Life Expectancy

[Troy V]

Hello all,

This week I saw 2 of my inhabitants decline. One died, and the other is dying.
Do you think it is from old age or something else? These are the only 2 that are displaying issues in my system of over 20 fish. Thank you

Melanurus Wrasse: over 8 years old. Has been displaying labored swimming for over a week.

Emerald Crab: 4 years old. Found dead this morning. Stinky stinky!!

 

[nereefpat]

8 years for a melanurus wrasse and 4 years for an emerald crab is a heck of a run. I would say, well done.

 

[mort]

I agree that they are both good ages. I just lost my melanurus wrasse that was 8-9 years old and a decent sized female when I got it. We need to remember some animals are quite mature when we buy them, so you've certainly done well.

 

[Zionas]

I agree. You did well. One of the things that sort of worries me about wrasses is their short lifespan compared to some other kinds of fish. I tend to go for more long-lived fish like the Marine Betta, angels and butterflies, clowns (and even some of the more peaceful damsels), Hawkfish and some basslets.

How big was your Melanurus Wrasse when you got it? Was it a terminal stage specimen?

 

[TexasTodd]

My wrasses all commit suicide long before 8 years Troy!

That is the largest Emerald I've ever seen!

I don't know if you saw, but you and Minh both posted fish longevity threads the same day. Strange.

Todd

 

[Zionas]

Heard 8-10 years in captivity is the norm for a Halichoeres genus wrasse. Maybe the genus that contains the 4, 6, Mystery and 8-Line wrasses can live a bit longer than that. Not sure about the Bodianus hogfish or even the large rain genuses like the Harlequin Tusk and Thalassoma but I heard the Fairy, Flasher wrasses average no more than 5-6 years, and the Pink Streak and Possum Wrasses maybe 3-4 years.

Don’t get me wrong. I find many wrasses, especially the Fairy and Flasher wrasses, quite beautiful. However, their short or short-ish lifespans just don’t make the cut for me. Not enough worth for my money. Generally 10 years is the minimum I’d expect from a fish, and I do hold certain species to higher expectations.

For clowns I’m expecting 20+ before I can say I’ve done a good job, for large fish like the Marine Betta 30+, for a dwarf angel 12-15 (4” dwarf angels), for damselfish 12+, Hawkfish 12+, Yellow Watchman Goby 10+, and basslets like Royal Gramma and Blackcap 10+. Now, let’s just hope I don’t screw up (or rather they can tolerate my mistakes once in a while) or nothing happens outside of my control.

Since I’ll be getting Hawkfish and the Marine Betta, it’s a no inverts tank for me.

 

[Troy V]

Thank you for all of your helpful replies! I forgot to take into account the age of the fish when I got it. My wife helped me remember that it still had juvenile marking for the first few months. So I am sure this fish was at least a year old. It is just scary for me to think how fast 8 years has gone by. I forget my aquarium ages just like I do.

 

[Zionas]

My Marine Betta that is a must have fish for me, a pair would be even better, it’s amazing to think about how long they can last and how durable they are (from everywhere I’ve read). Maybe they’ll still be around well after I have a family of my own. Darn. Clowns too. Maybe they’ll be the fishy grandpas of my grandkids someday. xD

My goal is to have every one of my fish live beyond 2030. xD

But then when they get really old, I’ll probably only be in my forties, pretty young for a grandpa. xD So maybe they’ll be the fishy daddies of my kids.