What's the longest you've kept a fish?

J

jeffgnz

New member
Curious if there are folks here that have had a particular fish for many many years. Have you kept a fish from young all the way to death by old age?
 
My best so far was a yellow-tail damsel for 13 years...and a 5-stripe damsel for 12 years. It will be another 10 years before I have a chance to beat that as my none of my current fish have been with me very long.
 
maroon clown pair 7 years, few tangs going on five years now, and some random smaller fish that are 5 or so
 
I had a cinnamon clown for about 11 years and a sailfin tang for 9. The clown could still be kicking for all I know, since I sold him to an LFS when I broke down my 70 gallon hex tank about 5 years ago.
 
I saw in a news report that the oldest fish in captivity is the Australian Lungfish at the John G. Shedd Aquarium is going on 75 years in captivity, making it 80+ years old. I took care of it when I was a gallery six aquarist there back in the mid 1980's...the picture of it in the news today looks identical to what I remember it looking like.....

JHemdal
 
I've barely been in the hobby 3 years, so no records here, but a few of my fish have been around for a while. My maroons are probably around 4 years old -- I'm their fourth home AFAIK, and they've both lost the bottoms of their stripes (someone in the clown/nem forum mentioned this happens as GSMs age). I think I've had them for a year or so. My ocellaris is at least four or five; I've had her for a little under two years and a friend of mine had her for several before that.

The animal I've had the longest is actually my tiger pistol shrimp. As soon as my first tank was done cycling, I bought the critter that made me want a SW tank in the first place -- Digger's been with us almost three years, with no signs of stopping. He's on his third goby now; we lost the last one to a surfing incident.
 
I'm still relatively new to saltwater to the point where I haven't really had a fish too long but my possum wrasse has been with me for nearly as long as the hobby as well as my 2 YWG with pistol and a little neon cleaner goby. One of the LFS here has a pair of 30+ year old maroons that still mate like clockwork.. personally I've had a comet goldfish for 8 years or so before he passed.

I love these animals and hope the commitment i've made to saltwater pays off and I get to have fish grow to an old age with me :)
 
My tank's only been up for five years. First fish was a juvi Brazilian gramma, so I've had him, uh, that would be five years. :rolleyes:
Mariner
 
well i have only had my tanks up for 11 months, and i got a yellow tang and a coral beauty angel pretty quick after the tanks went up (cured lr from fellow reefer, never had a cycle, etc), so just over 10 months :D and looking foreward to having them for much longer :D
 
My all time record for a fish is about 12 years + for a sailfin tang. He outgrew my tank and I gave him to Jeff from Jeff's Exotic Fish and he put him in a very big system. I haven't spoken to Jeff in a while but if he is still with us he would be at least 16 years old. My current oldest fish is a yellow watchman goby who is around 7 years old. I also have a pair of true perc clowns who are about 5 years old.
 
Guess I should have been writing this stuff down. I can't really remember when I got my Longnose Butterfly, but I have pictures I took of him back in 2001. So I can only say for sure 7+ years. And the Purple Tang that's harassed him every single day of that time has been around at least a year longer so he's 8+ years. My pair of Percs have also been around for nearly that long.

The other guys in the tank are just newbies.
6-Line Wrasse - 5 years
Majestic Angel - 2-1/2 years
Yellow Eyed Kole Tang - 2 years
Cherub Angel - 1 year
Starry Blenny - still in quarantine
 
Green Chromis: 10+ years.
C. striatus Bristletooth: 10+ years.
Sohal Tang: 10 years.
Several Anthias (Bartletts, Bicolors, and Olives): 5+ years.
 
My first saltwater fish is still with me, a blenny I've had for about 2 1/2 years. He was sold to me as a bicolor, but he's not. Oh well, at least he's a blenny. After later seeing a bicolor in person, I'm actually happier with this one.

Enfla_u2.jpg


Pic is from fishbase.
 
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