Holy Grail Fish

[Wrangy]

How many folks out there have one or more of their absolute holy grail fish. Something that you waited ages to get, that you really pined over for a long time! Generally I would consider holy grail fish to be somewhat rare and/or expensive which is why they're usually considered holy grail. However, that doesn't preclude something that you've always loved or wanted as well, nothing wrong with a blue or yellow tang being your holy grail!!

I've recently had the opportunity to purchase several of some of my dream fish but this week brought about the chance to purchase one of my absolute number one dream holy grail fish. I'm a bit of a butterfly fanatic and would love to keep all sorts of butterflies but I have to be somewhat restricted due to the size of my tank and corals I love! Roaps are some of my favourite butterflies and I currently have a chaetodon burgessi and a chaetodon declivis in the tank, with a chance of getting a chaetodon mitratus in the near future!

Back onto topic though, one of my absolute holy grail fish is the prognathodes genus. Owning any of the species in this genus has always been one of my highest dreams!! The unfortunate part about this genus is that most of the fish are $5k and over here in Australia However, one of the stores knew how much I wanted one and messaged me out of the blue with a much more accessibly priced prognathodes marcellae. As you can imagine I immediately jumped on this absolute beauty and now I have filled a dream of mine after many years of waiting and wanting!!

That being said, here's some pics and thanks everyone for reading! I'd love to hear everyone else's stories about their searches for the holy grail!!

Meet Marcy

 

[sfin52]

 

[sfin52]

How many folks out there have one or more of their absolute holy grail fish. Something that you waited ages to get, that you really pined over for a long time! Generally I would consider holy grail fish to be somewhat rare and/or expensive which is why they're usually considered holy grail. However, that doesn't preclude something that you've always loved or wanted as well, nothing wrong with a blue or yellow tang being your holy grail!!

I've recently had the opportunity to purchase several of some of my dream fish but this week brought about the chance to purchase one of my absolute number one dream holy grail fish. I'm a bit of a butterfly fanatic and would love to keep all sorts of butterflies but I have to be somewhat restricted due to the size of my tank and corals I love! Roaps are some of my favourite butterflies and I currently have a chaetodon burgessi and a chaetodon declivis in the tank, with a chance of getting a chaetodon mitratus in the near future!

Back onto topic though, one of my absolute holy grail fish is the prognathodes genus. Owning any of the species in this genus has always been one of my highest dreams!! The unfortunate part about this genus is that most of the fish are $5k and over here in Australia However, one of the stores knew how much I wanted one and messaged me out of the blue with a much more accessibly priced prognathodes marcellae. As you can imagine I immediately jumped on this absolute beauty and now I have filled a dream of mine after many years of waiting and wanting!!

That being said, here's some pics and thanks everyone for reading! I'd love to hear everyone else's stories about their searches for the holy grail!!

Meet Marcy

Thats a great looking fish

 

[Hitman]

Here’s mine. It’s a Juvenile Queen Angel so far she has settled in QT just fine and eating like a pig.

 

[drstardust]

Cool thread and poll idea. Your butterfly looks great! I definitely have holy grail fish that I do not own yet. They're not very unique holy grails: Gem tang, queen angel, achilles tang, clarion, interruptus. However, I have failed at quarantining the two wrasses I've tried in the past, so a wrasse of any kind that survives my QT is a holy grail for me right now.

 

[Entz]

It’s not rare but I have always wanted a coral hind (Cephalopholis miniata) grouper... the holy grail part is the 250g+ tank for it


Late edit: realized spell check messed up miniata

 

[Wrangy]

Love it everyone!! Keep the holy grail stories flowing and the pictures of everyone's beauties

 

[OrionN]

Not a fish but a S. gigantea anemone. I tried for 15 years before I can have healthy Gigantea anemone in my tank. Now I have a few. I even devise a antibiotic treatment protocol that now have a huge impact on the survival of these anemones in captivity.

