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Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

Under rated fish

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21 Feb 2011 12:41 #1 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
So I was looking at my fish last night and thinking how many of us have fish we take for granted,yet are probably some of the nicest,perhaps unusual,or just plain tough as old boots!
Everyone must have a fish that they think is under rated. It might be your favourite fish,it might be your first fish,it might be a fish you just think is great!! Doesnt have to be rare or difficult to keep,indeed the simple neon tetra I suspect is one of the most common yet under rated fish out there.

So what are your most under rated fish and why!

I'll start by saying that I think the Cherry Barb is one of the most under rated fish. A real hardy fish,it can be kept in a community tank and the red male is stunning with a lovely blue sheen om them also, few fish are as beautiful in terms of colour.

So whats your most under rated fish?


Gavin

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21 Feb 2011 13:01 #2 by derek (Derek Doyle)
i have a liking for the humble golden barb (schubert)as it is one of the first fish i kept. they are just a nice fish.

30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish

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21 Feb 2011 13:54 #3 by serratus (Drew Latimer)
Good question!! yep cherry barbs are very underated but like, say, rainbowfish they dont show colour until nearly adults and for this reason they are often overlooked in shops :( but there are lots of fish that dont show colour until adult.. with the exception of Odessa barbs... show colour when young, hardy, relatively peaceful, active and most of all stunning colour :)

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21 Feb 2011 14:08 #4 by stretnik (stretnik)
Replied by stretnik (stretnik) on topic Re: Under rated fish
Leopard and Zebra Danios.





Hardy, active, colourful, easily bred, tolerant of cooler temps, peaceful, easily purchased etc, etc, etc.

But NOT the long finned variety.

Kev.

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21 Feb 2011 15:18 #5 by Alex (Alex)
Replied by Alex (Alex) on topic Re: Under rated fish
Yeah i think Zebra Danios are great! Id swear their on 'E' most of the day, speedy little guys.

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21 Feb 2011 15:56 #6 by Acara (Dave Walters)
When I read the title,my first thought was WCMM's and zebra danios.
Like everything,fish-keeping has it's trends.I'm still very fond of a lot of fish not seen much these days,but were staples years ago.Fish like Laetacara curviceps,kuhli loaches,keyhole cichlids,bronze corys,green swordtails,sailfin mollies,the 2 I mentioned above,etc.

always on the lookout for interesting corys.pm me if you know off any!

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21 Feb 2011 21:17 #7 by Dan Dan (Danny Murphy)
For me it has to be Steatocranus Tinanti ( Slender Blockhead Cichlid ).
There not the most colourful of fish but what they lack in colour they make up for in personality.
I think they're comical looking little things, especially when there guarding there territory they bounce around and wag there tails like mad little puppies or something.

Cheers
Dan

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21 Feb 2011 22:30 #8 by igmillichip (ian millichip)
Funnily, I was only talking with Serratus yesterday on something similar.

Good thread idea Gav.

There are so many lovely but underrated fish....here's just a few cheap and cheerful olde fashioned fish for starters (to stop me writing a thesis):
Ruby Barbs;
Odessa Barbs;
Lace (Pearl) Gouramy
Indian Gouramy;
Scalare Angel Fish

plus some other cichlids that are actually quite awesome....Convicts & Firemouths, and I have to add the krib as it is still a fish of recommendation.

ian

Irish Tropical Fish Society (ITFS) Member.

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21 Feb 2011 23:15 #9 by Jim (Jim Lawlor)
gotta go for Glowlight tetras on this one.

They're not as flashy as many of the other tetras, but they're solid, easy to keep, dont seem to suffer from anything, look great in the right setup yet you never hear anyone talking them up!

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22 Feb 2011 11:44 #10 by calvusklein (David K)
I think the Emerald Eye Rasbora is up there too. Great shoaling fish, often overlooked in stores but pick up a small shoal of them and let them colour up, they look class...

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22 Feb 2011 22:19 #11 by aztec (aztec)
Replied by aztec (aztec) on topic Re: Under rated fish
No question it has to be white clouds Three varieties, prefer unheated tanks and can even be kept outside in summer. They look great are always active and are hardy and they breed like rabbits! I put a trio in together a few weeks ago and I now have well over 200 juveniles (of the long finned variety aka meteor minnows) Best of all though is how the juveniles look like neon tetras when the light catches their sides (years ago they were known as the poor man's neon.) If they grew to 3 or 4 inches loads more people would keep them.

