Your favourite fish

[i cant think]

I wanted to know what your favourite fish as of now is! Obviously you can have several (We all know that there is never just one you would die for). And I would also love to know why.

Here’s mine (I’m sure many of you have probably guessed what it will be already);
It’s a Pygoplites diacanthus flavescens now, the first reason is rather obvious (The colouring) but actually the other reason I love this fish so much is because it seems to have a hobby of ‘spitting water’. No, honestly before I fed it he was spitting water at me like there was no tomorrow, as soon as he was fed he stopped.

So, what are your favourites?

 

[shakacuz]

blotchy anthias followed by powder blue tang

 

[bushdoc]

This little fellow, but he hides in my tank and sometimes I cannot find him;)

 

[i cant think]

This little fellow, but he hides in my tank and sometimes I cannot find him;)

He’s beautiful, seahorses are a fish I would love to own eventually I just don’t have the time to keep them at the moment.

 

[bushdoc]

He’s beautiful, seahorses are a fish I would love to own eventually I just don’t have the time to keep them at the moment.

It took me 3 days to take this picture in Raja Ampat, meanwhile 3 whale sharks swam by.

 

[LaloJ]

I was around 15 years old when I decided that my favorite fish was the regal angelfish, back then it was considered almost impossible to keep, but then I changed my mind and chose an angelfish that is now practically unobtainable, the Resplendent angelfish is my favorite and It will always be, after that fish I can place the others that are my favorites but as you well commented before, it really is difficult to put one over the other, several angels and butterflyfish come in here.

 

[Bob Weigant]

Marble wrasse. Always loved the colors on them

 

[Zionas]

Angels by far, both large and dwarf. I like quite a few so not gonna list all of them, but my fondness for this family exceeds all others by at least a fair margin.

 

[Rtaylor]

Oxymonacanthus longirostris, aka orange spotted filefish. They are beautiful, unusual to see in an aquarium, and the way they swim and eat is interesting and different from most of the fish we keep.

 

[Kasrift]

Oxymonacanthus longirostris, aka orange spotted filefish. They are beautiful, unusual to see in an aquarium, and the way they swim and eat is interesting and different from most of the fish we keep.

These are really pretty, but I've been wary of Filefish in general developing a taste for coral. Do these have a lower chance of that? Oh and it seems run of the mill, but my favorite is mandarin gobies. I love mine and go above and beyond to make sure it has live copepods, white worms, artemia, and a great habitat.

 

[steveschuerger]

Maybe because I have a modest sized tank, my favs are on the smaller size. Blennies and Dragonets along with Gobies are my top pics, though I’d love to have a Pygmy Angel or Flame Angel despite the risk to corals. Honorable mention to my Splendid Dottyback despite being an occasional PIA. Here’s some of my inhabitants at the moment….

 

[Rtaylor]

These are really pretty, but I've been wary of Filefish in general developing a taste for coral. Do these have a lower chance of that? Oh and it seems run of the mill, but my favorite is mandarin gobies. I love mine and go above and beyond to make sure it has live copepods, white worms, artemia, and a great habitat.

Mine don’t bother anything except certain SPS. They are considered obligate coralivores as their natural diet is almost exclusively Acropora Millepora.

 

[nuxx Verified Sponsor]

Those I've kept:

Bandit Angel - Wasn't really sure how much I was going to like this fish. I happened to be offered one from a diver at a great price, but it was a little larger than I wanted (Heard they would nip at coral if larger). I bonded with it in QT getting it to eat in captivity, enjoying the finest fresh seafood from Whole Foods lol

Have to say it really stood out being stark white in the tank. So easy to spot...

https://www.tankstop.com/fish/angelfish/bandit-angelfish-apolemichthys-arcuatus/

Masked Angel - Also really wasn't into Angels when I started but also got offered this fish kind of free of charge, so I couldn't turn it down. Was more nervous than anything keeping such a rare / pricey fish, but it really got along well with the other fish in the tank. I remember I put the fish in the display on my birthday and the Bandit kept chasing it, needless to see I had a pretty stressed out birthday.

https://www.tankstop.com/fish/angelfish/masked-angelfish-genicanthus-personatus/
Can see the Masked and Bandit swimming around together here:




