seems like the fish that live the longest, were mistakes you bought, or a fish that keeps you from going a different direction with your tank...

[Magnum Man]

I have the 1st 2 fish I bought, when restarting my tanks a little over 3 years ago... I got them at the semi local dog groomer who has a bank of tanks... they are both flying foxes, maybe a male and female, as there has always been a big size difference... they were mostly bought as canary's for my 1st tank I started up, after they sat empty for 30 years... not very pretty, not a particularly good algae eater, super hard to catch ( as I later "tried" to move them to a different tank, several times ), they get along fine in my Hillstream tank, but many fish have come and gone over the last 3 years, but those flying foxes show no sign of slowing down... at this rate, they may out live me... I don't wish they would die, but are one of the only fish I bought on impulse, without researching ...

anyone else have a fish, you bought on impulse,, or changed directions with your tank, and have been providing a home for them, for years???

 

[Magnum Man]

borrowing from the old carpenters phrase, of " measure twice, cut once"... when it come to fish " look twice, buy once"

that could actually be good advice on buying any live animal...

 

[Back in the fold]

Oh yes . . . the fish you really should never have brought home . I have known many over the years .

 

[davros]

Cough ..pleco...cough ...

 

[Back in the fold]

Cough ..pleco...cough ...

Yes . . . . The primary one to be sure .

 

[GaryE]

My version is the pair you buy to breed, only to have one die and the other live for a decade. Ivanacara adoketa is one I have here - nasty to tankmates, rare and unwanted by anyone local since no one around here has ever heard of them.

 

[anewbie]

Well i'm happy with my flock of clown loaches; they aren't quite as nice as the kitten i had growing up; that lived to 24 years; as they can't hop into my lab and purr me to sleep; but they will live longer and i won't have to disappoint them when they bring me chipmunks and i have to politely decline to let them in the house.

 

[Innesfan]

A variation on this that I have encountered over the years is the last-fish-standing-syndrome. This occurs when a school or group of one species slowly dwindles down from a large number to just one. And that one survivor lives on...and on...and on. Which raises the question, was there unseen aggression that took out the others one-be-one over the years? If not, it's hard to explain how the survivor outlives the others by so much. I've experienced this with various characins, including Nannostomus, and a few barbs.

 

[fishorama]

I agree, Innesfan! Worse is when we get talked into adopting someone else's community fish & it's a "leftover" schooler. We were given a coworker's fish when he moved because he knew we took good care of our tanks. Poor skirt tetra, he swam a few inches 1 way then back. Pathetic old fish, we thought (hoped) wouldn't live too much longer. I can't remember him dying, we may have rehomed it when we had to move 8-10 years later. Most other the other fish were species we'd liked & mostly kept before, except for the kisser. We had to rehome it after many months of progressively worse behavior & growth.

Thankfully, when a club friend decided to get out of the hobby, his lone schooler didn't live too long. It was a leftover from a school & hung out with the 10+ rummy nose tetras he had. & also his 5 bronze corys. We had 1 fry survive but I'm down to the "baby", now adult, & another old male. I don't want more corys, I'm hoping to get loaches in that tank eventually. I feel a bit bad about that & will try to give him (them?) to another clubber that has them. But they are quite cute together...for now.

2tank & anewbie, I would love to have clown loaches again! We love them! But I'm pretty sure they'd outlive us. Is it fair to have to make them a part of our wills? Or if we have to rehome them when we can no longer take good care of our tanks? I'm 68 now...I can't imagine tanks in my 90s if I should live so long.

 

[Back in the fold]

A variation on this that I have encountered over the years is the last-fish-standing-syndrome. This occurs when a school or group of one species slowly dwindles down from a large number to just one. And that one survivor lives on...and on...and on. Which raises the question, was there unseen aggression that took out the others one-be-one over the years? If not, it's hard to explain how the survivor outlives the others by so much. I've experienced this with various characins, including Nannostomus, and a few barbs.

Had that exact thing happen to me years ago with Glowlight Tetras . That one last Glowlight lived for over five years .