How long do your fish really live?

[twoodrough]

I can't seem to get over the hump in this hobby. I have been doing it for a couple of years plus. I do things well as far as I can tell (light feeding, 50% weekly changes, good filtration, nitrates less than 10, little algae, research including questions here). But I can never seem to get my fish to live longer than a few months. I am wondering if my expectations are too high and that is causing my frustration. I always seem to want to mess with my tank when it gets settled and then I lose fish. The last change was to sand and I have lost 5 since then. Then I wonder, if my fish were to live as long as some people say, would I be bored because I can't get new ones.

Just wonder what other's experiences really are. Honestly.

 

[Borderlesscott]

Most of my fish are over a year old, I have a weather loach that is 6 - hardest thing to do is leave your tank alone, I have 4 tanks and leave a 15g tank as an experiment tank to try out new ideas, keeps me from messing with my bigger tanks. Changing to sand shouldn't have killed any fish if the levels where monitored correctly as your filter should have been able to cope along with water changes until your beneficial bacteria numbers came back up, what is your stocking, size of tank, type of filter, chemicals you use etc?

 

[Andy Sager]

It really depends on the type of fish you are trying to keep. Truth is, not all fish live the same amount of time. Take Killie fish for instance, most, if not all, are annual fish meaning that they only live for about a year (from egg). Other fish like your larger SA Cichlids, I've kept for 8 to 10 years. Also, keep in mind that with all the hybridizing and inbreeding that has happened over the years, today's tank raised/ created fish may not be as strong as their wild counterparts so they are not lasting as long.
What I discovered long ago was that the key to longevity of the fish was stability. (My favorite expression is " The less you mess, the better the success.") I did not overcrowd my tanks so weekly water changes of more than 10% -15% of volume were rare for me but my water remained well within the ranges necessary for my fish to frequently breed. A good balanced diet was also key. Supplement flake and dried foods with live weekly.
As for your getting bored with your selection, if you think that is going to happen then you are choosing the wrong fish to keep. (IMO ) If you are picking a fish that has a known lifespan of say 5 years, you should be doing what you can to have that fish for 5 years. If you don't want it that long, maybe pick something else that has a shorter lifespan so that you can change your selection frequently. (again IMO)

My suggestion would be to research the fish you are intending on buying (before you buy) and see if they are a hardy specie or a long lived variety or if they are recommended more for advanced hobbyists or beginners, etc. Also try to make sure you set up an environment for these fish that are to the fish's liking. (Meaning: don't put a fish that likes to hide in a bare tank with no decorations or a fish that needs a lot of swimming space into a tank that is overcrowded with decorations.)

I hope this helps some...

 

[bettaowner]

My oldest fish was a 7 year old angel fish.

 

[Rivercats]

My angels have always been between 5 and 9 years old (the oldest living till 9) but as said above I don't mess too much with my tanks. That is a real stressor for fish, especially if you are constantly changing their tanks plants and decorations. As stated above sounds like you need a play tank, one you can constantly mess with so you can leave the larger tank alone.

 

[Cichlid Kid]

Of all my goldfish i have 3 that are over 10 yrs old. They are just as active as my younger ones. I don't get bored with the fish i have. My problem is that i want to experience so many more types than i already have and it kills me but i know there are limitations i must adhere to. Right now I've got my pondfish, riftlake cichlids, dwarf s.a. cichlids, neocardinia shrimp, spiny eels, molly and corydoras cats. Most of these are in separate tanks and my space is limited so even though i wanna try more stuff i think thats about it for me

 

[twoodrough]

Right now I am limited to a 20 gallon. I have an Aquaclear 50 coming for this tank. Stock is being determined. No chemicals other than Prime. Maintenance is every other day feeding and 50% water changes every 3rd feeding (6 days). Flakes, pellets, frozen, cucumbers once in a while. Mini algae pellets for BN pleco.

I have a 10 at the moment that is now lightly stocked. This will come down when I set up the 20.

I need to think more carefully about what I get. If it is not something I will enjoy for multiple years then I shouldn't get it. With my small tank I don't have much room to experiment.

My favorites have always been the male bettas and blue rams. My betta has and will always have his own tank. My daughter and I both like the lyretail mollies (which I have learned are a variant of the sailfin). I now have a bristlenose pleco that is doing a bang up job on walls. Fun fish.

I know stocking is opinion based and can't seem to get agreement on what works, but I will try again here: I am thinking maybe the lyretail molly, a pair of rams, and the BN pleco in the 20. Then learn to leave it all alone except for maintenance (that will be the hard part). My next fish keeping goal is to have them live for more than a few months. That will be harder with the rams, but I know that going in.

I like the line "the less you mess, the better the success". I will remember it when I get antsy.

Thanks all!

 

[Mudfrog]

I lost both of my 6 year old wolf fish in the bad east coast power outage in July. I usually sell my fish before they die, I keep them on average for 2-3 years if I had to guess.