Favourite Aquarium Fish - What's Yours And Why!?

I know they're not everyone's cup of tea, but my favourite fish are my kuhli loaches. There are so many hiding places that I don't see them often, but when n I do see them chilling out under the cryptocorynes it is a real treat.

I also love my harlequin rasboras, cardinal tetras and bronze corys.

mine as to be pandas

Good choice....they are so-ooo cute!

Hi Resa! How are you. It's been a while since you have been around, I hope you are keeping wekk. We have missed you.

Corys - no contest. I swear one of my Julies winked at me today (quite a feat without eyelids) x

Hi Folks,

The title of this thread needs no further explanation. So, I'll kick off by mentioning one fish species only with more to follow when time permits. The first on my list is the Panda Garra. For anyone who is not familiar with this fish, here it is:

https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/garra-flavatra/

Why do I like them? Well, first of all because they are attractive. Secondly, they are fascinating. When I first look into our community tank on a morning, this is the first fish to greet me. He comes to the front panel and looks me straight in the eyes. Quite extraordinary. Then, I usually get a wink from him. I chat to him (much to my wife's amusement). Although he has a partner, she just sits on the substrate resting. Now, here's the best bit. As soon as my wife or I put our hands in the tank, they are both on our hands and arms. They are ultra tame and seem to be fearless. An absolute gem.

JPC

the way they move when not swimming is very Beyonce "Single Ladies" in tempo and style.  Possibly the weirdest way to describe a fish, but accurate. 

We'll make a scientist of you yet!! 
I'm very jealous of your hillstream loaches, my next tank will 100% contain these fish!!

Personally I have to go with ram dwarf cichlids. They are such beautiful fish with such interesting behaviour/personalities.  The behaviour of a fish is a big factor for me. I would never pick ..g cardinal tetra for example as whilst an absolute stunner in the looks department, they can be boring to watch. They are also small which fits my personal criteria for small fish in a big tank. I don't like seeing discus being kept in the 220 litre tank I have for example... makes it look like a cage to me.  Anyway rant quickly over, Rams are not the easiest fish to keep though. They often don't last long in the home aquarium. They need soft water, large weekly water changes (to keep nitrates as low as possible), they need good floor space and need to get on with their tank mates (same species or otherwise) as stress is a significant factor too. Breeding them is equally challenging as brood care has largely been lost due to farm breeding techniques (also impacting genetic quality hence the care difficulty). So they are a challenge be a, but very rewarding.  There is also a bit of a community following for these fish which is nice when researching them etc.

Fiah that didn't quite make the list (to demonstrate it was not an easy decision!):
Pencilfish
Sparkling gourami
Ember tetra
Lots of other dwarf cichlids - agassizi, Nannacara Anomola...

Could you remind me the size of your tank @jaypeecee ? I have it in my head as 125litres... I want to keep them in greater numbers than I have had previously (max 3) when I try them again to disperse any aggression as it seems you have. I'm thinking similar numbers to you in a 220 litre. But was unsure if I was over-egging it... thoughts?

I'm not blessed with such soft water but it just within their recommended range...

but the Ruby Shark runs a close second.

Hiya Robert, when I had fish years ago, I had a Ruby who lived for 8 years called Sharkey, so original, and will also be my favourite.

But now it has to be my pearl gourami, I love how they'll eat from your hand and check you out with their feelers.

Mine is still the humble goldfish. I still miss mine hugely.
One used to be in a tank in a room in line with the front door - she was so sociable that she used to go into a frenzy to greet me or anyone, and not just if she expected food. This veiltail had beautiful flowing fins.
Another (a common/comet) used to inhabit the living-room - he was less sociable with others and would either like (come out and interact with) or hate (hide behind a silk plant and keep a watchful and almost disapproving eye on) visitors. He was constantly vying for my attention including 'following' me with one eye firmly fixated on me as I moved around, used to spit stones against the glass to get my attention, behaved in a certain way or located himself in a particular position in the tank depending on what food he wanted, and would interact as though in conversation with me by taking turns to interact during pauses of me talking to him.

Besides feeling unfaithful if I were to get another goldfish, I now am a lot more knowledgeable and feel wretched for having kept them in what I now know to be too-small tanks. There is less of a bond with my tropicals which reduces the broken-heartedness aspect. Having said that, there are and have been some individual fish in the tropical tank with sufficiently strong personalities that they have their own names and thus are my unintentional favourites.