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Personally, I feel it’s something that matters quite a lot to me for two reasons, both of which I feel are equally important. First, though I’m going for a medium-sized system and devoting a fair amount of resources into setting it up, it’s quite unlikely I will be able to get a larger system for years to come. Not for the foreseeable future. These 8 fish (the number I have planned for my 105-gallon tank) I have are going to be my fish that I hope to spend many years with and it’s likely they will see maybe one or two or even three moves (which is why I’m also selecting for hardiness).
Secondly, I’m sure we all develop an attachment to our livestock. It would be sad to see something with a short lifespan that we can only enjoy for a couple of years before it dies. I was very keen on getting Cardinalfish and Fairy / Flasher wrasses, but their short lifespans on average have been extremely off-putting to me. This is why I carefully research the lifespan of a fish before buying it because I want to enjoy it for many years. Furthermore, I think it would be so sweet in a sentimental sense for my fish and corals to be able to, in a way, “witness” milestones in my life such as getting married and having kids or whatever (I’m turning 24 in July).
This is why I hope all of my fish (assuming nothing bad happens) are species whose lifespans can go beyond 2030 if I select them before they’re at their terminal phase.
Instead of fish like Firefish, Gobies (except the Yellow Watchman and other Cryptocentrus, they’re surprisingly long-lived), Cardinals, Fairy / Flasher Wrasses and other short-lived fish I’ve considered before moving to what I currently have in terms of my stocking list, I have decided to stick to species capable of 10 years or more such as clowns, groupers (Comet), basslets (Gramma, Swissguard, Assessor, Serranus genus), Hawks, and dwarf angels (but man a butterfly’s so tempting too).
Paul B is frankly an inspiration as well, as I am sure he is to many of you. Due to my geographical and space constraints, I won’t be able to replicate his methods to his degree. Still, I hope to do the very best I can for the species that are placed under my care.
When it comes to fish selection, I will try to buy ones that are around halfway grown, give or take an inch. For example if a fish gets to a maximum of 3 inches / 7.5cm, I’ll buy them in the 2.5-5.0cm range with 3.5-4cm as the most ideal.
What are your thoughts on taking the lifespan of the livestock you buy into consideration? Do you sometimes avoid species that are known to have a short lifespan?
Secondly, I’m sure we all develop an attachment to our livestock. It would be sad to see something with a short lifespan that we can only enjoy for a couple of years before it dies. I was very keen on getting Cardinalfish and Fairy / Flasher wrasses, but their short lifespans on average have been extremely off-putting to me. This is why I carefully research the lifespan of a fish before buying it because I want to enjoy it for many years. Furthermore, I think it would be so sweet in a sentimental sense for my fish and corals to be able to, in a way, “witness” milestones in my life such as getting married and having kids or whatever (I’m turning 24 in July).
This is why I hope all of my fish (assuming nothing bad happens) are species whose lifespans can go beyond 2030 if I select them before they’re at their terminal phase.
Instead of fish like Firefish, Gobies (except the Yellow Watchman and other Cryptocentrus, they’re surprisingly long-lived), Cardinals, Fairy / Flasher Wrasses and other short-lived fish I’ve considered before moving to what I currently have in terms of my stocking list, I have decided to stick to species capable of 10 years or more such as clowns, groupers (Comet), basslets (Gramma, Swissguard, Assessor, Serranus genus), Hawks, and dwarf angels (but man a butterfly’s so tempting too).
Paul B is frankly an inspiration as well, as I am sure he is to many of you. Due to my geographical and space constraints, I won’t be able to replicate his methods to his degree. Still, I hope to do the very best I can for the species that are placed under my care.
When it comes to fish selection, I will try to buy ones that are around halfway grown, give or take an inch. For example if a fish gets to a maximum of 3 inches / 7.5cm, I’ll buy them in the 2.5-5.0cm range with 3.5-4cm as the most ideal.
What are your thoughts on taking the lifespan of the livestock you buy into consideration? Do you sometimes avoid species that are known to have a short lifespan?