longest living fish

[flamehawk]

What's the longest you have kept a s/w fish alive and thriving? My longest is 4 1/2 years, which is as long as I've been keeping s/w fish. Fish who are 4 1/2 include heniochus butterfly( also known as banner fish), hippo tang and purple tang.
Mgann has kept tomato clown alive for 10 years! Way to go!

 

[moopiespoo]

Going on 2 years for a yellow tang, but I no longer own him, I recently had to give him away to a friend, who keeps a way more pristine tank than me so here hoping.

 

[killafins]

well compared to mgann (grr) i am no comarison but my two original fish was a tomato clown and yellow tail blue damsel. I got other fish who have come and gone but i have had these two (my first fish) since the beginning of the cycle... before i knew the secret to shrimp.
So I've probably had them for a year and a half... give or take...

 

[the claw]

I've got a pseudochromis alda (neon dottyback).... that was the first fish in my one tank which is at 3.5 years now. He's too mean to die.

 

[sinner's girl]

i've had Angel, the clown, since shortly after the tank was set up. about 2.5 years ago.

 

[gregvabch]

i've got a yellow tail damsel who's a little over a year old. he's been through two cycles, one large, one small. he also wound up in the middle of the road during rush hour traffic when i was taking him back after my cycle completed. long story. he pulled through though, and the funny thing is that he's stayed the same size since i got him, but he's got a lot of heart!

 

[daniel411]

Side note: Supposedly the the japanese emperors koi pond has a koi that is several centuries old!

 

[aarone]

is it possible for a fish to live over a hundred years? im not a koi expert, but that seems ike a long time.
Side note: Supposedly the the japanese emperors koi pond has a koi that is several centuries old!

 

[the claw]

Sturgeon do. I'm not sure what the record is though.

 

[terminus est]

I would be willing to bet sharks without humans around could live to be very very old, especially since they are as resistant against disease and stuff. How old would one of those huge great whites off Austrailia be?

 

[legend]

i had a true clown for 2 years.....died because my lil bro got to him when i was at work.
I also have an silver arrowana (fw) that is currently 6 six years old and still rocking like a baby arrowana.

 

[sammystingray]

Two yellow tangs, a regal (hippo) tang, and a royal gramma all lived together for between 4-5 years, I sold them back to the store though when I decided to go reef with the tank.

 

[flamehawk]

Can it be that there really has not been any real longterm success in this hobby for the exception of Mgann's tomato clown??? There's got to be more success stories......

 

[sammystingray]

Far as I know, the hobby only really started in the 60s..........not a very old hobby. Very few people attempted before that, so there isn't going to be many 20 year old fish. Many scientists were still saying, as little as 20 years ago, that corals could never be kept in aquariums. God, I am nearly pushing ten years in this, and when I first started, with some help, the hobby was still considered near impossible, and most didn't bother. I blame the infancy of the hobby on the lack of long term success......If you want long term success at this point.....you'll have to look to universities and such.......the hobby is just starting out. Seems like 80 percent of the folks here have less than two years experience, and it is because the hobby is just catching on.........I tend to think the internet helped out a lot getting folks going........I know it helped me a lot. There was a time I thought the hair algae on my back glass was very "natural looking".

 

[sammystingray]

OH BTW, my guess is that about 80-90% of fish bought for aquariums die within the first year.......mostly new folks learning how to do it right.....experimenting and taking chances that don't work out. I would guess that maybe one percent of fish in this hobby make it to five years.....if that. All guesses though, and no real research. I have killed my share while learning, and some still........

 

[fishtanker]

GSM clown for over 5 years...went through 3 tank moves and now she's got a 55gal all to herself (retirement home)
I also have a 3 1/2 years hippo tang.

 

[the claw]

I had a pirahna that lived for 15 years. Thats way past what any of the books say they live for in captivity. I finally stuck him in the freezer. I couldn't sell or give him away because of permit/legal issues, and I didn't exactly want to turn him lose in the neighborhood pond. The pet store couldn't take him back, again because of the laws here.

 

[flamehawk]

GSM for 5 years...cool! WTG.
sammy- Take your point about age of hobby but I sure wish that your statistic on survival rates is way off! In my case I suppose I've been lucky 'cause my kill rate is no where near 80-90% first year death rate! I also don't beleive that it's actually necessary to have a rate that high with all we know now and great books as well as internet available. Occasionally everyone unfortunately suffers a loss but it shouldn't be 80-90%. Sammy,say it ain't so!!
Interesting thoughts...anyone else?

 

[sammystingray]

It's just a wild guess really...and it includes everyone, not just those who are members on boards learning as much as possible. The rate on aquarium boards may be lower.

 

[ross]

I still have the first fish i ever bought. A (fw) rainbow shark about 3 years old.Been through 3 cycles and 1 move.