How Long Should Fish Live In Captivity

[mort]

Genetics must play a role with individual fish.

Makes me wonder how long today's designer clowns will last compared with the less inbred stronger morphs of the past. My guess is anything over ten years will be doing well.

 

[Paul B]

We don't know the age at the time we get them but we can tell is a fish is very young. But some fish are easy to tell. I got this little Watchman as a baby as the babies are yellow. She could have only been a few months old.


This is the same fish 12 years later with her mate. She and her mate both died of old age soon after this.



She had thousands of babies



Made some friends.


And passed away peacefully in a nursing home.

 

[Zionas]

This is a topic that fascinates me and concerns me when it comes to species selection. In fact I’ve dropped species from my stocking list after finding out their lifespans.

I’d be very curious to know how clowns and by extension, Damsels can live surprisingly long lives despite most of them getting to no more than 4”-5”. Do they have a particular set of genes? What is it also that makes clowns and damsels so “indestructible”?

I was quite relieved to read from a number of forum posts and from authoritative members like @Humblefish that all Centropyge angels can manage 10 years or more. I’m definitely getting a Centropyge for my tank.

I know from reading numerous posts on here that large angels and tangs are definitely long-lived.

Most Gobies and Blennies from what I know are not long-lived, but genus Cryptocentrus among the gobies seems to be an outlier as @Paul B and a couple others have demonstrated. I also read a study that puts the average lifespan of the Yellow Watchman Goby as far above that of the other goby species in the study. This is quite intriguing to me.

For wrasses, I know the Fairy, Flasher, Possum and Pink Streak all have fairly short lives averaging 4-6 years. The lined wrasses and the Halichoeres seem to be longer lived, 8-10 years or more is what I’ve been told.

Cardinals, Firefish, Dartfish etc. from what I’ve read have short lives averaging around 4-5 years it seems.

Anthias are also short-lived.

The only grouper I’m going to buy will be the Marine Betta, that thing can easily do 10 or more years and I assume it’s the same for other groupers.


Foxface I’d assume have a lifespan similar to that of Tangs and large angels.

Triggers, Lions I know also live fairly long. Filefish, Boxfish, and Puffers are related to triggers (correct me if I’m wrong) but I’m not sure how long they can live for. Surprisingly, Anglers and Scorpions seem to have short lives lasting only a couple of years from what I’ve read.

Hawkfish, at least the Flame, I’ve read can live pretty long lives that are 10 or more years. Not sure about the other species and genuses.

Dottybacks live 7-8 years on average, from what I’ve read. Not sure if anyone here has kept one for 10 or more year.

This leaves me with a couple of fish whose average lifespans are a mystery:

1. Butterflies

2. Basslets of the orders Grammatidae, Liopoproma, Lipogramma, Assessor, and Serranus.

3. Boxfishes, Filefishes, And Puffers.

@Paul B Keeping a Mandarin for 10 years is definitely an achievement. Heard they’re notoriously finicky eaters.

I’m starting my tank this year, and I really do hope the fish I choose can make it beyond 2030. Who knows what kinds of advances in the hobby may show up in this decade.

I’d be happy to keep my first group of fish for a long time, but losing them will definitely mean more heartbreak because they’ve been my companions for so long. Hell if everything goes well, it’s like having companions all the way from being a kid fresh out of college / uni to being a full adult and perhaps even into middle age.

Can’t wait to see the day where my kids point to my tank and I teach them the names and behaviors of those fish and I tell them “that’s a xxxx, and it’s been with papa before you were born.” That would be too sweet.

I like to treat every fish, every piece of livestock places under my care as a work of art by nature’s design. Nothing is disposable / expendable. No fish, no coral, no invert.

 

[Zionas]

I’m glad I’m not a Greenland Shark then!

