# That pleasantly surprising fish...



## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

This is sort of the flip side of "your most regrettable fish purchase".

Have you ever purchased a fish that looked sort of "ho-hum" in the store, but you thought you'd give it a try anyway? Then when you got it home to your own tank you were amazed at what a beautiful fish it actually is and have to say "I'm so glad I gave this fish a chance"?

For me, I'd have to say it was Cherry barbs. They were really plain looking in the store, but once they got settled in my tank, they are a beautiful vivid red and really stand out in the tank.  

Let's hear about yours....


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

It has to be Boraras uropthalmoides. Looks like feeder fish till it's settled in the tank!

R

Stan


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## RoseHawke (Jan 4, 2005)

I'd have to say it's the Harlequin Rasboras, hands down. I'd always avoided them as I was avoiding _any_thing that general shape  after a bad experience with Serpae Tetras. But I wanted a schooling fish and couldn't find Cardinals (my first choice) and vaguely seemed to remember reading something about them schooling. And there was only a couple of Zebra Danios in the tank at the time, so what could they hurt if they did turn out to be like serpaes?

Glad I gave 'em a chance! Now they're the _only_ thing in the 55 (along with about a dozen fry in various stages of growth ) with a burgeoning cherry shrimp colony. They school better (at least in my tank) than the Cardinals ever thought of doing and best I can see they leave the shrimp alone. The gold and black coloration is very pleasing.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: Two thumbs up!


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## Chris S (Feb 27, 2006)

Rosy barbs. When full adult coloration. Beautifull fish. Active like nothing else.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

Threadfin rainbows. Magnificent displays to each other. Peaceful, hardy, colorful, beautiful fins.


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## 247Plants (Mar 23, 2006)

Hmmmm a hard one to pin down since so many in the lfs seem so plain......I would have to say the gouramis Ive had ALWAYS look a heck of a lot better in their mating colors with the cool color variations than even how good they look in the store...


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## Burks (May 25, 2006)

JanS said:


> For me, I'd have to say it was Cherry barbs. They were really plain looking in the store, but once they got settled in my tank, they are a beautiful vivid red and really stand out in the tank.


I'm going to agree! Petsmart had them in their 10 for $10 sale. Their colors really weren't showing up that great against the blue background in the store. Decided what the heck, I'll get six and see how I like them. 4 males and the only 2 females they had.

Sure enough, I love them! Their red color is really starting to show and look fantastic. Especially when they start swimming around the green plants. If I redo my tank I want 6-8 Cherry Barbs and 10-12 Neon Tetras. Ooooo the colors :scared:


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## Tiapan (Jun 14, 2006)

im gonna agree both for the cherry barbs and for the threadfin rainbows, but i think an underated one here would be one that is rarely in a planted tank, i have a friend with large anubias and java fern in a cichlid tank and malawi or however you spell it, otherwise known as electric blues, are the show stealer, they start out so drap and colorless, and end up a bright bright electric blue color, mix them in with some sunshine peacocks, and some yellow labs, the anubius is too tough for them to eat and you get some truly bright colors


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## imatrout (May 12, 2005)

I have to agree with the Harliquin Rasboras. In the LFS they are generally washed out in color due to stress, but once in a happy home, they light up! Very cool fish in large schools!


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## Shaggathai (Apr 18, 2006)

Columbian blueflame tetras, in stores they always looked a plain dull silver color with an ever so slight pink tint to the fins. Got a few cheapies to cycle a tank with, and wow did they start looking different after they settled in. Shiney silver/blueish bodies with fins that are almost a flouresent red, gorgeous little fish!


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## jstageman (Mar 6, 2006)

Another vote for Cherry Barbs. They are a lot of fun to watch chasing each other around and color up amazingly in a heavily planted tank, really contrasting against all the green. My biggest male is turning such a deep, ruby red that he almost looks like a black fish turning red rather than the other way around!


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## raven_wilde (Nov 16, 2005)

Same here with the cherry barbs... several years ago I purchased a few after seeing pictures of them in a book. In the dealer tank they were so plain I was worried I was making a mistake. Then, I got them home and they settled in and their colours just went through the roof! I had them for several months until I had to move so I gave them to a friend. 
Recently though, because I remembered how awesome they are, I had to partially restock my 30 gal so I bought a dozen cherry barbs and it was the same kind of thing. In the dealer tank they looked slightly gold, we could barely tell the males from the females... but now that they are all settled in they are stunning.
Another case just like this was with my German Blue Rams... I'd wanted them for so long because of pictures I'd seen in books and on the net. So when I finally found some at a reliable fish store I bought them, despite the fact that they were pretty faintly coloured... they've matured now after about 5 months so their colours are awesome! And since they are in with the cherry barbs the whole tank just pops with colour!


