View Full Version : life spans
SimonWoodstock
12-08-2003, 5:44 PM
Any suggestions on a fish that usually doesn't live more than about 5 years in an aquarium for a beginer?
mogurnda
12-09-2003, 9:19 AM
Not sure why you would want a fish with a short life span, but neon gobies are not supposed to make it past a few years.
One of my favorite quotes from my LFS days came when my boss was asked how long fish live. His answer was "'Til you kill them." It's pretty true. Most fish will live many years if cared for properly, usually dying because of disease or equipment failure.
Just because it has a short life span doesn't make it easy for beginners. A lot of times fish with low life spans are not easy to care for. Those that live longer can sometimes be the easiest fish of all to care for (not always the case of course). So I would be looking at fish that are hardy before looking at life spans.
SimonWoodstock
12-09-2003, 2:34 PM
Thanks guys. I will take this into consideration and probably just stick with the original plan.
To clear up why I asked this, because it is a pretty odd question to ask... In about 5 years or so I may be moving and I don't know how far away it will be and was hoping to not have to tranport fish that far. If it is far, I will try to give them back to the LFS or someone who has a salt tank.
mogurnda
12-09-2003, 2:40 PM
Speaking as someone who has moved every few years, they can be moved or given away relatively easily. If you have a fish that has been thriving in a marine tank for 5 years, someone will want it.
If there is a marine store nearby it won't be hard to give or sell a tank raised healthy fish. They cost stores a lot of money to bring in. Much easier than most freshwater fish that are more easily breed in captivity.
SimonWoodstock
12-09-2003, 6:05 PM
Thats reassuring. There is a store with marine fish about 15-20 minutes away, depending on traffic. If all else fails I will call them.
That is also a good point about stores getting marine fish shipped in vs. getting one from a healthy tank locally.
I already have a tank selected for when I recover from christmas spending.:D This is something I am looking forward to.
Gealcath
12-09-2003, 7:00 PM
Most of the time fish that have long lifespans are more or less the hardy fishes (the reason alot some fish have short life spans is because they often die from diseases or bad water)