What are your favorite "sleeper" fish?

coupedefleur

AC Members
Jul 25, 2006
345
0
0
NW Ohio
... by sleepers, I mean fish that look really dull in dealer's tanks- walk right past them, booooring! But when you get them home and they're in better conditions they really come into their own. Or it could be that they're nondescript when they're young.

Also, any anti-sleepers? Fish that look great when they're young, but lose their markings as they mature?
 
bettas- they look terrible in those cups that they're in at the store, give them a heavily planted 10gal, and they are amazing!

Giant Dianos- look normal, until you get thim in your tank at home, and well fed, they have some striking colors and personalities, just have a secure lid, they jump like crazy!

plecos- look great in the store's bare display tank, still look great in the planted tank at home, that is if you can find it...
 
i has to be bettas,they are so bad looking inthose cups and they act very lazy,but every time i bring a new betta home to a big tank they show so much personality.
 
What about cories? I just looked back and saw a group of four of them slowly swim up and take a gulp of air. When was the last time you saw that in a LFS?
 
just remembered another...

the anti sleeper...
bushynose pleco- very nice when little, black or brown with wite or yellow spots (looks almost like a dull gold nugget), very pretty, when they get older they loose the color, grow feelers on the nose (hense bushynose), and overall look very odd/ugly depending on your preferences...
 
I've found Boesmani Rainbows to be sleepers in a way. Whenever I see them in an LFS, they're always so dull. But then every time I've seen them in a display tank, they're gorgeous and so brightly colored.

I've found a lot of Malawi cichlids are that way also.
 
AquariaCentral.com