File fish life expectancy?

[JMM744]

Hi, just lost my aptasia eating file fish. It was about a year and a half in the tank. Actually did a great job of keeping aptasia in check. Ask me how I know.
anyway , anyone have an idea how long they should live? I know some fish don't hang out long.
thanks for any replies.
jim

 

[Breadman03]

They live much longer than a year. My pair has only been with me for 11 months, but I had one that was several years old before a tank crash.

FIshbase doesn't have much on them.

Acreichthys tomentosus summary page

fishbase.mnhn.fr

AquariumWiki says 4-6 years, though I have no idea how reputable they are.

Matted Filefish (Acreichthys tomentosus) - The Free Freshwater and Saltwater Aquarium Encyclopedia Anyone Can Edit - The Aquarium Wiki

www.theaquariumwiki.com

 

[Zionas]

I would estimate 9-10 years.

 

[i cant think]

I would estimate 4-5 years on the smaller species and then the larger species such as the Tripod Filefish could probably last for several decades.

Often the growth rate is an easy way of knowing their life span. For example, tangs can grow fast until they get to a certain size then they slow down in growth which is often seen in fish that live several decades. Whereas a Paracheilinus wrasse will grow extremely fast all the way till max size which is often seen in fish that will live 2-5 years.

 

[JMM744]

Thanks for the replys. I did not receive notification for the last couple but did for the first one.
it's crazy how a fish can be doing well, eating and active and suddenly just disappear. Gotta find another qt'ed aptasia eating file fish.

 

[PatW]

I have had one for 5 years and it is doing just fine. So I would say at least 10 years.