Most overrated fish or fish species and the most underrated

[d-man]

Underrated- black tang(stealth bomber cruising the tank), pink margin wrasse, fowleri tang

Overrated-six line wrasse. Complete ******s that most people remove or try to at some point

 

[Eggpaul]

I just added 3 red striped cardinals about a week ago. They are first up and last to bed and are out and about all the time. I don’t think I want 11 though[emoji57]

Again, they look kind of plain, but I'm always interested. What do you like about them?

 

[Dodgersfan]

This thread needs a poll!

 

[mta_morrow]

Again, they look kind of plain, but I'm always interested. What do you like about them?

A couple things Eggpaul. I’m focusing on a very peaceful tank. I personally don’t care for banghai or pajama cardinals. The red stripe look quite a bit different. They also don’t tend to “hide” as much. I like their shape, colors, and social behavior with each other as well as other fish in the tank.

 

[Surfandturf]

Lol, well the Coral nicknames actually get me more riled up than mutant fish names... one vendor on here in particular is really bad about not remembering what they called something two months ago... i bought a nice Acan from them a few months back under one super-duper-wondernova name and I've seen them selling frags of the same thing under at least 3 different names since then... I don't care if you want to make up some magic-rainbow-unicorn-farts name for something, but pick 1 name and stick to it! lol. that's my only real gripe with "common names"

Also there's a difference in referring to something by a common name i.e. Clownfish for Amphiprion ocellaris or Mystery Wrasse for Pseudocheilinus ocellatus and straight up referring to it as a "Nemo fish" or "Dory fish" if you're under about 12 I'll give you a pass on that, anyone older than that using those names is going to get a hard eye roll and maybe a little poking fun at

Fair enough lol. I get you on the corals. I have seen the exact same coral called by multiple names. I'm at the point to where I just call it by its type. I think zoas and palys are the worst with this.

 

[Rjramos]

I think where a fish comes from, whether it has/hasn’t been successfully raised in captivity, the difficulty capturing(i.e. deep water), the rarity, and whether or not it is protected or regulated is a factor that hasn’t been mentioned. Purple tangs are indigenous to the Red Sea and nearby reefs, regulated, and not farm raised hence the high price. Royal Gramma is one of the most beautiful basslets around IMO. But none of the above factors of purple tang above apply. Royal gramma is close to home and abundant also farm raised. So they aren’t expensive. So overrated, underrated must be based on something.[emoji848]

 

[swebb]

I think where a fish comes from, whether it has/hasn’t been successfully raised in captivity, the difficulty capturing(i.e. deep water), the rarity, and whether or not it is protected or regulated is a factor that hasn’t been mentioned. Purple tangs are indigenous to the Red Sea and nearby reefs, regulated, and not farm raised hence the high price. Royal Gramma is one of the most beautiful basslets around IMO. But none of the above factors of purple tang above apply. Royal gramma is close to home and abundant also farm raised. So they aren’t expensive. So overrated, underrated must be based on something.[emoji848]

I think it is based on the ratio of price to a combination of rarity, survivabily and personality of the fish.

 

[JimmyV]

overrated: Designer Clownfish, If nature wanted the design and colors on these fish they would have gotten them . Leave scientific manipulation out of it. ( not at all saying they are not cool looking)

Underrated : diamond gobies

 

[Rjramos]

overrated: Designer Clownfish, If nature wanted the design and colors on these fish they would have gotten them . Leave scientific manipulation out of it. ( not at all saying they are not cool looking)

Underrated : diamond gobies

Different Dog species, bubbly-eyed long tailed goldfish as well as all the varieties and colors of freshwater bettas, etc, came about the same way, as designer clownfish, through selective breeding. Genetic anomalies exist everywhere in the animal kingdom even naturally. A Darwin ( black and white occellaris) is a naturally occurring phenotype.

 

[StingrayNYC]

I was feeding my fish and while watching my purple tang I got to wondering, why the heck did I buy this fish for $200? I mean the purple colouration is cool and it's active but so are coral beauty angelfishes. Got me thinking purple tangs maybe a tad bit overrated as a species.

