Five fish that deserve more attention

Five fish that deserve more attention

Introduction
Are you tired of keeping the same old Neon Tetras and Guppies? Looking for something new to keep in your spare unused aquarium? Everyone always wants new or interesting fish to stock their tanks with, but don’t know what fish they could keep. Hopefully this short list will spark your interest in common fish that are often overlooked by an aquarist. For some reason or another, these 5 fish have either fallen from popularity or never gained any in the first place.

[image of Giant Danio]
1) Giant Danios (Devario aequipinnatus)
Often overshadowed by their stripped or polka-dotted brethren, the Giant Danio is available at most aquarium stores and does not require an exceptional amount of knowledge to provide optimum care. Being one of the fastest fish commonly found and featuring an intriguing blue and yellow color scheme, Giant Danios are often an overlooked fish that deserve more attention. Now, don’t let the name fool you. While they may be called giant, they only grow to 3-4 inches in length, meaning they are suited to aquariums of a length of 3 feet or larger. Being Danios, they are suited to a wide range of temperature and are quite resilient to fluctuations in water quality. If fed color enhancing foods, Giant Danios can also develop a body that is more red with a blue outline, that is very nice to look at. Though this fish’s reputation might not be considered giant, it certainly deserves more attention than it receives.

[Image of Green Fire Tetra]
2) Green Fire Tetras (Aphyocharax rathbuni)
Very rarely are Green Fire Tetras discussed, which is truly unfortunate. Tetra species are constantly competing for every fish keepers attention. Due to that, this fiery little fish has been swept under the rug. Only reaching the size of 1 inch which makes them uniquely suited to nano tanks. These tetras have a beautiful shimmering emerald green body and a bright red stripe, that brings out the green in aquarium plants. They also do not require the extreme temperatures that some other Tetra types do. Green Fire Tetras can thrive in many spots fish owners seek to fil that other similar fish simply do not. These fish are generally unpopular due to sheer lack of awareness of their existence. Just discussing and taking the time to learn about them increases their general popularity.

[Image of Threadfin Rainbow Fish]
3) Threadfin Rainbow Fish (Iriatherina werneri)
Rainbow Fish typically require 4 foot tanks to keep properly. Luckily, some varieties of Rainbow Fish do not reach the larger size that others do. One of the most available option of these Rainbows are the gorgeous Threadfin varieties. Often overlooked in place of other common mid tier swimming fish such as Rasboras, Tetras or Danios, Threadfin Rainbows have beautiful bodies and colors that deserve more attention. Not requiring schools like other fish that fill the same role, these fish do not grow above 2 inches (including the long black fin trails that make this fish so unique) and are well suited to 10 gallon aquariums and larger. Fortunately for most fish keepers, they are one of the more common types of Rainbows and a perfect beauty that not everyone keeps.

[Image of Scarlet Badis]
4) Scarlet Badis (Dario Dario)
The petite predator. These fish, often imported directly from the wild, are small and make very good tank mates with other fish of their size. Unfortunately, they are known for being finicky eaters, which may have led to their unpopularity. However, passing them by would be a disservice to your aquarium. They take up almost zero room, are generally quick to eat and display a personality very similar to Cichlids. Featuring a bright blue outline that brings out the deep scarlet coloring they are known for, these fish often quickly dart around the aquarium, interacting with each other and establishing mini territories. Though they are a predator, they only eat noticeably smaller creatures such as young cherry shrimp and do not present any threat to fish around the same size or larger. If your badis doesn’t take to standard flake and aquarium foods readily there are other ways around it. Here’s a quick tip if you need to convert them from live to prepared foods: start with high protein live or freeze dried foods, mixed with a high protein flake. Eventually, the badis will convert wholly to flakes and readily accept them. These scarlet sneaks might brighten up your aquarium ecosystem.

[Image of Paradise Fish]
5) Paradise Fish (Macropodus opercularis)
Personally, I believe this is the fish that deserves the most attention on this list. This fish was commonly kept and very popular early in the fish keeping hobby. From that point forward, the Betta Splendens has seemed to steal its fame away. Paradise Fish have many similar qualities to the Betta such as long flowing fins, the ability to breath air and a pronounced personality. Paradise Fish do not feature the many different color schemes that the Bettas of today do. However, these fish are generally less prone to disease and will live fine in cooler temperatures. Almost the perfect Betta alternative, these fish can live in tanks of 10 gallons and up, don’t require a form of air flow and don’t require a heater if kept around 72 Fahrenheit, either. The next time that you think to yourself I want another betta, maybe try the original anabantoid on for size.

Conclusion
You’ve kept all the fish your local petsmart supplies and you’re ready for something new. You no longer need to worry. Hopefully, these five fish will provide you with the opportunity to bring a new light to all of your aquariums. All of these fish deserve more respect than hobbyist often offer them and we can fix that. By talking about, recommending and owning these fish, all of us can teach new fish keepers about these diamonds in the rough. Here’s to shedding light on the unearthed gems in the fish keeping world.

Sources
[Information on giant danios|https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/devario-malabaricus/]
[Information on green fire tetras|http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile145.html]
[Sandz aquatics|https://sandzaquatics.com/]
[Image of giant danio|https://images.app.goo.gl/TQCCYKENrePMdr7s5]
[Image of green fire tetra|https://images.app.goo.gl/jKu7P7Ztgxq7G5jq5]
[Image of threadfin rainbow fish|https://images.app.goo.gl/yxqcp1hkb2Tp4Ppi9]
[Image of scarlet badis|https://images.app.goo.gl/wJVe8DRWHLahxwDj9]
[Image of paradise fish|https://images.app.goo.gl/GAyBasyUAP8P1rZs7]