Rarest fish you've even kept?

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sumpnfishy
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Rarest fish you've even kept?

Post by sumpnfishy »

So, just out of curiosity, what is the rarest fish that you've ever kept? I've kept some pretty obscure stuff but the rarest would probably be Piabarcus analis, a tetra from South America. I had ordered Iguanadectes spilurus, a not common tetra anyway, but he was out and asked if he could substitute this other fish. They are so rare it's hard to even get a picture of them! Next would be Allondichthys hubbsi, a goodied. I don't remember where I got me group but when I was breeding them it was my understanding I was the only one in the US breeding them!
Runners up would be Katria katria, a cichlids from Madagascar that I have heard isn't even in the hobby anymore, at least I the US. Pungu maclareni and Konia eisentrauti from Lake Baromi-mbo wrap up my list of pretty dang uncommon.
Okay, let's hear your stories!
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Re: Rarest fish you've even kept?

Post by cbaranyk »

Rasbora axelrodi in 2003, when they were wild caught and no one really knew much about them. Otherwise I keep relatively easy fish.
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Re: Rarest fish you've even kept?

Post by sumpnfishy »

Well, none of the ones I mentioned were particularly hard to keep! The hubbsi were the ones I spawned though.
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mewickham
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Re: Rarest fish you've even kept?

Post by mewickham »

Only counting fish that I kept at home, as opposed to fish that I stocked in my former stores, I would say that Brachyrhamdia imitator is probably the rarest fish I kept. I'm not sure how rare these are in the wild, but they are certainly very rare in the hobby. B. imitator is a pimelodid catfish that mimics Corydoras melanistius. When young, they swim with schools of cories and blend right in. I happened to be looking over a tank of cories and noticed that one had very long whiskers-- extending toward the tail. I looked closer and realized that also had a much larger adipose fin than any cory cat. As it grows, Brachyrhamdia imitator looks less like a cory cat, taking on the shape of a pimelodid catfish. The pattern fades a bit, too.

Anyway, it was a cool fish that I had for many years. Over the years, I have seen less than a half dozen of these. I found a dealer who had managed to find three over the years, but he wouldn't sell them. There are also other Brachyrhamdia species that mimic other cories.
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sumpnfishy
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Re: Rarest fish you've even kept?

Post by sumpnfishy »

That would be a cool one!
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Re: Rarest fish you've even kept?

Post by dennysfishroom »

I've kept and bred Coptodon bythobates, which is on the Red List of endangered species.

A long time ago I found some Nannochromis dimidiatus, which laid eggs several times, but I was never able to get them to hatch. Water hardness was probably the reason.

I've had Pelvicachromis humulis, but was never able to get a spawn, unless they spawned in a cave, and I never saw the eggs. If they had spawned, they probably didn't hatch again because of the water hardness.

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Re: Rarest fish you've even kept?

Post by Annabellam »

I once kept Pseudobarbus phlegethon also the fiery red fin. It is an African fresh water fish. Not sure it is still endangered but it was about five years ago.
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Re: Rarest fish you've even kept?

Post by sumpnfishy »

Pretty cool! Hadn't even heard of that one.
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Re: Rarest fish you've even kept?

Post by Annabellam »

I think there is so much in terms of variety out there, hard to exhaust. This is an interesting thread, also learning of some i'd never heard of before.
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Re: Rarest fish you've even kept?

Post by dennysfishroom »

I'm not sure how rare it is, but I just got a pair of Parazyprichromis nigripinnis (Tanganykan mid-water) today. Based on price, it may be pretty rare. I may have to look for more to get a school going. We'll see how these do in my tank first. Denny
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Re: Rarest fish you've even kept?

Post by sumpnfishy »

Did you buy the ones at Whole Pet?
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Re: Rarest fish you've even kept?

Post by dennysfishroom »

2 of them.
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Re: Rarest fish you've even kept?

Post by sumpnfishy »

Hope you have good luck with them. Those were pricey!
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Re: Rarest fish you've even kept?

Post by dennysfishroom »

Surprisingly, Gail was the one who talked me into getting them. That doesn't happen very often. They are both alive with erect fins today, so I didn't kill them outright. They are supposed to be sort of sensitive. I may have to look at Dave's Rare Fish to see about getting more of them. Denny
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Re: Rarest fish you've even kept?

Post by cbaranyk »

Just googled them, beautiful!
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