How Old is your "oldest" Fish

[Hawkeye]

Just wondering what the longest-lived inhabitants we have in our tank. I'm always excited to see new purchases - but I'm hoping when my tank is set up that I can purchase fish that are known to do well (longevity) in our glass cages.

So - let me know your thoughts! I'm curious to know. I see all these neat and beautiful fish but I'm really hoping to see mine last a long time. I recall long ago my blue devil damsel lived a looong time (five plus years with a UGF!).

 

[JohnS_323]

I went with "Longer than 3 but less than 4" because that's how long we've been in the hobby. However, I know that my eel was in other tanks for at least 2 years before we got it. It's hard to say how old some of them are. We still have our original blue chromis and the yellow tang. Those were the first fish we got. Sadly, they've seen too many others come and go!

 

[Hawkeye]

nice - is that the eel in your avatar?

obviously one doesn't know how old the fish is when caught and delivered to the LFS/retail. Was more wondering how long anyone's kept a fish in their glass cage.

 

[JohnS_323]

nice - is that the eel in your avatar?

Yep . . . and RichT's.

 

[mikem]

I have a Purple Tang thats 8 years old and a spawning pair of Percs. that are 7 years old.

 

[AqOb]

I still have my original 4 stripe damsel thats is going on 7yrs, hippo, sailfin tang, bartlets anthias and a yellow watchman that range between 4 and 5yrs ea.

 

[momof6kids]

I still have 2 of the 4 blue damsels that I started cycling my 90 gal. FO tank with over 4 years ago. I also have a hippo tang and sailfin tang that I got over 3 years and less than 4 years ago that were about an inch and a half when I got them and are now both over 5 inches big. My how my babies have grown. ;D

 

[AnDom1]

I've got a 5-6" Hippo Tang that grew from about an inch+ over the past 5 years, a Percula Clown about the same age and a Flame Hawk that's about 4 yrs. old.

Dom

 

[monsterfishkeeper]

It has only been less than a year since my tank takedown/crash but I have a pair of clowns that are at least 3 or 4 years old I got from someone taking down their tank.

 

[blange3]

I have a recently widowed Ocellaris Clown that is about to turn 10. A friend of mine still has a yellow tail blue devil that I gave him to start his tank, that I got a few months before the clowns.

 

[Hawkeye]

10!!!! I imagine a very tiny percentage or so of the fish that enter the LFS get that kind of return on life...

It's really great/encouraging to see these kinds of results...

Anyone have any firefish they have kept long term? My wife likes them and wants one but I tend to think they are more fragile...(but perhaps I'm off on that perception?).

 

[1320wrx]

I got a longnose hawlk from a guy who had him for 2 years, and I've had him for about 5 months now. It is the biggest longnose I've ever seen other then the one in the cylinder FOWLER tank at the Camden Aquarium.

 

[blange3]

10!!!! I imagine a very tiny percentage or so of the fish that enter the LFS get that kind of return on life...

It's really great/encouraging to see these kinds of results...

Anyone have any firefish they have kept long term? My wife likes them and wants one but I tend to think they are more fragile...(but perhaps I'm off on that perception?).

I have an old fish because I'm old myself. ;D

I have had two firefish and they both just disappeared at about 2 years.

 

[JohnS_323]

I've had a purple firefish for 2 years now. I originally got it for my nano, where it lived in rather "rugged" conditions. I've since moved it to my main where it seems to be doing equally as well. I certainly wouldn't call him fragile. He's OK but I'd never get another one because it's got to be the most boring fish I've ever owned.

 

[reneeRN]

I have a clown that is 12. her mate died 3 years ago. i got them when they were tiny babies. she is with the carpet anemone in the tiny tank in my family room. every fish i add to the lonly one is missing the next day. the carpet is as old as my son Matthew. He is 13 years old. Did everyone know that anemones are eternal. yup, they have no life limit. that is why they reproduce so slowly in the wild. if their environment is stable, they will live forever. anthony calfo told me this, and it just fascinates me.

 

[Hawkeye]

Ok so I didnt' want to hijack the other thread - but I saw that magic had a cleaner wrasse and Mike has neon gobys.

My question isand this is NOT a flame to magic/mike)

Is the cleaner wrasse a fish that can be sustained in our tanks? And better yet is it captive bred? Same question for the neon goby. They both look neat and I'm taking stocking tips while setting up my tank (which is taking forever...lol). So if anyone has had these fish - also mention how long they live in the tank...

Thanks in advance!

 

[concept3]

an old post, but here's my input: Cleaner wrasses fare better in a large tank with lots and lots and lots (did I mention lots?)of fish to doctor up and clean. I've tried numerous times to keep them but to no avail. As far as I know, the labroides are very specific obligatory parasite feeders and unless they are heavily, heavily fed in the tank, their chances of long term captivity is hard. They aren't bred in captivity (unless someone was successful recently), and hence the recommendation of many publications and people in the industry to leave them in the wild. I tried three times, then after reading more, followed recommendations to no longer get them...

Neon gobies however, are a somewhat better fish since they are not obligatory symbionts meaning they can survive without playing cleaners basically and no, I've never had them. They're too small for me to see, lol.

 

[Hawkeye]

thanks! i totally forgot I posted that question.... lol.

 

[BobCReef]

While i no longer have them i had an emperor angel over 12 years and clowns over ten years

 

[DeathMagnetic]

My oldest fish was "Charlie" i had her for 14 years...

tough old fish..

she went to the great reef in the sky about 6 months ago...


:-[ :-[ :-[

Joe