"real" lifetime of a fish, in captivity

[Magnum Man]

I'm just curious if everyone is witnessing what would seem reduced from wild, fish life???

for example, and certainly not picking on @WhistlingBadger, but he lost an angel recently, for no apparent reason, earlier than expected... as have I... one would think that with improved info on care, improvements on foods, and equipment, and the shared knowledge of the interweb, that fish life would be improving, but it doesn't seem to be, weather we really aren't carrying for the fish as good, as we think we are, or sicknesses are getting smarter ( like fish TB ) or fish farming practices are reducing lifespan somehow, or the gene pool is getting weaker, with line breeding, and breeding practices... maybe medications are curing disease, but are shortening lifespan in the long run???... I just lost another adult Tin Foil barb, at a little over 3 years of trying to offer them a good life... I've only been back in the hobby a little more than 3 years, and the hobby has changed a lot in the 30 years, that I was gone, but fish don't seem to be lasting any longer than they did for me, back in the " dark ages"

thoughts on who is to blame??? ( cause it certainly isn't me )

 

[MaloK]

In fact many fishes have a lot better chances to live longer in captivity than in their natural environment.

While the potential for a longer lifespan in captivity is only realized when the fish's needs are met. If they are. Everything is on their side, no predation, consistent food supply, stable environment, disease prevention, low competition for resources... Are all factors that certainly help.

Bettas are a good example, I doubt any reaches 5 years in nature but they sometimes do in aquariums. Their wild counterparts lifespan is often much shorter.

 

[Magnum Man]

maybe most of us suffer from TSOTS... ( too small of tank syndrome ) even with large for home tanks of 55 to 75 gallons, they are way smaller than nature...

and honestly, most of the fish that are hobbyist bred, are fish purchased at the same time, from the same seller, and have a good chance of being siblings... welcome to the tiny gene pool...

I think many fish live longer, when properly managed, in those giant tanks, like at Cabela's or Bass Pro Shops... but I actually interviewed at one of those shops, with tank problems... parasite accumulation, from continually feeding wild minnows, and a low water change schedule... I get the lack of predication, but I suspect a higher number than expected, don't live as long as they could in the wild, with our intervention, in typical hobby sized tanks

 

[MaloK]

So, it's our fault

 

[jaylach]

Some of it with some tank bred species may be due to inbreeding.

 

[gwand]

Most zoo animals live much longer than their wild counterparts.

 

[Innesfan]

Most zoo animals live much longer than their wild counterparts.

As do many of our favorite species, cardinals for one.

 

[jaylach]

Most zoo animals live much longer than their wild counterparts.

I'm sure that is true but suspect that a large part of it is that in the wild the older and younger are the first to fall to predators as they lack speed and strength.

 

[plebian]

maybe most of us suffer from TSOTS

I'm guessing this is true for at least 90% of the hobbyists out there. Lots of concern regarding stress levels when it comes to water parameters and no concern whatsoever for a failure to provide freedom of movement. While there may be a few species that don't require a great deal of space, IMO the most commonly recommended minimum tank sizes are laughable. I would suggest compressed living conditions result in a constant state of stress, which would naturally contribute to early death from a weakened immune system and/or organ failure, as is the case with humans.

 

[CassCats]

This is a tricky question, because there are a lot of factors at play.

Something of interest to note, a LOT of our south american fish in the hobby.... many of them die out yearly in the wild during the dry season.

Rain season floods a lot of rainforest and savannah habitats and the fish venture out to these seasonal places... but dry season comes and often dries up these areas and they can get cut off from their main water way... where if their confined water pool fully dries up, they're done for. Many though in these are captured and put into the hobby, but many of them die during this process or are even picked off by predators.

So some live a very short time in the wild as well due to environmental factors there.


Fish like angelfish, it is dependent on a lot of things. Wild caught may have better genetics, so perhaps a domestic farm bred color form may have genetic reasons to dying early. Or, stress from too small of tanks, stress from incompatible tankmates, etc could also play a role. Not saying that's the case here with your example as Whistling Badger knows how to care for fish exceptionally well. At the end of the day, we won't know the exact cause.

The best we can do is give fish the best chances to live as long as they can. I've had some tetras live 8 years while I've had others just up and die after 4 years. Just the way it goes sometimes.

 

[GaryE]

One of the reasons I only keep small fish even if I have big tanks is what @plebian alludes to. Fish have to be able to move, as well as to live in clean water. The test kit generation misses that key idea, and does the old school "it's just a fish" world view. Lack of space to move is stressful.

As well, we like to think we have a degree of control that we don't. Even with our advancing medical abilities, I have had friends drop dead. With fish, where we have our medical skills are one step higher than a faith healer, stuff happens we can't even diagnose let alone treat. Most of the fish that fit in aquariums have a one year lifespan, with predation, drought, and random bad luck in nature. I have had 7-9 year old cardinals here, with their healthy lives cut short by a winter electricity issue. I have unpacked lots of 8,000 cardinals from the wild, with 3000 of them listed as extra large, and not many approach the size of a 2 year old of their species.

It's a lot easier for aquarists to kill a fish over 12cm though. Bigger fish often need space. If the front glass measurement of my tank isn't 8 times longer than the adult size of the fish I'm looking at, I don't get it. That's my arbitrary personal rule, and it cuts out a lot of fish I'd like to keep here. It makes the ones I do keep a lot nicer to watch.

 

[anewbie]

It depends on the species and how it is kept keep in mind that most 'farmed' fishes like angels are going to be heavily inbred and have reduced life span even if kept in good conditions.