Life Expectancy of Reef Fish

[cFloor]

I wanted to start a thread and hear some stories on how long everyone has kept their reef fish. I'm interested mostly in Fairy Wrasses. I've had a handful of these beautiful fish going on 2+ years now in a 120 gallon, with little to no aggression. Please feel free to discuss or ask questions about the life expectancy (given a suitable environment) of any reef fish here so others can weigh in as well. thanks!

 

[nikon187]

my rosey scales, red margin and radiant are all over 5 yrs in my care. Same tank

 

[cFloor]

^ nice! I have a pink margin, and it's absolutely one of my favorite fish. I don't believe I've seen a red margin in person before.

 

[nikon187]

Same fish i believe, just a different common name. There is also a blue margin ( pylie fairy wrasse )

Thats just fairies though, My yellow tang is over 10yrs old, almost 7 in my care. Clownfish almost 10 yrs as well but they can be very long lived

 

[humaguy]

consider the 45 year old six bar angel at the Nancy Aquarium in France...and this is dated 8-27-2012, so tack a year and a half...really amazing!!
"Well known for long-lived angelfish and butterflyfish species, the Nancy Aquarium first received this sixbar angelfish December 18, 1971 at which time it was only 14cm, or about 5.5 inches long. Over the last four decades the Nancy Aquarium’s sixbar angelfish has grown to a size of 30cm (15 inches) and it currently resides in a 10,000 liter (1600 gallon) aquarium stocked primarily as a display of large and old reef fish.

Although sixbar angelfish can grow to be 18 inches long, we assume this guy is done growing. If this Pomacanthus sexstriatus has lived in captivity for over 41 years and it was already a medium size when collected from the wild, this particular fish is probably 45 years old, maybe more. For comparison that means this sixbar angelfish is more than a decade older than this author!

In addition to the longevity record that the Nancy Aquarium has obtained with this forty year old sixbar angelfish, they deserve additional accolades for keeping this fish in prime condition, with not a scar of its body, nick of its fins or any hint of HLLE anywhere on the middle aged reef fish. Huge props to the skilled and experienced fish keepers at the Nancy Aquarium and the next time you think your fish is old, just remember that there is a sixbar angelfish out there that’s been cruising its aquarium as long as Greenpeace and NASDAQ have been in existence."

 

[betamed]

You guys make me miss my pink margin. I lost him when I moved.
I would think 5-10 years would be normal for a fairy wrasse I have had a few live this long. Also have a clown and tangs that are getting close to double digits and I would not be surprised if they made it many more years

 

[das75]

still have my Purple Tang and 1 clownfish from when started in 2002, most others are 5+

 

[ca1ore]

I had a yellow stripe maroon for over 10 years before I sold off my prior big tank.

 

[Nembo]

The last fish I bought was a tiny yellow clown goby.That was 3 years ago.Most of my fish are over 5 years old including my mandarin.The oldest are my pair of percula clowns which I bought when I started 14 years ago.

 

[snorvich]

Depends on species. Less than two years for neon gobies; fifteen years for tangs and large angels (although it might be more as illustrated in the post above). In the wild, I have visited the same Rhinopias in the same location for five years running; it may have been there much longer but I stopped diving at that location.

 

[nonstopfishies]

Depends on species. Less than two years for neon gobies; fifteen years for tangs and large angels (although it might be more as illustrated in the post above). In the wild, I have visited the same Rhinopias in the same location for five years running; it may have been there much longer but I stopped diving at that location.

That is pretty awesome. To find the same fish inhabiting the same hangout spots year after year.

 

[jaa1456]

consider the 45 year old six bar angel at the Nancy Aquarium in France...and this is dated 8-27-2012, so tack a year and a half...really amazing!!
"Well known for long-lived angelfish and butterflyfish species, the Nancy Aquarium first received this sixbar angelfish December 18, 1971 at which time it was only 14cm, or about 5.5 inches long. Over the last four decades the Nancy Aquarium's sixbar angelfish has grown to a size of 30cm (15 inches) and it currently resides in a 10,000 liter (1600 gallon) aquarium stocked primarily as a display of large and old reef fish.

Although sixbar angelfish can grow to be 18 inches long, we assume this guy is done growing. If this Pomacanthus sexstriatus has lived in captivity for over 41 years and it was already a medium size when collected from the wild, this particular fish is probably 45 years old, maybe more. For comparison that means this sixbar angelfish is more than a decade older than this author!

In addition to the longevity record that the Nancy Aquarium has obtained with this forty year old sixbar angelfish, they deserve additional accolades for keeping this fish in prime condition, with not a scar of its body, nick of its fins or any hint of HLLE anywhere on the middle aged reef fish. Huge props to the skilled and experienced fish keepers at the Nancy Aquarium and the next time you think your fish is old, just remember that there is a sixbar angelfish out there that's been cruising its aquarium as long as Greenpeace and NASDAQ have been in existence."

I wouldn't say it took 4 years to get to the size of 5.5 inches. There have been studies showing that larger angels can reach 6"s in one year. As well as the study on yellow tangs showing they can grow to their adult size in one year as well. I personally have a Juvi emperor angel that was bought this summer at 2"s and is already at 4"s and starting to change to its adult coloration. I have only had the fish since early August, so imagine these fish growing in the wild with their proper food and all of that open room to swim in.

 

[Paul B]

The fireclown in the center here is 20


These watchmans lived for 12. I also had a cusk eel for 18 and a couple of hippo tangs for 10

 

[desjardinii]

I have a sailfin tang which I purchased in '96 and it wasn't a juvi so my guess is it's around 20 years old. Also still have a Cinnamon clown which is approx 12 years.

 

[Scridifer]

I had a common clownfish in my care for twenty-two years before I killed it in a cuke-related incident.

 

[ca1ore]

I have a sailfin tang which I purchased in '96 and it wasn't a juvi so my guess is it's around 20 years old.

Zooks, how big is it now?

 

[das75]

I had a common clownfish in my care for twenty-two years before I killed it in a cuke-related incident.

that must of hurt

 

[syrinx]

I have five or six tangs in the 15 to 18 year old range, and some clowns that are in the 18 to 22 range. I also have some fresh water tetras that are 21 years old. The school the tetras didnt even start to diminish until a couple years ago-so prob 20 of them got to be over 18. I also had a cat for 27 years, so it must be the water! Shedd aquarium has a lungfish that is super old, but the Nancy aquarium sets all standards for marines.

Edit- Shedds lungfish was from the worlds fair-in 1933! Still was alive past eighty last time I was there!

 

[fishmanstan]

I have five or six tangs in the 15 to 18 year old range, and some clowns that are in the 18 to 22 range. I also have some fresh water tetras that are 21 years old. The school the tetras didnt even start to diminish until a couple years ago-so prob 20 of them got to be over 18. I also had a cat for 27 years, so it must be the water! Shedd aquarium has a lungfish that is super old, but the Nancy aquarium sets all standards for marines.

Edit- Shedds lungfish was from the worlds fair-in 1933! Still was alive past eighty last time I was there!

recently went to shed, I verify he is still alive today!

 

[albano]

I would think 5-10 years would be normal for a fairy wrasse I have had a few live this long.

PLEASE tell us what fairy wrasses you had that lived 5-10 yrs!