Fish Life Expectancy?

[KathyC]

Does anyone know of a good source of discovering the approximate expected life span for reef fish in the hobby?

Yes I used Google...

Up until this afternoon my Yellow Tang seemed fine, no health issues, plump & happy, no water issues, everything same old/same old.

I got this fish in 2007 from another reefer here (Aaron who moved back to Australia, for you old timers...) and according to his tank thread he had it for at least 3 years prior to then. I don't know if he got the fish as a juvi or an adult, so at a minimum I figure he was 8 years old.


I am lucky enough to spend a large amount of time with my tanks/fish as they are in my home office so I am very familiar with their daily activities and habits. When I noticed this afternoon that he was getting pale I was worried and then through the day he began to faulter, sat on the bottom and was leaning to the side. Tonight I lost him.

From what I did read on the web many sites say 5-7 years, a couple said 8-10, one said 20 and another said 40 (I am highly skeptical of that...)

Has anyone ever seen a good source for this info? I understand fishbase.org has a 'life-history tool' but I didn't have the patience to try and figure it out tonight and it seems you need to do it one fish type at a time :sigh:

 

[marrone]

I don't think you'll find anything that is accurate, as someone would have had to go around to various hobbyist and do a study, and even then they really wouldn't be able to verify what they've been told is true or not. There have been some public aquariums that have had fish for over 20 years, which they can document because the fish was rare, outside of that it's very hard.

That being say I have, and have had, fish that have lived for over 20 years, including tangs, angels, grouper, damsel, clowns and eels. I can see fish like groupers and eels easily living over 30 years, especially the larger one, as they take longer to reach maturity. Then again I've seen perfectly health fish have a much shorter life span, 4 -6 years, and then just die. Stress in the tank does play a big role, and fish like tangs do have a lot of stress in our tanks, especially Yellow tangs.

 

[Jzhou]

It seems to vary depending on fish. The internet gives good averages but then at the same time there are exceptions to the rule which live 4x longer than normal

 

[prattreef]

I agree with Mike that beyond data from public aquariums there isn't anything systematic or reliable on longevity in home aquariums. The answer is going to vary widely from species to species, and unless you get a fish very young, you never really know how old it is to begin with.

Clownfish certainly can live 20+ years iin captivity and I've had tangs and a few others approach 15 years. But is that normal? I don't know.

 

[xxxAngeloxxx]

Sorry to hear that about your Tang Kathy may he spirit swim around the ocean now

 

[lfsmarineguy]

This is actually a very common question among customers. As already said it's going to vary greatly from species to species and the best info is probably going to come from public aquariums or similar facilities. There are just too many variables in a home aquarium that can have an effect on a fish's health and lifespan that even an average wouldn't be accurate. However, I have come to realize that (as sad as it sounds) most people consider 2-3 years with a specific fish to be a success. Personally I consider that a lot shorter than it should be if you are taking proper care of your fish but accidents do happen and there are incidents that are beyond our control that will easily kill even the sturdiest of fish. I think the main reason fish die early in properly maintained home aquariums is the gradual build up of various compounds (think nitrates and phosphates among others) in their tissues, that are normally kept at much lower levels in the wild. Over time that build up can cause all sorts of problems from stunting of their growth to problems with organ function. I'm sure the list goes on but you get the point.

The short answer to the question is "A lot longer than you think."

 

[stoneriff]

Hello Kathy. Sorry for your loss. Take this with a grain of salt, or however the saying goes. I've had the opportunity to dive/ or snorkel in some very cool locations across the planet. Some include, Hawaii, Tahiti, Red Sea, Caribbean, Philippines, etc.
My only possible answer to your situation is tank life. As much as we watch the parameters in our tanks, these fish are still subjected to what goes on in their very small environment.They can't escape a potentially bad situation. An animal/fish in the wild can swim/walk/fly away from any potentially detrimental situation. Our fish do not have that opportunity. They deal with the situation as best they can. Sooner or later, it comes to a head. Being an MR member for almost 5 years, I've realized that you know what you are doing, but as much as we try, replicating the ocean is almost impossible.
I am currently building a new Tech 120 tank with the best equipment available. I'm going to do my best to give my fish and coral the best environment I can.
All the best.

 

[Fishluva513]

Ive had my yellow tang for roughly 3 years now he(she) was around 2inchs wen i got em and is barely 5 inchs now. Hope it helps. With aprox. Age theory


Matty'sCornerAqauriums

 

[pecan2phat]

I've had a French, Blueface & Emperator angel for 11 yrs and then that silly blackout in the NE that lasted 1.5 days, they didn't die immediately but shortly after.

 

[MIKE NY]

sorry to hear Kathy....my oldest is my PBT which is 13 yo and a few others in the 5-8 range...so as mentioned there are alot of variables in determining the life expectancy of fish..

 

[James983]

I don't know of any verified source but Paul B would be a good person to ask.

 

[aznt1217]

Hey Kathy,

Sorry to hear!!! I lost a clownfish that was pretttyy old. I think fish life varies as much as human life. Depends on many things and I even think fitness of the fish plays a part as well. I've read stories of a 38 year old clownfish. I think there are too many variables with hobby fish. So I wouldn't trust too much of the interwebs.

I'd say 8 years is a good run though =)

 

[Mario]

I had a clownfish love for 9 years and a Royal Gramma for 8 years. No idea why they died but they each stopped eating two days before and seemed listless. (kidney failure maybe?) The blue damsel lived for 6 years.
M

 

[wallysworld]

I don't think you'll find anything that is accurate, as someone would have had to go around to various hobbyist and do a study, and even then they really wouldn't be able to verify what they've been told is true or not. There have been some public aquariums that have had fish for over 20 years, which they can document because the fish was rare, outside of that it's very hard.

That being say I have, and have had, fish that have lived for over 20 years, including tangs, angels, grouper, damsel, clowns and eels. I can see fish like groupers and eels easily living over 30 years, especially the larger one, as they take longer to reach maturity. Then again I've seen perfectly health fish have a much shorter life span, 4 -6 years, and then just die. Stress in the tank does play a big role, and fish like tangs do have a lot of stress in our tanks, especially Yellow tangs.

Kathy,

I personally owned a Purple tang and a Hippo Tang for 11 years. Yes I got them as juvi's. After 11 years they went into Joe's 22,000 reef before any coral was in the tank. So who knows maybe 10 years later they are still alive?

See ya at NERAC!