Keeping up with an aqua-genarian: How old is the oldest fish that you have kept?
- Thread starter Peace River
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DIYreefer
Well-Known Member
I’ve had this Sailfin tang for 17 years. It made it through 2 weeks with no power during Sandy, and a few years in a very neglected tank. At this point it’s not a fish. It’s a member of the family
I feel the same way about all of my fish. We keep wild animals in a glass box in our living rooms (or wherever) for our personal enjoyment. I feel like we 100% owe it to them to provide the best habitat possible, and treat them as though they are family.
Gellisjr1
Community Member
Shortly before I got married. I had started a fish only tank while I was living at home with my parents. After I married my wife we got an apartment together. I eventually moved my tank to the apartment. I had bought a very young small Panther Grouper. When I got the fish it was roughly about an inch to a inch & half long. My wife and I lived in this apartment for three years. In that amount of time the Panther Grouper grew to be 6-7 inches long. Sadly I was forced to break down the tank because we had to move out of the apartment. My wife and I bought our home. It was a new construction build. We had a gap between when our lease was up and when our house was scheduled to be completed. The dirtbag landlord would not let us pay month to month without signing another lease. Our solution was to pack up all our belongings and rent a storage locker for everything except for what we needed to live with for the next few months. We moved back in with my father until our house was finished being built. As for the fish and fish tank. I couldn't just let the fish die. I contacted my local LFS and asked if they could rehome the fish for me. They asked me to bring it in. I never asked for any store credit or any money for the fish. I was just happy knowing they were going to keep him in one of the stores display tanks. I lost track of the fish after being out of the hobby. I don't know whatever became of him but I do know that he definitely had a few more good years in him. It was an awesome experience watching him grow while he was in my care. I sure wish circumstances could have been better. I always wonder how long I would have been able to have kept him. He was certainly fed well. I would buy Shrimp, Scallops, Clams and other seafood and make my own fish food. I would also supplement with live feeder fish as well. It was always a treat at feeding time. He knew what was coming and would get excited and get himself into a frenzy. Out of all the fish I have kept over the years this is the one fish that I felt was a true pet.
dennis romano
Valuable Member
My Percula clown, Barney, was thirteen when I lost him due to a blackout during Superstorm Sandy.
Treefer32
Valuable Member
I built a home in 2013, and in the first 6 months of living there I put together a 220 gallon tank. I asked for some weird fish from the LFS and they said they just got these Black tangs added to be available. I asked for one. The babies were $150 each. Most likely wouldn't live, when he got them they were no larger than a quarter if that big. I got one and put it in my 220. His story:
* He lived in my 220 doing great for 3 years to 2016 when I had to tear down the tank (sold it) and sold the house and built a new house with a larger tank in mind.
* The tang went to live at the LFS 180 gallon for over a year, where they lost every fish in the store due to a massive Velvet outbreak. My Black tang survived the great cataclysm.
* Then fall of 2016 I got my new 340 gallon put together and by summer 2017 I had my new tank plumbed and operational, cycled it for a few months and brought a few fish in then added the black tang when everything was stable.
* Fall of 2017 I had the great cataclysm of the heaters - They leaked electricity in my tank causing 20 fish to die over a 3 week period.
* I discovered the electricity issue by shutting things off one at a time and turning them back on one at a time, my black tang swam in circles when it was on, and stopped swimming in circles when it was off. The black tang was the only fish to survive the heater cataclysm of 2017.
* Over the last 7 years I've added fish, removed mean fish, and added corals, and the black tang is still my most model behaved citizen. He comes out to me everyday watching me and swims so gracefully, peacefully, he's beautiful, majestic, and just such a friendly creature. He's had some shock therapy, but maybe we all could use some of that.
Age of black tang: 2013 - Present = 11+ years old is a 5-6" In diameter beautiful bouncing black tang.
I've got a Carbean blue tang - going on 3-4 years old and a good 10" in diameter
A fully adult Mimic tang that I got from a buddy that had it for 3+ years and I've had it now for 3+ years. So, probably going on 6+ years old.
These three tangs will probably outlive me!