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## Script404 (Jun 30, 2006)

Its not a very colourful fish but I've always liked the little darter characins, even in a busy community tank mine would always be nosing around to see whats up, and would sit on their fins and watch you from the front of a tank. Not a pretty fish, but definetly bags of personality.


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## mousky (Jul 6, 2006)

Apistograma cacatoides. 

Looked dull in the shop not much colour. My husband bought 1 male and 3 females, and after they acclimatised the colours really came out (he's a triple red). 

He started displaying to the females, they started to display their spot and compete for him. I have to say they have the most fascinating courtship behaviour that I've ever seen, even the females change colour from quite dark to yellow.


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## rufus (Jan 1, 2006)

Yeah, I have to agree on the cherrys, and the Apistos actually - I bought a pair of Agassiziis recently, and they're just beauiful now - the male's such a cocky little sob - just like me  . 
My favourites tho IME have been ember tetras which go from a pale kinda orangey-red, to a really bright coloration when they settle in, and especially kerri (blue emperor) tetras. Man the colours on those things - blue, purple, red, orange, they're a veritable smorgasboard of my favourite coulours (I get enough green in the tank  )


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## Miss Fishy (May 13, 2006)

My most pleasantly surprising fish purchase would have to be a pair of Western Pygmy Perches (_Edelia vittata_) that I bought in 1999. I saw some pale grey, almost see-through fish in a tank at the LFS , and asked the owner about them. He said they were coldwater Australian native fish, and since my tank was coldwater and I thought native fish sounded interesting, I decided to buy a pair. At first I just felt sorry for them because they hid in the corner of the quarantine tank and barely ate anything but shortly after they moved into my planted tank and started eating live food they were unrecognisable. Their pale grey colour was replaced with deep, yellowish brown and they developed iridescent gold, green and turquoise horizontal stripes on their sides. During the breeding season or when they get excited over food, the female positively glows, and the male's fins turn jet black. And their personalities! They are very serious and predatory and enjoy brutally killing small creatures but at the same time they can be very playful. They are physically indestructible but are easily frightened and upset, especially if they don't have enough hiding places. Their colour changes dramatically depending on their mood, so you always know what they are thinking! I swear the expression on their faces changes too!

They are the most interesting, challenging (they only eat live food and can be very aggressive) and beautiful fish I have ever had, and they are still going strong at seven and a half years of age.

From Alex.


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## Revernance (Aug 20, 2007)

Oh i'm sorry, I didn't notice the 2006 date. I was doing a search and forgot that this is an old thread. Moderators, please delete my post.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

Since this thread has been resurrected I'll add mine. In the right tank (fast-flowing current with lots of swimming room) giant danio are very striking. They look very drab in the store but have quite a bit of subtle color when they are happy. As they are always active the light just plays on them so you see all the different colors and shadings. I recently added cherry barbs to their tank and was really pleased with how bright the barbs got. Not only the red males but the golden-red females are very striking and so active and curious. When they are in the mood they dance in the current and flit all over the tank, then they'll rest in some of the calmer areas before charging out into the current again.


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## Squawkbert (Jan 3, 2007)

RoseHawke said:


> I'd have to say it's the Harlequin Rasboras, ...:thumbsup: :thumbsup: Two thumbs up!


Agreed - I like my pork chops & my Pristellas a lot more than I thought I would.


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## mikenas102 (Feb 8, 2006)

Wow lots of votes for cherry barbs. I hate my last remaining cherry barb. I bought a few years ago and can't wait til the last one dies off. She stalks around through the blyxa hunting down endler fry and baby cherry shrimp. The tank is full of other fish also and none of them bother the fry or baby shrimp. Just her. Why couldn't she kick the bucket in that CO2 accident like all the others did?


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## Homer_Simpson (Apr 2, 2007)

cs_gardener said:


> .. In the right tank (fast-flowing current with lots of swimming room) giant danio are very striking...


