The Puffer Forum

Pufferpunk wrote:There is no reason an adult fish shouldn't reach their size in the wild or even larger.

You can carve that over the door to your fish room. You can even extend it with several more points:

2. (Item #1 is PP's comment) If your fish is not as large or larger than the wild fish data, you are not doing something as well as you should be - diet, tank size, current, water conditions, tank maintenance, etc.are all highly significant factors.

3. If your fish does not greatly exceed the wild lifespan, again you are not doing something right. Captive fish have many fewer threats to their life than their wild kin. If you cannot keep fish alive in captivity for more than their natural span, you need to change the way you keep that fish.

4 LFS employees and even owners are less likely to be aware of a fish's real needs than any experienced hobbyist.

5. It is not hard to tell who among your acquaintances is really an experienced hobbyist - there fish seldom change other than in size and age. If their tanks change,it is from upgrading tank sizes, or from particular fish having been traded off due to lack of space to house them.

FWIW: Few LFS employees have ever seen many mature tropicals. Quite a few consider keeping any fish more than a year "experienced" or advanced fish-keeping. The question I generally ask pseudo-knowledgeable employees (who do not know me) is blandly inquiring about how long Neon Tetras should live in captivity. The correct response is 10 years. I have never to date had anyone respond correctly.

See, I never had any clue a fish could live sooooooo long...
When I learned about a fahaka living into it's teens, I was so excited I guess I didn't realize even neons and other fish lived that long either. Most LFS employees say "1-2 years max" on almost all of their fish...

Puffers are short lived compared to some other tropicals. Clown Loaches can push 50 - I have know several in their late 20s-30s. Many catfish are longer lived as well - including many common ones. Even Cory cats can make the mid-teens..

Then there are the goldfish...they are carp after all.

Chomper and Little One are both my GSPs.
I got Little One about 1 year after Chomper. They were both only 1 inch long when I got them.
I got Chomper 3 years ago, and Little One 2 years ago.
Chomper is now 2.5 inches and Little One is 2 inches (including tail).
So they are growing at about 1/2 an inch per year. I keep thinking Chomper 3 inches, but everytime I check its only 2.5.

Oh, and Chomper started in a 10g by himself(for about a week) and then lived in a 29g for about 6 months and now has lived in the 75g for the least 2 years or so.

Hope this info is helpful for someone.