel over any minute, for it doesn't (and my rights, it shouldn't) seem as if it should properly exist in the natural order of things. Though it might be rather hypocritical and controversial at best, I'm not completely opposed to longfin fish (except longfin splendens; just far more fond of mouthbrooding species and the longfin splendens always seem to struggle so much), especially in, say, plecos; the rational side of me plaintively cries for the denouncement of such thoughts, but it's rather difficult to deny.
Colour strains aren't all that bad as well, I think, as long as the fish doesn't suffer genetically or health-wise. Except Glo-Fish. That's just going too far.
The biggest irritant for me is running out of fish tanks- there are fish I might find rather irritating in some of my tanks because they don't fit well with the stock, or something of that sort, but they're not fish I don't enjoy; just fish I'd rather see in a different tank.
Wow! This is very well-written. But the plecos that I keep for some reason just never stops producing waste despite me not ever seeing them eat and I dont even target feed them, they're just waste-producing machines and usually my aquarium's bottom is covered from their strings of waste that just seems to appear out of nowhere.
After working with them at my job at the aquarium. I also agree. The sheer space they need is insane for them to look natural and healthy.
Shane Linder told a story at one of his talks about panaques creating so much sawdust that they were able to dig a burrow and spawn in it
