This is really a query for those who have kept fish for a long time. How much, if any, fish losses are normal for your tanks? Obviously there is a learning curve for newbie aquarists as you screw up and work out what's compatible for your tanks/water conditions and what isn't. But once you've got past that stage and have stable, established tanks with the right fish for your community and water, do you still get a certain amount of attrition?
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Experienced keepers: fish attrition
- Thread starter Gypsum
- Start date
When I had TB in the tanks, I lost a fish every few months. When I didn't have TB in the tanks, most fish would live for years.
Many people keep fish for 3 or 4 years and quite often longer. It depends on the species of fish and who is looking after them.
Gerald Allen had some rainbowfish for 8 or 9 years before he got rid of them to another hobbyist. I'm pretty sure Byron has had some of his Corydoras for about the same time.
A member who is no longer here (Nickau), had Bettas that were 4 or 5 years old.
Many people keep fish for 3 or 4 years and quite often longer. It depends on the species of fish and who is looking after them.
Gerald Allen had some rainbowfish for 8 or 9 years before he got rid of them to another hobbyist. I'm pretty sure Byron has had some of his Corydoras for about the same time.
A member who is no longer here (Nickau), had Bettas that were 4 or 5 years old.
I expect fish to live years rather than months. Sometimes fish in an aquarium will just give up on life for no reason. I think we have to be careful and not over analyze every death. An aquarium is an artificial environment, and we can only hope to do our best.
And even with healthy fish expected to live to the life we expect them to, given proper conditions and everything, stuff happens unexpectedly.
So its a hard question to answer.
When I was a teenager, I rescued a betta off my cousins who treated him horribly, didn't know much about fish then either, but this guy lived 9 years total between them and myself.
So its a hard question to answer.
When I was a teenager, I rescued a betta off my cousins who treated him horribly, didn't know much about fish then either, but this guy lived 9 years total between them and myself.
Cheers. I wrote that because I'd lost a pencilfish unexpectedly. Then when I added a couple more to the shoal, one of the new arrivals looked off, and then was DOA the next morning. I don't know why the first one died, but the second one either didn't cope with transport or wasn't in great shape when it was in the shop. To be fair, I didn't watch when the LFS owner caught the fish nor did I pick them out myself. I probably should have done that. The tank in question had lost an apisto and another pencilfish a couple months ago after a snail died, unnoticed, and caused an ammonia spike.
I'm also pretty sure I have two less rummynose tetras (in a different tank) than I started with. However, I only buy adult rummies because they have to be raphael-proof, so I have no idea how old any of these are.
I suppose with 60+ fish, statistically, sh*t is more likely to happen.
I'm also pretty sure I have two less rummynose tetras (in a different tank) than I started with. However, I only buy adult rummies because they have to be raphael-proof, so I have no idea how old any of these are.
I suppose with 60+ fish, statistically, sh*t is more likely to happen.
Blackwater guru
Fish Fanatic
I only got into this hobby during January this year but I have had some losses but most of them can be attributed to my agressive copper tetras that stressed out several of my fish to death.
My ram cichlid got hole in the head disease from the stress so I have to euthanize him along with all the other copper tetras who got infected with lockjaw which was probably caused by the fish being stressed out.
The rest that was not related to stress was a freak accident where 1 of my marbled hatchetfish jumped out of the tank during feeding killing itself in the process by jumping at least a meter from the tank to the doorstep and landing on the carpet.
My ram cichlid got hole in the head disease from the stress so I have to euthanize him along with all the other copper tetras who got infected with lockjaw which was probably caused by the fish being stressed out.
The rest that was not related to stress was a freak accident where 1 of my marbled hatchetfish jumped out of the tank during feeding killing itself in the process by jumping at least a meter from the tank to the doorstep and landing on the carpet.
It’s pretty normal for all keepers to experience loss of livestock and even missing fish entirely.
