Most over rated and under rated fish

Out of the selected few, Which of these fish (or fish types) are the most overrated?

  • Oscars

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • African Cichlids

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Goldfish

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Piranha's or fish similar

    Votes: 1 50.0%

  • Other (You can specify below)

    Votes: 1 50.0%
  • Total voters
    2
  • Poll closed .
Jaquatic

Jaquatic

Active Member
Member
Messages
442
What fish do you think is the most over rated and under rated.

Figured it would be fun to pass time while most of us are at home. Feel free to post your reasonings behind why you think they are over rated/under rated

Over rated- Arowana
Under rated-White cloud minnows

What fish do you think is the most over rated and under rated.

Figured it would be fun to pass time while most of us are at home. Feel free to post your reasonings behind why you think they are over rated/under rated

Over rated- Arowana
Under rated-White cloud minnows
 

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These are another under rated fish.
Ameca splendens (Butterfly Goodeid)
 
What fish do you think is the most over rated and under rated.

Figured it would be fun to pass time while most of us are at home. Feel free to post your reasonings behind why you think they are over rated/under rated

Over rated- Arowana
Under rated-White cloud minnows
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Overrated: guppies and other Livebearers

Underrated: Shell dwellers (specifically neolamprologus multifasciatus)
 

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Since I was the only comment one the other one I will comment here.
overrated: domestic betta, neon tetras
underrated: barbs, endlers, and pearl gouramis.
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What happened to goldfish? lol
 
Overrated: betta
Underrated: common goldfish or non-fancy goldfish in general.
 
overrated- neon tetras
underrated- female bettas (It makes me so sad when females aren't wanted because their fins are shorter or they're less colourful and they are therefore 'less pretty'), ember tetras
 
Overrated: Long-fin domestic bettas, especially veilteils and doubletails (sorry but to me that is a physical defect, no personal offense intended to anyone)
Underrated: Paradise Fish
Seriously, they are nowhere near as aggressive as people who have apparently never kept them keep advertising. And they are stunning, completely flexible in terms of water parameters including temperature, plus they are healthy with a solid lifespan unlike certain die-for-no-reason inbred fish.

Non-labyrinth, because obviously it'd be about those.

Overrated: Tetras - why does every centerpiece tankmate have to be a boring tetra?
Underrated: Pencilfish, Lampeyes, robust killis like Wonder Panchax and Blue Lyretails, and Dwarf/Blue-Eyed Rainbowfish
 
I actually agree that over rated are Domestic Bettas. I love them but I think they’re overbred, inbred, poorly bred (whatever term you want to apply) and left with incredible physical (and lets be honest, mental issues) troubles that most owners (myself included) are not prepared for and may never be able to help them heal from. Being plopped on a shelf as a show piece in a bowl. (Goldfish are up there for me as well as anything Glo)

Conversely I’d say wild bettas are far underrated. They can have decent personalities, get along better in community tanks, have unique and exotic colorings (without the breeding), and are much healthier.
Also SAE.. they are super quirky fish that have a ton of personality and fairly decent genetics.
 

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I do find wild bettas charming. I can't remember the species, but my LFS carried a few and the employees had difficulty tracking them, cause they'd tank hop, so you'd never really knew where they were hiding.
 
Over rated: Discus. Beautiful boredom.
Under rated: Any of the Botia Loaches.
 
I do find wild bettas charming. I can't remember the species, but my LFS carried a few and the employees had difficulty tracking them, cause they'd tank hop, so you'd never really knew where they were hiding.
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I was actually thinking about putting them as "underrated", but at least around here they aren't. They are so highly sought after I haven't yet managed to buy a pair despite the supplier having a separate page devoted to them, because their stock always sells out on the day they put them up.

I actually agree that over rated are Domestic Bettas. I love them but I think they’re overbred, inbred, poorly bred (whatever term you want to apply) and left with incredible physical troubles that most owners (myself included) are not prepared for and may never be able to help them heal from. Being plopped on a shelf as a show piece in a bowl. (Goldfish are up there for me as well as anything Glo)

Conversely I’d say wild bettas are far underrated. They can have decent personalities, get along better in community tanks, have unique and exotic colorings (without the breeding), and are much healthier.
Also SAE.. they are super quirky fish that have a ton of personality and fairly decent genetics.
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I have a strict policy against inbreeding my own bettas, I purposely buy unrelated ones for breeding and don't any inline/backcross, and I have to say even just 1 generation, the offspring is quite hardy. I've recently thought to move back to breeding wildcolour splendens, as I'm guessing they are much less inbred (plus they can just be crossed with any colour plakat and come out mostly wildcolour).

