which of your fish has the potential to live the longest, and are you really ready for that???

[GaryE]

I've been thinking about the question behind this thread since it was posted. It means little if you're 30, but if you're in your sixties or older, there is an issue. There are fish I haven't bought because I know they'd probably outlive me. Realistically, I shouldn't get anything that will live more than 15.4 years, as I'm a pretty average Canadian male and that's how far I am from the average lifespan. Even if I live long enough to extend the average, will I be able to do what I do now?
No.
I'll be an optimist and a realist. I'm gradually dialing down my hobby and choosing what I get with that in mind. I have a lot of tanks now, but I have four unreliable 30 gallons beside the garage for a trip to the landfill next week, and I've been selling more solid tanks at the fish club - a few every year. In 10 years I'll only have small tanks and small, short lifespan fish.
I will buy no more Asian fish. South American fish buying is probably also done. I have a lot of cool fish in place for me to figure out, and my fish suppliers are also getting old and shutting down. African fish? Yeah, they'll keep going, but only small ones. If I go back to Africa fishing, it will be for killifish. The ones I like have 3 or 4 year lifespans.
5 years ago I moved and brought a 6 foot tank which I loaded, unloaded and installed by myself, working alone. I did the same with two 75s. Now, I don't think I could lift and move tanks half that size. I'm still in decent shape, but the body changes and so do the perspectives.
It's all still fun. My creatures and I will work it out!

 

[Magnum Man34 148]

annual killi’s seem like an old @GaryE fish…

I’m not particularly good at breeding ( I even have no kids of my own ) but I’m a guy with good mechanical knowledge, for example all my water changes are now lift free, and maybe it’s just me, but I definitely prefer the bigger tanks to the smaller ones, though even now, anything bigger than a 55 gallon requires the help of a friend or two, to move or install… when I started posting here, most of my tanks were stocked beyond normal capacity, but lately my trend has been a more natural tank, with fewer captives, and tanks that can allow the fish to graze for a good portion of their foods from the tank it’s self… now if I could get enough friends here at the same time to get that 250 gallon moved into place… and since I just reached retirement age, I’m hoping I don’t need to worry about me being gone yet, but I’ll continue to simplify things, but with no kids, or local aquarium friends it does bring up what to do at the end… maybe include the tanks, in my will, as a donation to the local pet store, if they are still in business at my end???

 

[simonas]

I've been thinking about the question behind this thread since it was posted. It means little if you're 30, but if you're in your sixties or older, there is an issue. There are fish I haven't bought because I know they'd probably outlive me. Realistically, I shouldn't get anything that will live more than 15.4 years, as I'm a pretty average Canadian male and that's how far I am from the average lifespan. Even if I live long enough to extend the average, will I be able to do what I do now?
No.
I'll be an optimist and a realist. I'm gradually dialing down my hobby and choosing what I get with that in mind. I have a lot of tanks now, but I have four unreliable 30 gallons beside the garage for a trip to the landfill next week, and I've been selling more solid tanks at the fish club - a few every year. In 10 years I'll only have small tanks and small, short lifespan fish.
I will buy no more Asian fish. South American fish buying is probably also done. I have a lot of cool fish in place for me to figure out, and my fish suppliers are also getting old and shutting down. African fish? Yeah, they'll keep going, but only small ones. If I go back to Africa fishing, it will be for killifish. The ones I like have 3 or 4 year lifespans.
5 years ago I moved and brought a 6 foot tank which I loaded, unloaded and installed by myself, working alone. I did the same with two 75s. Now, I don't think I could lift and move tanks half that size. I'm still in decent shape, but the body changes and so do the perspectives.
It's all still fun. My creatures and I will work it out!

funny what you say about the body changing. I turned 50 this year and I am quite big and was always quite strong but I was moving some furniture with my skinny 10stone son the other week and he was stronger and I'm 6'3 and 18.5stone! I am just not anywhere near as strong as I once was. It's quite sobering

 

[GaryE]

I've dabbled in annuals, but they aren't my thing. I usually have one around, but I really like my plant spawning, longer lived killies.

"Stone" is a tough measurement outside of the UK. I had to google it, like I do with fahrenheit for US members. I like it though. I'd rather have my weight as a 2 digit number like with stones or kilos than 3 digits like in pounds.

I found I lost a little elasticity in my early 50s. That followed my having to give up on leaping around in fields playing sports. I'd long since given up skating for hockey. I just couldn't play well. Part of that was my eyes.

The loss in muscle hit again with my mid sixties. All of a sudden I really need to exercise or I go south fast. I was diagnosed with an atypical, genetic form of diabetes that bedevils my family, so I needed to get weight off. I was at 235 pounds, at your height, but have gotten under 210 and am still spending time every day on the %^%$% boring stationary bike. The diabetes is under control, with meds as well. For slinging things around I can still count on my ape arms that made shirt buying a quest, but. I feel I'm becoming the pizzas I used to eat - my muscles are getting like pizza cheese - good at extending but not at snapping back...