How long will my fish live?

BoCoMo

BoCoMo

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Mar 2, 2009
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A lot of new fish keepers seem to wonder how long their fish will live. This list was compiled from various sources.

Hopefully it will help shed some light on the commitment required when buying a fish. :) I have also included a recommended minimum tank size to keep these fish. Pay attention to this as some of these fish look "cute" and small in your local fish store but can grow to be very large! -A great example of this is the very popular Bala Shark which grows to 14"!!!

These are minimum recommendations, as you add fish your volume requirements will increase!

This list includes some of the most common, if you are curious about a fish not on the list post a reply asking about that specific fish or PM me and I will be happy to help!

All figures are +/- estimates:

Adolfo's Cory Cat - 5 years - 10 gallons
Angelfish - 10 years - 29-50 gallons
Apistogramma - 3 to 5 years - 20 gallons
Bala Shark - 10 years - 120 gallons
Banjo Catfish - 5 to 8 years - 50 gallons
Black Neon Tetra - 5 years - 10 gallons
Bleher's Rainbow - 5 years - 20 gallons
Blind Cave Fish - 5+ years - 10 gallons
Bloodfin Tetra - 10+ years - 10 gallons
Blue Gourami - 4 years - 20 gallons
Cardinal Tetra - 4 years - 10 gallons
Cherry Barb - 5 to 7 years - 10 gallons
Clown Loach - 15+ years - 55 gallons
Convict - 10 to 18 years - 40 gallons
Discus - 10 to 18 years - 40 gallons
Dwarf Gourami - 4 years - 10 gallons
Figure 8 Puffer - 5 years - 20 gallons
Goldfish - 10 to 30 years - 200 gallons plus! (this fish can grow to over 24"! It can be kept in small tanks at first but the long ter committment to the health of the fish really requires a pond. Also, this fish should not be kept with torpicals, cold water only)
Guppy - 3 to 5 years - 10 gallons
Hatchetfish - 5 years - 15 gallons
Jack Dempsey - 10 to 18 years - 55 gallons
Kissing Gourami - 5 years - 40 gallons
Molly - 4 years - 29 gallons
Neon Tetra - 5 to 10 years - 10 gallons
Oscar - 10 to 18 years - 55 gallons
Piranha - 10 years - 75 gallons
Platy - 3 to 5 years - 20 gallons
Pleco (common) - 7 to 15 years - 55 gallons
Rams - 4 years - 20 gallons
Redtail Shark - 8 years - 55 gallons
Severum - 10 to 18 years - 40 gallons
Silver Dollar - 10+ years - 55 gallons
Tiger Barb - 6 years - 20 gallons
Upside Down Catfish - 5 years - 20 gallons
Zebra Danio - 5 years - 10 gallons

In addition to this it is good to know the recommended PH, water hardness, temperature requirements, and any other available information about your desired fish before you make your purchase

A responsible fish keeper is a knowledgeable fish keeper!
 
Good start, but I do see a couple things that I'd consider inaccuracies. i.e. clown loach in 55G permanently. "Goldfish" and "Apistogramma" are too broad IMO. Also, recommended groupings need to be considered.

I applaud the effort and intent though. There are so many things that go into a well stocked tank that it's hard to capture a "cheat sheet", but it could definitely be helpful in at least beginning the research.
 
Hooked Newbie said:
Good start, but I do see a couple things that I'd consider inaccuracies. i.e. clown loach in 55G permanently. "Goldfish" and "Apistogramma" are too broad IMO. Also, recommended groupings need to be considered.

I applaud the effort and intent though. There are so many things that go into a well stocked tank that it's hard to capture a "cheat sheet", but it could definitely be helpful in at least beginning the research.
Click to expand...

I agree we could do a list on goldfish alone that would span two pages. :)

The gallons recommended was kind of an afterthought maybe I should have just stopped with ages. My aim was to help people just starting realize that some of these fish live for quite a while and get much bigger than they are when purchased.

I would love to do a list of recommended groupings - I bet the comments would fly on that one! :)
 
It's a good list, but I'm kind of skeptical of a couple of things. Like a 24"+ goldfish. I've seen few enough that were over 12" (though I have no doubts that they can reach that length), but 24"? That's a koi.

And I think apistos live longer than 3 years :silly:


Fish-Addict said:
Great list :)

BUT cant you keep dwarf gouramis in a five gallon tank? And black neons if they are the only species in the tank?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't keep any of those fish in a 5 gallon. Especially tetras.
 
BoCoMo said:
I agree we could do a list on goldfish alone that would span two pages. :)

The gallons recommended was kind of an afterthought maybe I should have just stopped with ages. My aim was to help people just starting realize that some of these fish live for quite a while and get much bigger than they are when purchased.

I would love to do a list of recommended groupings - I bet the comments would fly on that one! :)
Click to expand...

You should expand the list of species, refine the information, and offer to do an article on fish longevity for the site. It's a great start!
 
Hooked Newbie said:
You should expand the list of species, refine the information, and offer to do an article on fish longevity for the site. It's a great start!
Click to expand...

I agree - If I knew how to delete a thread I would delete this, take out the minimum tank size recommendation, and stick to just ages. As soon as you say a number, even if you clearly state that it is just a recommendation, people either want to argue an "opinion" or say "I have kept them in less." I should have put a long disclaimer stating that these are average ages, that goldfish (not koi) have been reported to grow up to 24", that the tank sizes are in no way a requirement and that you can keep a goldfish in a 1 liter bottle but it is not recommended.

I put this in the newbie forum in an effort to help spread a little knowledge about the approximate life spans of the fish.

I really like you idea for an article. I will probably expand it to cover most of what you would find in an LFS around the country. In the mean time I hope this info helps answer some of the "how long will it live" questions.

-Thanks for the idea! :)
 
Dwarf Puffers said:
It's a good list, but I'm kind of skeptical of a couple of things. Like a 24"+ goldfish. I've seen few enough that were over 12" (though I have no doubts that they can reach that length), but 24"? That's a koi.

And I think apistos live longer than 3 years :silly:




I wouldn't keep any of those fish in a 5 gallon. Especially tetras.
Click to expand...


I guess to satisfy the dwarf puffers of the world I should have indicated that 24" was an extreme case and that Apistos can live anywhere from 1 sec to 10 years (that should cover it)
 
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