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22 Feb 2011 23:38 #12 by DJK (David Kinsella)
There was a decent thread not so long ago regarding good beginner fish of which most I would agree with.
A lot of them mentioned would be underrated in my opinion.

Personally, I like the Zebra and Leopard Danio (my first fish) and Corydoras Aeneus(Bronze Cory).

Dave

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23 Feb 2011 11:16 #13 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
Bronze Cory is a great fish alright.Tough as old boots too!

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23 Feb 2011 12:09 #14 by joey (joe watson)
i know the danios have been mentioned over, but the pearl danio is the greatest danio. looks simple plain white, but under good lights they have the pearly/oily irridescent sheen they look almost purple. hardy as hell, and a great top level fish. stunning, and crazy

Location: Portlaoise, Midlands

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23 Feb 2011 21:50 - 23 Feb 2011 21:51 #15 by sheag35 (Seamus Gillespie)
personally speaking i think the most under rated are harlequins, emporer tetras, cardinals and most recently a fish i often overlooked but now have the blackchin livebearer, i have 3 of the above 4 species and dont foresee ever not having them

Fishkeeping the Only way to get wet and wild

currently 25 tanks, and breeding is the aim of everything i keep
location:Limerick
Last edit: 23 Feb 2011 21:51 by sheag35 (Seamus Gillespie). Reason: adding info

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23 Feb 2011 21:54 #16 by duzzy1 (Martin Kennedy)
gotta admit for me its the humble krib ..... i have always had them in my tanks and currently have a pair of them guarding a batch of week old fry . I find they have great personalities and always look incredible when showing breeding colours

rock hard too ..... would probably survive in a puddle of muddy water

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23 Feb 2011 22:55 #17 by stretnik (stretnik)
Replied by stretnik (stretnik) on topic Re: Under rated fish
I just can't keep Kribs, they always die on me:(

Kev

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23 Feb 2011 23:54 #18 by JohnH (John)
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic Re: Under rated fish
I've had a long think on this subject (careful John) before making any comment and I think one of the most underrated and overlooked Fish nowdays is what we used to know as the Brown Acara (Portalegrensis). I don't even think they are classified now as Aequidens.
They certainly wouldn't win any beauty contests but are great Fish all the same.
Likewise much the same could be said for the Aequidens Metae (probably re-classified now as well).
Anyway, there are a couple of Cichlids dear to me.

John

Location:
N. Tipp

We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.


ITFS member.



It's a long way to Tipperary.

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24 Feb 2011 00:26 #19 by igmillichip (ian millichip)

personally speaking i think the most under rated are harlequins, emporer tetras, cardinals and most recently a fish i often overlooked but now have the blackchin livebearer, i have 3 of the above 4 species and dont foresee ever not having them


I've never under-rated the emperor tetra...... see that guy over there......perpetually proclaiming the emperor tetra is better than a king..... that's me that is. (sounding like a loon in Hyde Park I suppose...no one ever listens...and on...and on...)

Irish Tropical Fish Society (ITFS) Member.

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24 Feb 2011 00:42 #20 by sheag35 (Seamus Gillespie)
lmao ian, emperors do have some fans

Fishkeeping the Only way to get wet and wild

currently 25 tanks, and breeding is the aim of everything i keep
location:Limerick

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11 Mar 2011 15:58 - 11 Mar 2011 16:00 #21 by stretnik (stretnik)
Replied by stretnik (stretnik) on topic Re: Under rated fish
Here is another vastly under-rated Fish.

Gold Tetra.

These are gold in Nature but something is missing in commercial foods so they tend to look more Silver than Gold.







Kev.
Last edit: 11 Mar 2011 16:00 by stretnik (stretnik).

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11 Mar 2011 21:44 #22 by David (David)
Replied by David (David) on topic Re: Under rated fish
For me it would have to be the bunblebee Goby
this small fish seems to go relativly unnoticed but yet in the right hands can trive add colour and caracter to the tank the below picture does not do justice

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