What do you think the most underrated "common" fish is?

I forgot zebra danios, the regular fins are quite nice looking IMO, super hardy if you get healthy fish. Kinda hyper for some tanks & prefer cooler temps, they used to be THE cycling fish, live through almost anything. They're used in many fish studies because they're easy to breed & their genes are pretty well mapped & not hard to manipulate ie long fins & glowfish.

I haven't had them in a long time, mostly I see long fins these days, not something I'm fond of.

If I were to ever have livebearers again I like platys for similar reasons: lots of nice colors & super hardy. Healthy stock is paramount.
 
I'd say bettas. Not too many people know how amusing and intelligent they are, on account on how they're sold in those tiny little cups. Then to make things worse, they take the bettas home and stick them in a tiny little bowl/jar, where they can't show their personalities off to their full potential. A betta in a 5 or ten gallon tank is a totally different (happier?) fish!

:iagree: Although they have great personalities many people who buy bettas don't know about their personalities because they don't give them the conditions they need to be able to show their personalities off. A Betta in even a 2.5 gallon filtered and heated tank is a more active and often a happier fish then a Betta kept in a small bowl/vase/jar/bottle/other small unheated unfiltered containers.

It seems like a lot of people just think that Bettas are these boring fish that you can keep in a small bowl when really they are full of personality and will show it given the right conditions.




I also agree that neon tetras are very underrated. When I was planning my ten gallon I even had someone tell me that I should change my selection of neon tetras because "neons are so trite...".

I feel that neon tetras are very beautiful and fun to watch.
 
:iagree: Although they have great personalities many people who buy bettas don't know about their personalities because they don't give them the conditions they need to be able to show their personalities off. A Betta in even a 2.5 gallon filtered and heated tank is a more active and often a happier fish then a Betta kept in a small bowl/vase/jar/bottle/other small unheated unfiltered containers.

It seems like a lot of people just think that Bettas are these boring fish that you can keep in a small bowl when really they are full of personality and will show it given the right conditions.



I also agree that neon tetras are very underrated. When I was planning my ten gallon I even had someone tell me that I should change my selection of neon tetras because "neons are so trite...".



I feel that neon tetras are very beautiful and fun to watch.

I totally agree. I have a Betta named Charlie that anytime I come
in the room or call his name he goes nuts.
There is so much life and personality in
the little guy it's amazing. He is so active he is
really a pleasure to watch. He never flares and is the
happiest little guy especially around feeding time.


Neons are really cool to I'm think about stocking a 10 gal
with about 8 of them because their so neat. I
love to watch them shoal.
 
i adore my meteor minnows, they are totally underrated but i don't know if i would call them uber common.

Great input in this thread!

Another one to add is lemon tetras
 
Neon Tetras are popular for a reason. A big group of them in a planted tank is quite a sight. And White Cloud minnows. I saw a tank with both of these species, the minnows mostly on the left side, the neons on the right. Their colors complimented each other nicely.
 
I have to say for me minnows, specifically feeder minnows. Since I maintain a predator tank, I have had to establish my own colony of minnows and I really have to say that they have some very interesting personality and coloration.
 
When I saw this thread I thought White Clouds/Meteor Minnows and Zebra Danios. I just established a group of the long finned white clouds in my Gymnogeophagus tank. It's planted and watching the males displaying is an entertaining time. The regular white clouds are readily available in about every store I have been in. But to be honest I am starting to think regular Zebras are hard to find anymore. There are a couple places that carry them but not many. They were one of my favorites growing up though.
 
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