EXTREME Fish Nominations here...

[smokinstarfish]

Marine fish available to the pet trade run the full gamut of colour, size, shape, requirements, and just about every other variable imaginable.
Fish can be so extreme it will make your head spin. Don't expect the LFS to drop any bombshells on you after you just purchased a Moorish Idol for your 25 gallon reef unknowingly from them.

For the sake of fun and education, which species of pet marine fish do you nominate in each or some of these categories? Which is the most extreme?
1. Largest
2. Smallest
3. Least Likely to Live
4. Hardest to Care For
5. Most Ridiculous
6. Rarest
7. Most Boring
8. Most Exciting
9. Most Beautiful
10. Most Intelligent
11. Worst Bite
12. Worst Sting
13. Least Understood
14. Most Commonly Abused

 

[nas19320]

My vote for most commonly abused would be the Damsel. So many people unknowingly put them through the stress of a cycling tank.

 

[polarpooch]

I'd nominate the Majestic Angel or the Filamented Fairy Wrasse as most beautiful.
Most abused I agree, the damsel!
Rarest: I've only seen one Polleni Grouper ever.
Most boring: blue Chromis.
You need a "most interesting" category! I'd nominate any of the jawfish...

 

[fishtanker]

my vote for smallest is bicolor blenny or citron goby i've seen these guys less than one inch.
for worst bite i say triggerfish OUCH
damsel for worst abused
hardest to care for tie b/w achilles tang (mine's sick again)and regal angel
vote for most intelligent...any fish that eludes capture

 

[terminus est]

I have the bi-color beat for smallest fish. I have a rare Puerto-Rican blenny ( I dont even remember the complete BS name my LFS guy made up spur of the moment when I asked). It stays 1 inch and lives in an old turbo snail shell. Has not grown in 6 months so I am thinking its full size.
Least likely to live (Changing to, least likely to live long term) is the cleaner wrasse. A close second place would be the dragonet family.
Most intelligent is a lion fish even though I am having doubts about mine and renaming it Coyote and the 6 line wrasse in the tank with him Roadrunner.

 

[karajay]

a dragon wrasse- what's up with that hair-do

 

[jp0379]

Most abused, definitely the damsels, athough mine have lived long lives in the past with no prob's.........
Most beautiful, I have to stick with my favorite fish of all time, the Mandarin Goby.........I've seen some GORGEOUS fish, but I for some reason still come back to the Mandarin.

 

[bdhough]

1. Largest - I've seen are groupers
2. Smallest - Catalina goby
3. Least Likely to Live - Shark Eggs/Baby Sharks
4. Hardest to Care For - powdered anything tangs
5. Most Ridiculous - stone fish
6. Rarest - in a home aquarium a lookdown/had one for sale at lfs
7. Most Boring - Any EEL or cardinals
8. Most Exciting - Mating fish
9. Most Beautiful - Full size angels
10. Most Intelligent - bicolor blenny
11. Worst Bite - Puffers
12. Worst Sting - Foxface
13. Least Understood - The mandarins and their needs
14. Most Commonly Abused - for now clowns....

 

[bang guy]

1. Largest - Nurse Shark
2. Smallest - Barnacle Blenny
3. Least Likely to Live - Morish Idol
4. Hardest to Care For - Nurse Shark
5. Most Ridiculous - Sargassum Fish
6. Rarest - Leafy Sea-Dragon
7. Most Boring - Lionfish
8. Most Exciting - Any fish that breeds in captivity
9. Most Beautiful - Imporator Angel
10. Most Intelligent - BlueRing Octopus
11. Worst Bite - BlueRing Octopus
12. Worst Sting - Stonefish
13. Least Understood - Nurse Shark
14. Most Commonly Abused - Hippo Tang

 

[karajay]

OK, I just searched for a pic of a stonefish. I change my vote. Y'all are right. THAT is definately the most ridiculous.

 

[steelchromis]

Largest: Nurse Shark
Smallest: Neon Goby
Least Likely to Live: Cleaner Wrasse
Hardest To Care For: Tie- Sea Horse and Pipefish
Most Ridiculous: Lumpsucker (it is a Coldwater SW Fish)
Rarest: Helfrichi's Firefish
Most Boring: Hi-Fin Cardinal
Most Exciting: A shoal of Green Chromis
Most Beautiful: Regal(Hippo) Tang
Most Intelligent: Any fish that shows a unique talent
Worst Bite: Any type of Eel
Worst Sting: Stonefish
Least Understood: Tangs and the amount of room they need to thrive.
Most Abused: Tie Yellow Tang and Damselfish
A close third would be percula clowns ever since the release of Finding Nemo.

 

[smokinstarfish]

Lets see some pictures of these things!

 

[squidd]

Dragon Wrasse with bad hair day...

 

[balashark21]

rarest and most exiting and all the other good ones

 

[smokinstarfish]

I know some people who think the most extreme fish would be a Siamese fighting fish! I'm like, "Nooo..."
Doesn't anyone have sharks with a more dangerous bite than a puffer? Sharks bigger than a nurse shark? Something more boring than an eel? Something more exciting than a shoal of chromis? Does anyone have another category to add?

 

[fishy411]

for worst sting - stonefish
most abused. clown fish
most exciting- red volitan lion

 

[alison]

I think the worst bite BYFAR would be the blue ringed octopus! And I have seen those at my local lfs, and talked to people online here who have seen them as well. Then I would say the stonfish, then the stingray, for obvious reasons, then the lionfish. As for most interesting I would say lionfish or seahorse. Largest I would say the black tip reef shark, The most intelegent they say are octos, but I think for fish it would have to be the gobies, those guys are always thinkin ahead unlike tangs that are I think the stupidest, and least understood for size of tank reasons. -ali

 

[mr.smiley]

Largest: Groupers (thats what i have seen)
Smallest: neon goby
Least likly to live: Octopus.
Hard to care for :shark eggs
rare: Dragon moray
Boring: NOT EELS!! I dont think any fish is boring
Most exciting:sharks and eels
Intelligentctopus
Worst bite : eel
Sting :i'm guessing lionfish
least understood: TANGS!
Most abused:damsels

 

[mikeeyy]

this honor has to go to the dragon eel. i have one and it eats anything under 4 inches long! i watched it eat my 12 inch snowflake eel. i couldnt do anything about it. threw food in, the eel thought the snowflake was the food and the dragon eel went after it and ate it!

 

[bang guy]

I was once in an LFS where the owner was showing me his new 8" Lionfish for his display tank when his Green Moray darted out of it's cave and swallowed it whole.
Any animal that can eat an 8" venomous pincushion has my respect.