Aging fish (sigh)

[fishorama]

I have had some fish for 10+ years & some I adopted from club members, likely close to that age. A few of my original sewellia hillstream loaches have disappeared but I optimistically hope the just don't hang out on the front glass often; I see a big adult sometimes. I still see 2 of the stiphodon gobies I got as adults 11 years ago. Not often but not dead either. Always a fun sighting! I've also had to rehome fish before the 10 year mark due to moving house. That's kind of my baseline except for very small fish. Those may only live 5 or 6 years or so.

But now my hand me down aeneus corys are having issues. The 3 females are incredibly fat, almost round. I've tried big water changes of cooler & warmer water; feeding extra special foods. Nothing helps them lay more than a few eggs at most. In the last couple weeks both a male & a female have looked on their way out. Loss of equilibrium, a very bad sign. But then they've recovered. They're living on borrowed time. I know that & it makes me sad. But I try to think of fish I could keep if they died out...the morbid waiting game?

 

[GaryE]

It's the circle of life. People probably look at some of us and wonder if they can get our houses... but those fish are living the life now, and you've done well for them to have had this much time. There are tons of aquarists who think their fish live 3 years, and make that a self-fulfilling prophecy.
it's hard when you know a pet you've done your best by and had a long time is on its way out, whether it's a dog or a Catfish. There's nothing wrong in recognizing the inevitable and planning ahead.

 

[Magnum Man]

I had a lot of fish die of "old age", when I was biggest into tanks, 25 years ago... before the www. we just assumed fish only lived 2 or 3 years, they got big and died... now that real information is available... I may have some fish outlive me... might have to put them in my will, just so they'll be cared for...

 

[GaryE]

Back in the pre-water change era that some are still selling, I had one "corydoras anaeus"/Osteogaster aenea live to 12. Now, with cleaner water and more information, that is not such a surprising thing. I'll wah=ger many aquarists who have been in the hobby long enough have had fish live very long lives. We aren't supposed to get attached to "mere fish" but consider it normal to be attached to a car.
I purchased 3 red eared slider turtles for my Mom in 1984, and one is still living here. When I think of who I was then, and how I lived, with all the changes that turtle has stared at ever since, it is quite a thing. Living things become a part of our lives.
I'm pleased at a houseplant rebounding from disease here, as it was started by my wife's grandmother many decades back.

 

[Magnum Man]

for me, they were always big fish... I never really got attached or named many... for example today, I have no idea how long Sid will live, or Mutt ( only 2 fish with enough character for me to assign names ) out out maybe 100's... but I'm sure even though I did the best I could back then, most fish outgrew their tanks, then mostly only replacing plant use or evaporation water ( I did occasionally vacuum gravel, as needed... they were mostly big fish ) but I was pretty proactive that way, compared to most... probably, just because I needed to with big fish

 

[fishorama]

We only name fish if we can tell them apart. Mostly it tends to be "the big male" or in these corys' case "the baby". I've decided I won't bother learning their new genus, lol.

Back in the day we were water changers, 10% every few weeks. We had many gallon jugs of water "aging". It was a while before we quit using airline tubing for WCs. Now I have to make sure I don't fill buckets heavier than I can carry.

 

[Alice B]

I just lost my 8 year old moonlight gourami, cancer I think. Lost my 12 year old albino bristle noses. Female last december, male this spring. That is what happens when we provide really good care. I don't look as pretty as I used to either, so when my customer asked me to remove the old buenos aires tetras, I brought them home with me. Put them in 55 with the light out hoping they will lay one batch of viable eggs. Not hoping too hard, one of them has a tumor too.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I have kept two species of loach for over 20 years. One are my clowns and the oldest have reached 10 to 12 inches. The other are my Ambastaia sidthimunki which max out at about 2+ inches.

I gave away the last of my zebra plecos for a friend who was willing to give them a retirement home. The oldest were over 20 years of age.

 

[fishorama]

Longevity might be why I won't keep clown loaches again. That & not having a big enough tank. Twice I had to rehome them before moving. The last time was especially hard. They lived next to my computer & seemed to like sites with a blue background. Much more pets than some other fish I've kept. They also were probably our most spoiled fish ever too. They did the loachy dance for food & water changes. They loved romaine & zucchini. If I didn't give them at least twice/week, they'd punch holes in their cryptocorynes while giving me "the eye". Darn, I'm tearing up .

The next hard part is going to be when or if to euthanize each cory as it declines. It's never easy for me, or any of us, I think. & then there's the "baby" cory, an accidental survivor. Adult now, he should outlive the others by several years, but I don't think I want to commit to more aeneus (ok, aenea). Maybe someone in my club will take him...but not as an "only" cory. He deserves better even if it means a different species to hang out with. A different bridge to cross later.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I have my clowns in a 150. The plants are pretty much anubias. There are also a small school of redline barbs (Sahyadria denisonii) with them. I normally feed several foods intended for the two species. I add my flake mix for the barbs but the clowns are pigs and eat anything including the flakes. Some of the flakes land on the anubias leaves. The clowns go after these and they punch holes in the anubias.

I lost my largest clown about 2 years ago, it was a foot or more long and I estimate it was between 23 and 25 years old. It was a gift in early 2003 along with several other and they were all about 4 inches +/- long. I buried it in my no longer used garden.

 

[fishorama]

2tank, I didn't know sids could live so long! Such wonderful fish. We had 2 before their red listing. A move later & after several years, we got 10 "hormone bred" loaches. It was odd, 5 sids led by a very fat female sid & 3 zebra loaches (w/1 larger female) each hung out together at both ends of a 75g. They didn't fight & except for feeding they kept to their tank's ends. The big sid females were definitely the bosses. They were so full of greenish eggs they couldn't swim too well but they never missed meals. I miss them! I remember when your clown died. But you gave him a good long life & a nice garden burial.

Alice, hand me down fish almost never live as long as we'd like. But that's part of the rehoming thing. We go into it knowing their best days are probably past. But also that we will provide the best care we can while we can. I have to say your 12 year old bns are a tribute to your good care & probably your gourami too. Old fish die of "something". Maybe kidney failure or more susceptibility to diseases. Like people, "old age" isn't a real cause of death, there's usually an underlying issue. I'm still sorry for your fish's deaths, it never easy.