There are so many interesting colours of wild betta though, indeed! I think what might make them less popular is that a sizeable portion outside the splendens complex have special parameter demands, which is beyond the average hobbyist, and many of them are relatively shy and make for poor specimens on sale in a loud, bright shop with a hundred other boisterous fish.
 
Overrated: betta

Underrated: pea puffer

I only say this because I just got a pea puffer and I never knew how curious they are. He comes right out to see me and he looks like a fat helicopter.
 
Overrated: GloFish, tetras, rasboras, and livebearers.

Underrated: all bettas, Asian stone minI catfish, and sparkling gourami. Also lungfish.

I say bettas are underrated because of their lovely personalities that most short-term fishkeepers overlook, their compatibility (most people assume that all bettas are solitary and MUst be kept alone; my bettas love playing with their tankmates) and other reasons.

I'm adding goldfish to the underrated list
 
I was actually thinking about putting them as "underrated", but at least around here they aren't. They are so highly sought after I haven't yet managed to buy a pair despite the supplier having a separate page devoted to them, because their stock always sells out on the day they put them up.


I have a strict policy against inbreeding my own bettas, I purposely buy unrelated ones for breeding and don't any inline/backcross, and I have to say even just 1 generation, the offspring is quite hardy. I've recently thought to move back to breeding wildcolour splendens, as I'm guessing they are much less inbred (plus they can just be crossed with any colour plakat and come out mostly wildcolour).

There are so many interesting colours of wild betta though, indeed! I think what might make them less popular is that a sizeable portion outside the splendens complex have special parameter demands, which is beyond the average hobbyist, and many of them are relatively shy and make for poor specimens on sale in a loud, bright shop with a hundred other boisterous fish.
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I was tempted to buy a pair of Wilds when I was in Seattle lately. They had several sets in community tanks. But I had this lame idea I’d still be able to get one of my domestics in the community tank. :/

Do you post your bettas online or just take to lfs?
 
I was tempted to buy a pair of Wilds when I was in Seattle lately. They had several sets in community tanks. But I had this lame idea I’d still be able to get one of my domestics in the community tank. :/

Do you post your bettas online or just take to lfs?
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We have a thriving online marketplace where people sell and buy by the hundreds a day (national, not aquabid). It's really easy for me to get rid of offspring, in the case of bettas for a decent bit too.
 
I think that livebearers are oversold to underappreciative people. They are fun little fish that can fill a tank in a few generations from a $16 or $20 investment.

Overrated: every fish sold as an "algae eater". Most will eat it, but people buy them to eradicate it amd then wonder why it dies without being fed of housed with correct tank mates. (I am guilty of this too, but just saying)

We have a thriving online marketplace where people sell and buy by the hundreds a day (national, not aquabid). It's really easy for me to get rid of offspring, in the case of bettas for a decent bit too.
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Is that the buy, sell, trade page here on FishLore?
 
Is that the buy, sell, trade page here on FishLore?
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No, it's a genuine website.
A bit like ebay, but because of its regional nature it is mostly just second-hand trading/selling/buying, not really commercialised. It's extremely popular.
Here is a link if you want to have a look: ≥ Aquariumvissen te koop - Marktplaats.nl
The first 2-3 pages are usually sponsored posts (mostly shops, but also some individuals), but after those a lot of it is people selling their own fish. There turnover is currently about 450-500 posts with offers a day, some of them get snagged right away.

Sending live fish by delivery is largely illegal here btw, so you have to pick them up yourself.
 

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Overrated: bettas (all of them)
Under : bosemanI rainbowfish. Just a great fish, beautiful colors,long life, easy to keep and breed (though mine grow very slow) and will go in most community tanks.
 
No, it's a genuine website.
A bit like ebay, but because of its regional nature it is mostly just second-hand trading/selling/buying, not really commercialised. It's extremely popular.
Here is a link if you want to have a look: ≥ Aquariumvissen te koop - Marktplaats.nl
The first 2-3 pages are usually sponsored posts (mostly shops, but also some individuals), but after those a lot of it is people selling their own fish. There turnover is currently about 450-500 posts with offers a day, some of them get snagged right away.