* He lived in my 220 doing great for 3 years to 2016 when I had to tear down the tank (sold it) and sold the house and built a new house with a larger tank in mind.
* The tang went to live at the LFS 180 gallon for over a year, where they lost every fish in the store due to a massive Velvet outbreak. My Black tang survived the great cataclysm.
* Then fall of 2016 I got my new 340 gallon put together and by summer 2017 I had my new tank plumbed and operational, cycled it for a few months and brought a few fish in then added the black tang when everything was stable.
* Fall of 2017 I had the great cataclysm of the heaters - They leaked electricity in my tank causing 20 fish to die over a 3 week period.
* I discovered the electricity issue by shutting things off one at a time and turning them back on one at a time, my black tang swam in circles when it was on, and stopped swimming in circles when it was off. The black tang was the only fish to survive the heater cataclysm of 2017.
* Over the last 7 years I've added fish, removed mean fish, and added corals, and the black tang is still my most model behaved citizen. He comes out to me everyday watching me and swims so gracefully, peacefully, he's beautiful, majestic, and just such a friendly creature. He's had some shock therapy, but maybe we all could use some of that.
Age of black tang: 2013 - Present = 11+ years old is a 5-6" In diameter beautiful bouncing black tang.
I've got a Carbean blue tang - going on 3-4 years old and a good 10" in diameter
A fully adult Mimic tang that I got from a buddy that had it for 3+ years and I've had it now for 3+ years. So, probably going on 6+ years old.
These three tangs will probably outlive me!
Oiseaufeu
Active Member
Wow! I never knew tangs could live that long!
Oh, beautiful member of the family!I built a home in 2013, and in the first 6 months of living there I put together a 220 gallon tank. I asked for some weird fish from the LFS and they said they just got these Black tangs added to be available. I asked for one. The babies were $150 each. Most likely wouldn't live, when he got them they were no larger than a quarter if that big. I got one and put it in my 220. His story:
* He lived in my 220 doing great for 3 years to 2016 when I had to tear down the tank (sold it) and sold the house and built a new house with a larger tank in mind.
* The tang went to live at the LFS 180 gallon for over a year, where they lost every fish in the store due to a massive Velvet outbreak. My Black tang survived the great cataclysm.
* Then fall of 2016 I got my new 340 gallon put together and by summer 2017 I had my new tank plumbed and operational, cycled it for a few months and brought a few fish in then added the black tang when everything was stable.
* Fall of 2017 I had the great cataclysm of the heaters - They leaked electricity in my tank causing 20 fish to die over a 3 week period.
* I discovered the electricity issue by shutting things off one at a time and turning them back on one at a time, my black tang swam in circles when it was on, and stopped swimming in circles when it was off. The black tang was the only fish to survive the heater cataclysm of 2017.
* Over the last 7 years I've added fish, removed mean fish, and added corals, and the black tang is still my most model behaved citizen. He comes out to me everyday watching me and swims so gracefully, peacefully, he's beautiful, majestic, and just such a friendly creature. He's had some shock therapy, but maybe we all could use some of that.
Age of black tang: 2013 - Present = 11+ years old is a 5-6" In diameter beautiful bouncing black tang.
I've got a Carbean blue tang - going on 3-4 years old and a good 10" in diameter
A fully adult Mimic tang that I got from a buddy that had it for 3+ years and I've had it now for 3+ years. So, probably going on 6+ years old.
These three tangs will probably outlive me!
Absolutely beautiful!
well, come now pics please
In the wild most tang species can live 35-40 years. If our fish follow the typical life expectancies of other animals in captivity they may live much longer. Delbeek documents one example of a pair of gobies living roughly 6X thier wild counterparts.
Oiseaufeu
Active Member
Wow! I never knew that! That’s really good to know. Not that I can get any tangs as I have a way too small volume for them to be in, but I love their beautiful colours. I’ll admire any tanks that have them since I can’t have any (also a very expensive fish to get).
My Caribbean Red Spot Hawk is about 7 now. One of the first fish I added to the 180 when I set it up.
Tactical Reefkeeping
Active Member
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