When all is established I would expect most keepers to keep fish in optimum conditions for at least 4-7 years, dependant of fish species but more than this is normal too.
I had CPDs, Lambchop rasboras and endlers in decent numbers in an established and all lived for at least 4 years, but most lived for approx 6 years, the endlers were the most long lived fish I had, got them as adults and had them for at least 7 years, the last endler died of presumably old age or natural causes possibly as was perfectly fine the day before, was sad to lose that one tbh.
The longer you long lived fish, the more attached you get to them, well for me anyways!
Before I had those, I had Threadfin Rainbowfish and these are fairly skittish fish and most of these lived for between 3-4 years, I was a fairly inexperienced keeper at that time.
So it all varies between tanks set ups, tank mates, fish species and so on and so forth so there is no real set rules or guidelines for how long one would expect to keep fish alive for.
When all is established I would expect most keepers to keep fish in optimum conditions for at least 4-7 years, dependant of fish species but more than this is normal too.
I had CPDs, Lambchop rasboras and endlers in decent numbers in an established and all lived for at least 4 years, but most lived for approx 6 years, the endlers were the most long lived fish I had, got them as adults and had them for at least 7 years, the last endler died of presumably old age or natural causes possibly as was perfectly fine the day before, was sad to lose that one tbh.
The longer you long lived fish, the more attached you get to them, well for me anyways!
Before I had those, I had Threadfin Rainbowfish and these are fairly skittish fish and most of these lived for between 3-4 years, I was a fairly inexperienced keeper at that time.
So it all varies between tanks set ups, tank mates, fish species and so on and so forth so there is no real set rules or guidelines for how long one would expect to keep fish alive for.
AbbeysDad
Fish Gatherer
Under ideal conditions, tropical fish could live 10-15 years. Unfortunately, due to many circumstances, the average life span of aquarium tropical fish is without doubt, much lower.
I always think if you can keep fish to their estimated life span you've done a good job 
Everyone has a mix of experiences and unavoidable disease outbreaks, equipment failure, bad advice etc that leads to deaths but if you can find evidence of fish living 3-5 years and you get them to 3.5 you've done well.
My oldest fish was my Severum, Lilly, she was 4 years old when I got her and she was adult when her previous owner got her. I then kept her for an other 8 years so she was at least 8 when she died.
Wills
Everyone has a mix of experiences and unavoidable disease outbreaks, equipment failure, bad advice etc that leads to deaths but if you can find evidence of fish living 3-5 years and you get them to 3.5 you've done well.My oldest fish was my Severum, Lilly, she was 4 years old when I got her and she was adult when her previous owner got her. I then kept her for an other 8 years so she was at least 8 when she died.
Wills
I have 2 goldfish going on 5 years. My bettas average a couple of years. I have 2 Tetra that are over 2 and should be dead but going strong. Then, I found another neon dead yesterday that I’d had since April. Go figure.
New fish are always more vulnerable due to the stresses of being moved, shipped, caught, transported etc.
It's too early to say how we'll do long term. I started my first tank around the end of July, 2018. The first fish I got (not all at once) were cherry barbs, black phantom tetras, and then rummies. When I upgraded the tank from 80L to 125L, I aquired a raphael catfish (she came as freebee with the Gumtree tank). A couple weeks after that, I aquired the bristlenose pleco. I still have most of those originals -- casualties are three rummies and two black phantoms -- just not the 125L in question, as it was replaced with a 240L, and the cherry barbs have bounced around a few tanks now due to bad behaviour.
Now I have a lot of other things spread through four tanks. And I've had losses along the way. Some were definitely my fault, some were bad luck (like the female black phantom who crashed into the filter outtake while being chased by the male), and others seemed random and out of the blue.
Now I have a lot of other things spread through four tanks. And I've had losses along the way. Some were definitely my fault, some were bad luck (like the female black phantom who crashed into the filter outtake while being chased by the male), and others seemed random and out of the blue.
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