 

[Homebrewer]

This leaves me with a couple of fish whose average lifespans are a mystery:

1. Butterflies

2. Basslets of the orders Grammatidae, Liopoproma, Lipogramma, Assessor, and Serranus.

3. Boxfishes, Filefishes, And Puffers.

With regard to basslets, I'd be curious to hear reports on lifespan. I had a Royal Gramma for 4.5 years, and another for about 3.75. I have my third now, a little over 2 years now I think???

Wondering if anyone has had one live longer (I think I saw a post once for around 7y/o max, but could be wrong).

 

[Zionas]

Hey there, I’m honestly not too sure. How big were yours when you got them and what were their tank mates?

I have heard of people keeping them for 8, 10, sometimes even 12 years but not sure how common that is. I’d love to know myself.

 

[Paul B]

For wrasses, I know the Fairy, Flasher, Possum and Pink Streak all have fairly short lives averaging 4-6 years. The lined wrasses and the Halichoeres seem to be longer lived, 8-10 years or more is what I’ve been told.

I am not sure about the rest of them and I don't keep records any more and have a horrible memory.

What was this about again?

Oh yeah, I have a possum wrasse more than 6 years but I don't know how much longer because it was in my tank in my old house for at least a couple of years and I moved here almost 3 years ago. I also have a Janss pipefish and blue stripe pipefish from my old house about 6 years, but it could be a little more.

I have about 25 fish and most of them I had in my last house.

 

[Zionas]

I forgot it’s been a while but never mind. I’m really amazed that you’ve been able to keep a Possum Wrasse for nearly 10 years though.

 

[Paul B]

I still have that Possum wrasse and he isn't showing signs of senility yet.

 

[Zionas]

A 9+ year old Possum Wrasse, that’s really impressive. Have any other wrasses you kept lived nearly as long?

 

[Wen]

I am not sure about the rest of them and I don't keep records any more and have a horrible memory.

What was this about again?

Oh yeah, I have a possum wrasse more than 6 years but I don't know how much longer because it was in my tank in my old house for at least a couple of years and I moved here almost 3 years ago. I also have a Janss pipefish and blue stripe pipefish from my old house about 6 years, but it could be a little more.

I have about 25 fish and most of them I had in my last house.

Hi Paul!
I know you’ve had a few CBB. What is your experience with their average lifespan?

 

[Paul B]

I said I think my possum wrasse is over 6 years old, I don't remember him being 9.
I have almost always had a copperband in my tank but since they live about 10 years (In my tank) I have only had a few of them. I don't remember keeping one of them or a hippo tang longer than 10 years and a couple of them jumped out.

They could live longer but I have not kept those particular fish longer.
I see I had a copperband here in my log book in 1976.

I see my French Angel was 4 years old here, I would have to find my notes to see how long those fish lived. But that was long before reefs and before I figured out how to keep fish immune so I doubt they lived very long.

 

[EakTheFreak]

I said I think my possum wrasse is over 6 years old, I don't remember him being 9.
I have almost always had a copperband in my tank but since they live about 10 years (In my tank) I have only had a few of them. I don't remember keeping one of them or a hippo tang longer than 10 years and a couple of them jumped out.

They could live longer but I have not kept those particular fish longer.
I see I had a copperband here in my log book in 1976.

I see my French Angel was 4 years old here, I would have to find my notes to see how long those fish lived. But that was long before reefs and before I figured out how to keep fish immune so I doubt they lived very long.

That’s awesome that you tracked this back then. You really are a pioneer of saltwater fish keeping. I’ve used a lot of your advice and have a CBB in my DT who eats clam slices, LRS Reef frenzy and white worms based off reading your posts and research.

He is one of my favorite fish. Going to be interested to see how long I can keep him as I’m far to addicted to this hobby to ever quit or turn my back on fish I’ve put countless hours into!

The only area we disagreed on was QT of CBB. It wasn’t a sterile QT though since I put live rock from my tank in there plus sand. I had him in there for Prazipro & observation. He did amazing. He has now grown a lot being in my DT.