So any fish you guys think are overrated and underrated?

Overratted - Bandit angel for $800...hey I can buy a lamark angel for $30 and call it a day. Lol!

 

[Rjramos]

I think where a fish comes from, whether it has/hasn’t been successfully raised in captivity, the difficulty capturing(i.e. deep water), the rarity, and whether or not it is protected or regulated is a factor that hasn’t been mentioned. Purple tangs are indigenous to the Red Sea and nearby reefs, regulated, and not farm raised hence the high price. Royal Gramma is one of the most beautiful basslets around IMO. But none of the above factors of purple tang above apply. Royal gramma is close to home and abundant also farm raised. So they aren’t expensive. So overrated, underrated must be based on something.[emoji848]

Overrated/Underrated should be based on;
1. Beauty
2. Rarity
3. Difficulty in obtaining
4. Sustainability in an aquarium
And last
5. How much is the hobbyist willing to pay!

The holy grail of marine fish is a Peppermint Angel, fetching $25,000-$30,000! From what I’ve read, only 1 collector in Japan and the Waikiki Aquarium have one in an aquarium. Don’t know if they are still alive today? This is truly an amazing looking fish, caught by a select few divers like Richard Pyle at a depth of up to 400ft with a non rebreather strapped to their back. Super technical diving! And then, you can’t just bring these fish to the surface from depth, it’s a slow process that I’m sure has a planned procedure. Personally, I can say that a Peppermint Angel is overrated, due to #4 and 5 above, I can’t afford it and I would be afraid to lose it given the difficulty of care. In regards, I can understand why the price.

Designer clownfish which many consider overrated, will with time become more common and easier to obtain at a lesser price. I have already seen this trend start.

 

[Jesterrace]

I have two Helfrichi firefish. They are stunning, hardy and inexpensive.

Inexpensive is not the word I would chose to describe a Helfrichi. $80-$120 a piece from most vendors. Especially when you consider that the Purple Firefish runs $25-$30 a piece from most vendors.

 

[seaplane]

Underrated, Mollies. I have a black sailfin that's become my favorite fish in my tank. Lot's of personality, gets along with all the other fish, but can hold his own against an aggressive damsel, eats algae, all for $1.25!

 

[rtparty]

Underrated, Mollies. I have a black sailfin that's become my favorite fish in my tank. Lot's of personality, gets along with all the other fish, but can hold his own against an aggressive damsel, eats algae, all for $1.25!

How did you acclimate the molly to your tank? Just a drip acclimate for pH over an hour or so?

 

[Kmsutows]

Agreed, not sure what people see in Anthias. Looks like a freshwater fish (which isn't a bad thing, it's just that I want my saltwater fish to look like saltwater fish).

These anthias look like freshwater fish? Hmmm... Maybe my borbonius up top looks slightly like a crappy in this lighting? Maybe? Cant say i see fish like this in the freshwater hobby

 

[seaplane]

How did you acclimate the molly to your tank? Just a drip acclimate for pH over an hour or so?

Yes, drip acclimated over about an hour.

 

[Brautumn]

We have both in our 250g, 5+ years for the sailfin and 3+ for the vlamingi.

Overrated: Sailfin Tang
Underrated: Vlamingi Tang

 

[Eggpaul]

These anthias look like freshwater fish? Hmmm... Maybe my borbonius up top looks slightly like a crappy in this lighting? Maybe? Cant say i see fish like this in the freshwater hobby

Agreed, those look amazing! Actually after I posted that I thought I was writing about the bangai cardinals, haha.

 

[Glassfish]

These anthias look like freshwater fish? Hmmm... Maybe my borbonius up top looks slightly like a crappy in this lighting? Maybe? Cant say i see fish like this in the freshwater hobby

What's the bottom anthia?

 

[Mark Derail]

Underrated - Goliath Grouper, perfect for 40k gal tanks or above

Overrated - Anemone with clown fish. Friggin 'mone moves around and stings my corals...

Kinda hard to catch and bring home though...