 

[ReefQueen]

I recently set up a tank for mine, which are lionfish. Not rare (well I guess the Mombasa is a little harder to come by) or expensive by any means, but I have been pining over them for years lol. I didn’t have room for another tank, so a few days after we moved to our new house I bought the tank intended for the lions. Owning them is better then I had dreamed about all these years. They are like little sea puppies haha.

 

[OrionN]

H. magnifica also

 

[OrionN]

My Powder Blue Tang always hold a special place in my heart because I was able to bring him back from an hair from death.

 

[tnyr5]

I have my two. Centropyge joculator & Liopropoma africanum. A mere mortal such as myself cannot hope for more.

 

[OrionN]

Eightline Flasher wrasse because he is sooo beautiful, from a tiny baby to full Terminal male in all his glory.

 

[Wrangy]

I adore gig's @OrionN One of my all time favourite nems out there! That mag is stunning as well

I'd be pretty protective of any of my fish if they made a comeback like the tang did mate! That's fantastic

Eightline Flasher wrasse because he is sooo beautiful, from a tiny baby to full Terminal male in all his glory.

As an avid follower of the wrasse lovers thread, I love your eightline!!!

 

[Wrangy]

I recently set up a tank for mine, which are lionfish. Not rare (well I guess the Mombasa is a little harder to come by) or expensive by any means, but I have been pining over them for years lol. I didn’t have room for another tank, so a few days after we moved to our new house I bought the tank intended for the lions. Owning them is better then I had dreamed about all these years. They are like little sea puppies haha.

I am a huge fan of lions!! They're the reason I'm in the hobby!! One day I'll have a small predator tank filled with them So I feel your love for them wholeheartedly!!

I have my two. Centropyge joculator & Liopropoma africanum. A mere mortal such as myself cannot hope for more.

Such gorgeous choices though!! Liopropoma and one of my all time favourite genus that sits there with prognathodes!

 

[mort]

Some of the fish I really loved in books weren't as amazing when I saw them in person so my holy grail fish is very common, pretty cheap and super hardy. I got mine when I was going through treatment for cancer, basically as something to cheer me up a bit and give me something to do. I'd always liked them but never really thought of owning one but now I would be happy if it was the only fish I ever had.
So mines a marine betta, the fish I needed at that stage of my life, but I wouldn't say no to a pair of crosshatch triggerfish.

 

[Wrangy]

Who would like a nice new photo of Marcy

As I mentioned, roaps are some of my other holy grail fish and one day I will own the incredible chaetodon tinkeri but here are the two babies I currently have in my tank that I mentioned in the beginning! My little fish gang is getting really cool! Some very unique fish in there I've spent a long time working on!!

 

[Wrangy]

Some of the fish I really loved in books weren't as amazing when I saw them in person so my holy grail fish is very common, pretty cheap and super hardy. I got mine when I was going through treatment for cancer, basically as something to cheer me up a bit and give me something to do. I'd always liked them but never really thought of owning one but now I would be happy if it was the only fish I ever had.
So mines a marine betta but I wouldn't say no to a pair of crosshatch triggerfish.

This is one of the reasons I started this thread, for awesome stories like yours mate! It always makes me happy hearing fish that mean so much to people!! Love marine betta's and crosshatches are gorgeous!!!

 

[Wrangy]

@evolved @4FordFamily @Brad Syphus @revhtree @eatbreakfast @najer @FarmerTy @bubbaque @Rakie @Janci @samparker @Keenan

Yes I'm spamming the tags but I want to hear from some fish nuts and you guys!!

 

[OrionN]

Some of the fish I really loved in books weren't as amazing when I saw them in person so my holy grail fish is very common, pretty cheap and super hardy. I got mine when I was going through treatment for cancer, basically as something to cheer me up a bit and give me something to do. I'd always liked them but never really thought of owning one but now I would be happy if it was the only fish I ever had.
So mines a marine betta, the fish I needed at that stage of my life, but I wouldn't say no to a pair of crosshatch triggerfish.

I love this also. I have keep pair of Marine Beta. I would love to get a FineSpot MB in the future. They are beautiful. They are difficult to get a picture of for sure, only come out to the open in the evening and night. Their behavior is so very interesting.