Sending live fish by delivery is largely illegal here btw, so you have to pick them up yourself.
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Tempting fish there. Really beautiful!!
 
No, it's a genuine website.
A bit like ebay, but because of its regional nature it is mostly just second-hand trading/selling/buying, not really commercialised. It's extremely popular.
Here is a link if you want to have a look: ≥ Aquariumvissen te koop - Marktplaats.nl
The first 2-3 pages are usually sponsored posts (mostly shops, but also some individuals), but after those a lot of it is people selling their own fish. There turnover is currently about 450-500 posts with offers a day, some of them get snagged right away.

Sending live fish by delivery is largely illegal here btw, so you have to pick them up yourself.
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Oh, for some reason I thought you meant INTERnational. My bad. I live in the US, but still a cool website!
 
overrated - any fancy goldfish.
underrated - algae eaters, mine (albino bristlenose, goldspot, sailfin) those ones actually save me 95% of my glass cleaning.
 
Overrated- bettas and discus
underrated-pygmy sunfish
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They are stunning (PS) but where can they be purchased? I found them long ago online and could never find any in any stores.
 
They are stunning (PS) but where can they be purchased? I found them long ago online and could never find any in any stores.
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If you live in their native locations like in florida, you may be able to collect them(assuming local laws allow that). Otherwise they are usually not as commonly offered. Aquabid had a couple of cases a month or so back.
 
Asian stone minI catfish
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I totally agree!!!

I have another one;
Overrated - Goldfish (because people don't know how to care for them properly.)
Underrated - nerite snails. You can disagree with me but I have one in my 5 gallon and had one in my ten gallon and I have never even seen algae in either, even though I have the lights on for 8+ hours a day.
 
Overrated - Plecos in general. Yeah, some are quite beautiful, if you ever get to see them. They like to hide their light under the bushelbasket, so to speak.

Underrated - South American Killifish, particularly Rivulus. Some scientists have broken that up into several genera, but it's still an overall grouping. They have a reputation for being "small brown fish", but there are some real stunners, like xiphidius, aka the Neon Rivulus.
 

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Overrated - livebearers
Underrated - red tailed black shark
 
IMO male fancy guppies: Overrated
Underrated: Otocinclus
Oh yeah I feel like neons are often overrated, and sparkling gourami are underrated.
 
Overrated: Betta splendens.
Underrated: North American species in general.
 
Overrated: Neons
Underrated: Wild Bettas....some of the complexes are more social than splendens and have unusual swimming patterns, but they get overlooked because many aren’t as dazzle-y
 
Overrated: Any GloFish
Underrated: Dinosaur bichir/"Swamp Dragon". They look and act like water dragons, not to mention they can cohabitate with others of their own kind and larger fish! (Found out about them last week!)
 
Overrated - Bettas. Not usually cared for correctly due to lack of knowledge when buying that 1.2 gallon tank and 7 pound bag of colorful gravel and sharp plastic plants. Too many illnesses from lack of proper care.

Underrated - Too many to choose from. I like the Pearl Gourami as mentioned above ( i have one ) But also a big school of Corys is amazing to watch on sand after dropping some food in or just stirring the substrate around with a stick. Lastly underrated My current favorites. Tiger Barbs! You want to see a feeding frenzy get 10-12 in the appropriate size tank and drop in some thawed frozen bloodworms. OH and a tight schooler... Enough said!!
 
Overrated - Bettas. Not usually cared for correctly due to lack of knowledge when buying that 1.2 gallon tank and 7 pound bag of colorful gravel and sharp plastic plants. Too many illnesses from lack of proper care.

Underrated - Too many to choose from. I like the Pearl Gourami as mentioned above ( i have one ) But also a big school of Corys is amazing to watch on sand after dropping some food in or just stirring the substrate around with a stick. Lastly underrated My current favorites. Tiger Barbs! You want to see a feeding frenzy get 10-12 in the appropriate size tank and drop in some thawed frozen bloodworms. OH and a tight schooler... Enough said!!
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Ooooh, that's true. Bettas are gorgeous when properly taken care of in a 10 gal, with live plants, marimo moss balls and either some finer grain gravel or sand so their fins don't get wounded. Seeing some of the ones that parents buy for their 6 year olds...thats tragedy. :'(

Tiger Barbs are amazing, especially if you get them from the right place!!! Put a few pieces of thawed shrimp in a 65 gal with a group of 10 once. None of it hit the ground xD
 

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