Fish Life Span - Not Well Documented

[mrlewis1978]

Hi guys

When you go into an aquarium store/LFS most of the better ones will tell you the potential size of the fish and compatibility at least, but never is there any life span mentioned. Similarly, most websites state a lot of information besides lifespan. Personally, I would rather buy longer living fish. Nothing to do with cost/value for money but I find it rewarding watching them grow and looking after them. Because there isnt much information on life span, you could risk buying a fully grown fish and having only six months of life left. I know a few loaches can be quite long lived, also plecs and corys.

Does anyone know if there are any longer lived other species? Or, alternatively better websites than I can find?

Cheers

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Leopard Bushfish can easily live 20 years, many Synodontis catfish 30+, it all depends upon how they are looked after.

 

[CezzaXV]

I don't think it's practical for a LFS to do really. It's generally said that guppies live about 2 years, but obviously this is from the point of birth and not the point of sale. Someone buying a guppy that's already a year old which dies a year later is going to be coming back to complain. It could also be a problem if a fish dies early from long term exposure to bad water conditions - they're not going to live up to their full potential and those customers are going to be coming back to complain as well.

 

[FishBlast]

Hoplos live quite long, had some live 6 years, one lived 8 years and one is 9 and still going. Their usual lifespan stated on websites is around 6-8 years.
I've heard about betta fish living up to 7 years too but no idea about the truth value of this statement.

 

[NeonNeptune]

I've heard about betta fish living up to 7 years too but no idea about the truth value of this statement.

7 years is pretty long for a betta splendens. I think 4 years is really pushing it.

 

[FishBlast]

I've heard about betta fish living up to 7 years too but no idea about the truth value of this statement.

7 years is pretty long for a betta splendens. I think 4 years is really pushing it.

Idk, someone who has had bettas before said that they can live over that if properly taken care of. What I usually hear is 2 years max for bettas, but still few websites claim they get to 7 years.

I have kept bettas myself, but since I was a kid, I had no idea how to properly care for them. Though that's not exactly what killed them. Some catfish pellets too big for them, and my neglect of water temperature was what killed them... quite instantly.

 

[mrlewis1978]

I know that it wouldnt be wise for a LFS to state life span, for reasons stated. This was what kind of sparked the post. A friend of mine bought 2 bolivian rams in January, they were really large (fully grown). One died in March one this week. They were a bit cross, but upon looking on websites they dont seem to really have a long life, so I would imagine after 5 months in the same tank they just died of natural causes. My friend asked me what live for a long time? I didnt really know. I knew corys had a fair age to live and also a lot of the loaches but besides that not a lot. I couldnt even find too much online. Hence this!

 

[FishBlast]

I'm curious about the swordtails, their maximum age stated is 5 years. I wonder how long I can keep mine.
Hoplos I'm sure that they live nearly as long as cories.

EDIT: found this interesting website:
Fish lifespan

 

[mrlewis1978]

Wow thanks Fishblast that is spot on!

 

[FishBlast]

Wow thanks Fishblast that is spot on!

I never knew goldfish can live past 10 years. I never managed to keep them longer than 4 years but didn't even know how to take care of them, my dad dumped 4 of them in my 40 or 50L old tank and I had no idea about cycling (or filtration for that matter). The only fish that pulled through the hazards were the hoplos.

 

[Lufbramatt]

I've heard of African cichlids such as altolamprologus species living for nearly 20 years, and some synodontis catfish loving over 15 years. My dad had a green severum cichlid that lived to be at least 12 years old, was a nightmare because of outlived all its origonal tank mates then wouldn't tolerate any new ones.