Lifespan of reef fishes?

[EyeCandy]

I was curious how long some reefer's have had their fish? I have had a percula pair since 2003 when they were babies and a flame angel since spring2004. The flame was small but pretty much an adult when I purchased it. These are my oldest fish. Just wondering how long some of you have have your fish. I know it can be hard to know how "old" fish are.

 

[Monstrigity]

I know of a pair of maroon clowns that are almost 30 years old. But I think 15 to 20 years should be possible for larger fish like tangs and angels.

 

[kinlayan]

I have had some of my fish between 15 and 20 years mainly Angels and triggers that are that old but one pygmy angel is about 20 years old now

 

[CFS82]

I know its not a 'reef fish' though it is full saltwater. I have had a green spotted puffer since i was a child. I have had it at least 12 years.

 

[Wolverine]

it depends on the species. As mentioned above, there are clownfish older than a lot of members of this board. At the other end, some gobies only live a year or two as their natural span.

 

[iamwrasseman]

im at eight years on some of my wrasses and they look great like they have much time to go ,no grey hairs yet .

 

[tcmfish]

If you are curious about the age of your fish after death you can always take out the largest otilith bone and grind it down. Fish lay down annual bands like trees, but I am unsure how well this would work with fish in aquariums because the cause of the bands in the increased growth in the summer and slowed growth in the winter. It would still be interesting to see.

 

[cwoods8]

Come on guys admit it.......you checked out her profile..:lol2:

 

[iamwrasseman]

i just did and its pretty much empty ,lol

 

[LKGRenegade22]

Ha I had to go back up and look at the pic after I read that. I actually looked at the question. What's wrong with me?

 

[JHemdal]

I think that overall, the maximum lifespan of aquarium fish is a lot longer than people would expect, but that the average captive lifespan is much, much less than people think. What this means is that while these fish have the potential to live very long, problems with captive husbandry tend to keep the average way down. So - say somebody has an ocellaris clownfish that lived 15 years. Very respectable age indeed! The average lifespan for a wild caught ocellaris clownfish in the pet trade is something much less, since the mortality rate in the first 40 days post collection can easily be 40%, and an annual rate of 10% after that is normal.

Jay

 

[Big E]

Once past the post collection process which is out of a hobbyists control, it simply comes down to experience & patience for maximum longevity.

Most fish will live 10+ years if their owner doesn't do anything to kill them before that time.

Taking short cuts, No QT,overcrowding, incompatible tank mates & poor maintenance are most of the major killers of long life spans.

Maintenance can encompass feeding, water parameters, tank design( ex.-no covers for jumpers), & system checks & balances to avoid equipment/power failures.

 

[SaraB]

Come on guys admit it.......you checked out her profile..:lol2:

Silly Boys ... :fun5:

 

[29reef]

I think that overall, the maximum lifespan of aquarium fish is a lot longer than people would expect, but that the average captive lifespan is much, much less than people think. What this means is that while these fish have the potential to live very long, problems with captive husbandry tend to keep the average way down. So - say somebody has an ocellaris clownfish that lived 15 years. Very respectable age indeed! The average lifespan for a wild caught ocellaris clownfish in the pet trade is something much less, since the mortality rate in the first 40 days post collection can easily be 40%, and an annual rate of 10% after that is normal.

Jay

Wow one out of ten fish live over a year. That's just sad! I expect corals are a bit better; but also I expect something in the same ballpark. I've had corals for about a decade that are still alive in other peoples aquariums. I've lost track of a lot of my fish over the years. My oldest are some true perculas that are at year 8.

 

[ryanrid]

i think you need to put into perspective the natural life span of a fish eg Tuka anthias have a max life span of 3-3.5 years in the wild, so if you can keep them for 3 years in captivity for 3 years + is pretty impressive.