Gem Tang - When I started the hobby this was the grail fish, just something I never thought I'd have. As with most hobbies I get into, by some chance I end up getting something that due to cost I thought I'd never own, but works itself out, be it fish, watches, cars, etc... I already had a few Zebrasoma Tangs (Black / Black Hybrid / Purple / 3 Yellows), so I was a bit nervous about adding this guy. After QT, the Gem spent months in a little box I made for him in the display. When finally released, him and the Blank Tang grew extremely fast and were interesting characters.

https://www.tankstop.com/fish/tangs/gem-tang-zebrasoma-gemmatum/
Here's my Gem in QT:




Achilles Tang / Achilles Tang Hybrid - I built my tank around the idea of having an Achilles Tang. The tank needed to be long and have enough flow to make what used to be thought a hard fish to keep happy. I got the Achilles first and later added the Hybrid. I also thought it would lead to WWIII, but they actually became a happy little couple. Sort of like a more interesting version of the Crosshatch Trigger pair I had. These two were always out and about lapping the tank :)

https://www.tankstop.com/fish/tangs/achilles-tang-acanthurus-achilles/
https://www.tankstop.com/fish/tangs/achilles-tang-hybrid-acanthurus-glaucopareius/
Can see the Achilles and Achilles Hybrid getting to know each other here:




Didn't get a chance to keep:

Zebra Tang - Really wanted a Zebra after getting the Gem, since they lived in the same waters, but at the time they were impossible to get. The one that came up, I let go to a customer thinking more would come. They didn't. Can actually see that exact fish in the video in the link below...

https://www.tankstop.com/fish/tangs/zebra-tang-acanthurus-polyzona/

Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse - Saw them in Hawaii when hunting Achilles Tangs (on a GoPro) and fell in love. I tried twice and they never made it out of QT. Will be doing a tank some time in 2023 species only for these captive bred. Been told over and over, wild caught will not live in captivity.

https://www.tankstop.com/fish/wrasses/hawaiian-cleaner-wrasse-labroides-phthirophagus/
Can see one of the ones I had in QT that didn't end up making it:

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Tough question. Some of my bucket list fish are a madagascan flasher wrasse and a pair of Japanese swallowtail angels. My favorite specific fish right now is probably my female clown who is now going on 10 years old. She was named by my son when he was just 2 years old "Bad Guy Fish" (He named her that because she always bites me when I stick my hand in the tank, but the irony in naming the female "Bad Guy" is just too funny to me even 6.5 years later. Haha!). Btw, that fish is older than my son who just turned 8 this past year.

 

[1epauletteshark]

My favourite fish even since I don’t even remember when has been epaulette sharks and I only recently saw a few in Raja Ampat for the first time however my favourite newly discovered (to me) nano aquarium fish is the yellow banded possum wrasse

 

[LovinlifeinGuam]

Absolutely has to be Ostracion meleagris...these guys pop up for sale one in a while but always too big for my tank. The females commonly show up small but their coloration is completely different. These are males here.

 

[Wrassefan78]

My favorite has to be my zebra tang or tiger angel. Both have been in my tank for about 9 months.

 

[Cthulukelele]

I have a deep love for all salaries blennies. Their dumb faces, big personalities, and movement style is so enjoyable

 

[Slocke]

Difficult....
So I'm gonna break it down.
Favorite fish I currently own: Banded snake eel
Favorite fish I have owned: Naoko fairy wrasse
Favorite fish I have seen for sale: Big headed sea robin
Favorite fish I have seen: Arapaima
Favorite fish I haven't seen: Chimera
(Favorite fish that isn't a fish: Cuttlefish)

But to finish it off I'm going to cheat as according to the rules of taxonomy everything that evolved from something else is stil that thing thus any vertebrate is technically a fish so...

there you go My favorite fish is the banded mongoose :rolling-on-the-floor-laughing:

BTW that is not my favorite animal as even I can't argue that my favorite animal is a fish. My favorite animal is a cephalopod; probably Thaumoctopus mimicus.

 

[salty joe]

Marble wrasse. Always loved the colors on them

Yes, a cool and interesting fish. I raised one from a tiny juvi with the eyespot. One day, it decided my pair of diamond gobies had to go, so he harassed them to death. After two months, he is just now starting to enter my fish trap to grab a bite to eat. Very fast fish and seems pretty smart. It was a tough choice but I'm looking for a peaceful tank. Other than that, he's been good.

My favorite fish would be my pair of blue ring angels, lovely creatures!