Do fish get too big for the tank?

[EntitledSushi]

I have had a 75 gallon tank now for about 3 years. It seems like when my fish get too big, they just die. Is it possible they are out growing the tank? I'm pretty sure they are getting enough food, I usually see them lose interest before all the food is gone.

Of course those same fish are also the oldest fish, but I feel like they are too young to be dying of old age. Now I don't know how old they were when I got them, but they all started pretty small so I'm thinking not too old.

I'm really concerned because I have a Foxface who is huge, and I would rather give him away than see him die. What do you think? Here's a list of "big fish" that passed on and their age, at least from the time I got them:

Royal Gramma - 1.0 years
Diamond Goby - 2.0 years
Long Nose Hawkfish - 2.1 years
Banggai Cardinal - 2.6 years
Banggai Cardinal - 3.3 years

 

[Sailingeric]

Yes they can but I think your fish are fine for a 75 gallon. Banggai Cardinal live about 2.5 to 3 years so those you had had a normal life.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Interesting way you framed your question/concern, I’m curious to see what others have to say. Following.

 

[El_Guapo13]

Fairly certain hawkfish and gramma can live for a lot longer than 1 to 2 years. So I am curious if there is some other issue, as to me it seems the only ones to reach their full lifespan were the Banggai Cardinals.

Did you notice if any of them looked super stressed out before they died? Like as if they might have been getting harassed by something, I mean.

 

[Lightspeed]

i think in general terms you can liken the size of an animal to its life expectancy, mainly due to metabolic rate. So a Giant grouper may grow to 40 odd years old, whereas the life cycle of a Goby who maintains a much higher metabolic rate due to its size therefore has a corresponding lifespan.

Its fairly normal and consistent through out most life form examples, eg a mouse compared to an elephant and therefore a mouse compared then to an insect.
My longest living fish was my Wolf Cichlid, in captivity reached 17 yrs old, but also is a species that does grow fairly large.

 

[JumboShrimp]

To @Lightspeed ‘s point, I believe it’s also like that with parrots. Generally speaking, the larger the bird, the longer the lifespan.

 

[EntitledSushi]

Fairly certain hawkfish and gramma can live for a lot longer than 1 to 2 years. So I am curious if there is some other issue, as to me it seems the only ones to reach their full lifespan were the Banggai Cardinals.

Did you notice if any of them looked super stressed out before they died? Like as if they might have been getting harassed by something, I mean.

No, I didn't. At time of death these were generally the biggest, longest-lived fish in the tank. So no real aggression toward them that I noticed.

 

[fishguy242]

hi only one i can comment is royal gramma,i had one 7 yrs,oldest fish i can date to me was strawberry basslet 13 years,best wishes

 

[EntitledSushi]

Maybe another way to put it, do folks routinely re-home their fish as they get big? If so, how do I know when it's "that time"?

 

[fishguy242]

yes either upgrade tank or rehome :in 48" 75 gal..example.yellow tang/sailfin tang 3" ..fox face 4-5" also depending on swimming room ,more rock,foxy 4" max ,nose to tail inches

 

[AcroNem]

In my opinion, unless you received these fish at an old age they were nowhere near old enough to die of natural causes. Many of our fish have significantly longer life spans than we think. Those fish should easily have lived 5+ more years in your system given they could have been "middle aged" when you got them. Marine fish can easily live a decade or more, many have quite long life spans. I disagree with the "the fish will only grow as large as the tank" saying, it will just have a horrible, cramped life. While it may shorten its life, not by as much as you're seeing.