You're lucky  The Giant Danio in my 40 gallon despite a fast-flowing current and lots of swimming room is the tank bully. He takes turns chasing the other fish around. It is almost like he gets some sadistic pleasure from doing so. He is also one hardy SOB, I have had him for over 9 years. Lol, he even pulled through a recent c02 overdose that claimed by elderly Siamese Algae Eater.


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## Squawkbert (Jan 3, 2007)

mikenas102 said:


> Wow lots of votes for cherry barbs. I hate my last remaining cherry barb. I bought a few years ago and can't wait til the last one dies off. She stalks around through the blyxa hunting down endler fry and baby cherry shrimp. The tank is full of other fish also and none of them bother the fry or baby shrimp. Just her. Why couldn't she kick the bucket in that CO2 accident like all the others did?


Get 5 more - problem solved.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

Homer_Simpson, each giant danio is too concerned with the other 11 giant danio to even notice there are other types of fish in the tank. I kept 7 of them in a tank with angels and gourami without any trouble before I moved them to their new current intensive home. It's one of those fish that really need to be kept in a group. I've seen some pretty major body slams between them as well as the typical chasing/nipping behavior but none of them show any type of damage or stress. It's just a boisterous fish that needs buddies with the same energy level.  The tank they are in is definitely my most active, almost frenetic tank - I also have yoyo loaches in there as well as the cherry barbs. I'd no idea the loaches would be out and about, cavorting around the tank so much when I got them. I thought they'd disappear like my kuhli loaches so it's been a pleasant surprise to see so much of them. It's fun to watch the danios plow through the currents while the barbs and loaches "surf" them.


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## greenfish (Mar 7, 2005)

I am really liking my Rummynose Tetras. They are very active and tend to school together well.


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## mikenas102 (Feb 8, 2006)

Squawkbert said:


> Get 5 more - problem solved.


Thanks, but no thanks! ](*,)


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## simplefin (Dec 20, 2007)

after looking for something new for my aquarium, i decided to purchase Pearl gouramis. it wasnt quite mature, so it looked a bit drab. but after 4-5 months, and lots of TLC, it came out stunning. turned out it was a male, and the colors it exhibited were stunning. in full courtship mode it was breathe taking =)


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## Pooky125 (Jul 26, 2005)

I'm going to have to go with a pair of wild caught honey gouramis I stumbled upon a few years ago. Grey and drab in the store, but I brought them home, and the male became the most strikingly colored fish I've ever had. They stuck around for a few years, but I lost them after a move. I've been looking for more ever since.


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## MartialTheory (Dec 20, 2007)

red cherry shrimp!

i was like maybe but now i got the shrimp bug and must get more


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## Cheyd (Mar 17, 2004)

Australian Rainbows... Washed out, silver fish with no redeaming features when I bought them to cycle my 60G...

Now, after they've settled in and eaten well - Outstanding...


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## manini (Mar 18, 2007)

I have to agree on the cherry barbs. One of my favorite fish. Another would be the long finned white clouds. It takes some time to mature and grow out its long fin but when it does.....WOW!


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

Diamond tetras! Once they matured and settled in my tank, their colors, fins and sparkling beauty stand out from across the room. They are really striking fish and have spawned a few broods of juniors to boot.


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## florafan (Mar 8, 2006)

I wish I can get long finned White Clouds. But even the regular ones color up prettily in my tank. When I first bougnt them they just look sort of silvery white with reddish tails and fins. But once settled in and when the light hits them just so, they glow a subtle honey gold color, making such a pretty contrast with the red tails and the red ventral fins bordered in white.


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## mattguzi (Nov 14, 2006)

My vote goes for the Threadfin Rainbow. Loved the cool fin shape in the LFS, but the colors that showed up once they settled in were a pleasant surprise!


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## brewce (Dec 12, 2007)

I would say that I am very pleased with the emerging beauty of my 7 green fire blood fin tetras. Their dull colors are being replaced with an overall green pearlescence while the lower fins and torso have a very rich red. The males (I think) fins are are developing a contrasting white fringe. I really am so surprised how great they look after 2 months. The guy at the lfs said this would happen but I really didn't believe him. I had wanted a schooling fish and they were fresh out of neon tetras. What a happy buy these green fires turned out. I think they are also sold as Rathvon (sp?) tetras as well.

looked it up Rathbun Tetra, Aphyocharax rathbuni.


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