Flame Hawkfish lifespan?

[andrewkw]

I haven't seen my flame hawk for a couple of days and before that he was looking pretty pale, but also really fat. I assume he has passed away. I only had him about 3 and a half years but he was full grown when I got him so I have no idea how old he was then. According to some google searches their lifespan is 10+ years so I am a little surprised to see him pass away so soon. Curious what other peoples experience has been?

His favourite spot to perch was this cabbage coral.

 

[lion king]

I would say 10 years is a good metric for lifespan for these guys. As you said he was full grown when you got him so that is hard to say how old he was then, a full grown flame hawk I would guess is at least 3-4 years old. Less than fully grown or just at individuals seem to be kept between 5-7 years. I had one for just over 7 years. I keep them in predator tanks and my current one eats live guppies and ghosties along with other meaty offerings. Dietary restrictions do lead to a shortened captive lifespan for some species, but again, you really don't know how old he was when you got him.

 

[Zionas]

I’d say up to 15 years but I know a guy who’s kept his for 19 years before it unfortunately jumped. But then again since it was fully grown, maybe it only had a couple years left in it. That’s why I avoid buying fish that are fully grown / close to fully grown.

 

[lion king]

I’d say up to 15 years but I know a guy who’s kept his for 19 years before it unfortunately jumped. But then again since it was fully grown, maybe it only had a couple years left in it. That’s why I avoid buying fish that are fully grown / close to fully grown.

Wow I didn't know they lived that long.

 

[Zionas]

Yeah it also surprised me. I wonder if Longnoses live just as long if not longer?

 

[Zionas]

Don’t mean to derail but I’m very curious about the lifespans of other smaller reef fish. I wonder how long smaller damsels like the Chrysiptera and Pomacentrus can live for.

 

[mort]

Lifespan is always a tricky subject as a lot of it is out of our control. As mentioned we don't always know the age of the fish we buy but shorter lifespans for fish could be a natural lifespan for that particular fish. In the wild they have to worry about predation but there are more ways than old age for a fish to die in a tank.

Ive seen hawks wedge themselves into the rockwork and get stuck, develop ailments and various other fatal occurrences. I recently lost a fish that was 8 but had the potential to live several decades, it died of lung tumors, so was a natural death for that fish. I wouldn't get too hung up on how long something should have live for and just enjoy keeping fish.

 

[Zionas]

Sorry nonetheless. What fish was it?

 

[Paul B]

I don't know except for the fish I keep. I know the first damsels I had in the 70s, blue devils lived for 7 years. They probably live longer but in those days I probably fed them sausage and eggs.

All fish have different lifespans. Clowns live into their 30s. I have a couple now approaching 30.
Bangai cardinals have one of the shortest lifespans of about 4 years.
Copperbands and hippo tangs I have kept for 12 years but I know they can live a lot longer.

It seems in a tank we have accidents after so many years or they jump out.

 

[andrewkw]

So it turns out the hawkfish is still alive! However he is obviously not in good shape as he only came out for 1 second after missing several feedings. In my experience if an established fish does not come out at eat 2x in a row they are almost certainly gone.

Given that all of my other fish are healthy and nothing new has been added in some time I still suspect old age to be the culprit or perhaps some non contagious issue. If by some miracle he does return to normal I will update.