What s the Most Unique and hardest fish you’ve kept?

[tweeter]

Hum. Once person's idea of "unique" could be another person's idea of common. I enjoyed keeping the little brackish water flounders at one time. They were cool to watch eat, easy to care for, and lived for many years in my tanks. In the salty world of 35 ppm, I would have to say the hardest fish to get to eat was my Copperband Butterfly, though I would not say it is any harder to 'keep' than most other butterfly fish once eating well. As for unique marine fish, I'll have to say my Pacific Redstripe Hogfish (Bodianus sepiacaudus). When I had this fish years ago it was a fish that pulled the eye to it immediately with its active behavior and bright red stripes. I miss this fish and have often thought about getting another one, but the destination tank for the fish is already fully stocked. Maybe someday down the road...

Are they peaceful? Can you put them with fairy wrasses?

 

[NotFishyFishGuy]

Mine would be a firefish. Tried probably a dozen times over the years. Would put one in the tank and never see it again.

I’ve always thought they were common but have also heard of people not seeing them again after putting it in

 

[Tamberav]

Yellow striped clingfish

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Not super unique, but I've got a pintail fairy wrasse that is doing great!

 

[blstravler]

My Blue Star Leopard wrasse. See it every 3 or so days in the morning. I put food in - it eats - then it goes away for another 3 or so days. It’s kinda like having a new fish every few days - lol.

 

[Thaxxx]

Has anyone kept any huge predator fish like a green moray or something?

Year ago I had a 300 gal. With 5 nurse sharks, a 3 ft green moray, a zebra moray. Well the sharks of course out grew the tank. Luckily back then I had a public aquarium to take them. But the green moray eel was a character. One morning I found him in one of the bedrooms. At least a 25 foot walk from the aquarium. He was dry and covered in carpet fibers. I rinsed him off and put him back in the tank. He acted as if nothing happened. 5 mins. Later he was begging for squid. He was probably out for a good 6 or 7 hours.

 

[NotFishyFishGuy]

Year ago I had a 300 gal. With 5 nurse sharks, a 3 ft green moray, a zebra moray. Well the sharks of course out grew the tank. Luckily back then I had a public aquarium to take them. But the green moray eel was a character. One morning I found him in one of the bedrooms. At least a 25 foot walk from the aquarium. He was dry and covered in carpet fibers. I rinsed him off and put him back in the tank. He acted as if nothing happened. 5 mins. Later he was begging for squid. He was probably out for a good 6 or 7 hours.

Wait I’m sorry what happened? Your eel jumped out and crawled 25 ft and was stuck there for hours before you saw him. Then you put him back in the tank and he was fine? Am I reading that wrong? That works be amazing if your eel rly survived that long

 

[Jpconer]

The store that I worked at the time that got in these massive Achilles had its "fish system" setup with 90gal cubes on the bottom and 180gal tanks on the top row, so while catching fish could be a chore, at least the big tangs had decent swimming space, however, I think fish for the ornamental trade should only be collected as juveniles or sub adults only, big show fish have a much harder time adapting to captivity IMO

The big show Achilles tangs we got would be 7-8+ inches. I believe we were getting them from Hawaii- this was around 2008? 2009?

I agree that juv's & sub adults are the way to go....while I have a few big angels and an xxl masked heniochus in my Fowler...all were 2 to 4 inches when I acquired them. My oldest fist is now 14+ Yrs old

 

[Jpconer]

The coolest fish I've ever owned was almost 38 Yrs ago....I had a 135 gallon setup that was the headboard to my bed...I had 3 Pine Cone fish that didnt swim much w/ the lights on but were insane once the tank went dark. Watching the glow spots on their jaws buzzing around the tank was the best! Had them for 4+ years and sold them when I went to college.

 

[Sailfinguy21]

Probly nothing special to you guys.. but ive only ever seen one.. and its the one i have..

Its a velvet damsel... normally i hate damsels.. but this one is really chill.. doesnt bother anyone or anything..

 

[salty joe]

sea goblin (Inimicus didactylus)
It would bury itself halfway into the sand with not much more than its eyes, snout and spines sticking out. It would walk around the bottom of the tank using its 'fingers' Sometimes it would open all its fins and swim a little and was quite beautiful in a primitive sort of way.

 

[C. Eymann]

I agree that juv's & sub adults are the way to go....while I have a few big angels and an xxl masked heniochus in my Fowler...all were 2 to 4 inches when I acquired them. My oldest fist is now 14+ Yrs old

Sweet, yeah a fish that has essentially spent majority of its life in captivity will always be more suited to it and better off VS snatching large adult fish that spent its entire life in the ocean and putting it in a glass box.

14+ years? Impressive!

 

[Paul B]

My most unique fish was this little burrfish that I collected in the Atlantic here in NY after he drifted up on the Gulf Stream. He was certainly not the most difficult as I collected him when he was about 1/2" and with in a year he grew 5" so I gave him to the New York Aquarium before he ate through the glass in his tank.

 

[meatgrinder]

My initial reason for getting a saltwater tank was for an emperor angel.
however, I also found the juveniles to be the most difficult. always got some kind of infection.

I did have a large chainlink eel at one time. It was interesting to observe that they have poor eyesight and depend upon scent. So depending upon your water movement it can be difficult for them to locate the food and they just lash out at anything nearby... Once put 1/2 my picasso trigger into his mouth and shook him. didn't kill the trigger, but he turned white and hid for a long time. He also brought his head out of the tank and bit someone's hand.

 

[FishDoc]

atelomycterus macleayi

Why not just say cat shark?

 

[Sailfinguy21]

My most unique fish was this little burrfish that I collected in the Atlantic here in NY after he drifted up on the Gulf Stream. He was certainly not the most difficult as I collected him when he was about 1/2" and with in a year he grew 5" so I gave him to the New York Aquarium before he ate through the glass in his tank.

That thing eats glass ??

 

[Paul B]

I didn't keep him long enough to find out, but I think he would eat just about anything.

 

[Webslinger]

Has anyone kept any huge predator fish like a green moray or something?

I have a dwarf golden moray. He's huge(12") ! Unique (never saw another) but easy to care for. HaHa

 

[Eggs]

Red Tail Tamarin Wrasse as most difficult. Female did ok for a couple of months but it’s a challenge to keep.

Maybe not unique fish, currently have a Black Tang and a male Australian Scott’s Fairy Wrasse.

 

[MombasaLionfish]

IMO the most difficult "fish" to keep is a jellyfish. I have not kept one though.