I can best figure that the dragon has already lived something near to 15 years, that the starting stage, the lava and then the eel at this time is so thin and docile, that the starting growth rate is quite slow. And the male that I sold, he was still growing inside of the last year I still had him, for their bones structure is still growing.
Now I had the female the longest, she already lived more then 12-13 years prior to having her, and I had her before selling for more then 14 years. I asked the people who now have them, to email me or call if any problem should arise. They said that they would and so far I have to figure that the eels are still doing fine.
Now to the more difficulty thing to answer, How long they live. They already lived some 30 years prior to the selling of them and what no one can honestly answer to a "T" is the exact age. But for the most part from what I was able to put together within the pair I sold, I truly believe that they live somewhere near to 45-55 years. This again is all based on my knowledge within these eels and long history I have to do within my research/studies on eels.
For what I did here is look back at the facts, to the still slow growing they done over the years I had them, that they not will die in just 15 or 20 years. And I stand by my findings and beliefs in this manner for a DNA however will tell the gender of the eel, but not its age.
Please read this next line very carefully;
DNA does not change over time and therefore can not be used for aging an animal. To age fishes, we examine the bones - usually the otoliths (ear bones). These are sliced in half to reveal growth rings and have been shown to be accurate measures of a fishes age.
Now, one can believe or disbelieve all they want, but the facts can not be changed by one person telling it wrong to you all, and if you still not believe, you should call or write all over the world to many different large aquarium zoos, they will tell you no different then im telling you now. Perhaps their words will differ in explaining the facts, but the results will still be as the same.
All my life after a certain point of my life with eels has become a lust for its full knowledge to do with the species. And yes, even with all of what I know to do within this species, I still know that there be other facts im lacking and I shown that I have the determination to try and learn those facts, no matter in how long it may take me.
txfishman, I email the mods on that my only means were of tell the truth to the real facts, on doing something that isn't ideal to do in the first place. Being of that misunderstanding, im sorry.
txfishman, let me ask you this, do you close your mind to the learning greater knowledge on the species?
Always keep in mind that there be always someone who knows of things better then the next person and I ask for some respect only and not close your eyes to something that you hear from another person, but rather what you should do is look further into those facts and do some researching of your own.
txfishman, im too old for anything like your starting line you posted and I really feel sorry for someone as AW2 for I know him even before he was here at SWF. And he and I talked much and why he can never say to me that he would forget it and put that behind him, is beyond me.
Im guessing that he is just one of those kind of people who has a chip on their shoulder and that it stays. I was done in trying to ever see if any reasoning could be reached with him.
What is it that you respect more in life, a lie or the truth?
PS. I had left one thing out, in order to do such a test, the eel would have to be already dead
oh well 
