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Timfish

Experienced Reefer
Location
Asutin, TX
Rating - 0%
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Stumbled across this paper and it obviously needed posting. Pretty fascinating info on the life expectancies of tangs:

Recent research uncovered a surprising split-phase or biphasic pattern in life expectancies in Surgeon fish. Instead of having the expected "catch at age" gradual decline in numbers as fish age, they found a faster than expected dieoff initially then a slower than expected dieoff past a certain age. This gave population turnover rates two to four times faster than previously believed. Researchers noted "grow fast - die young" only partially explains the why this is happening.


So it seems, as aquarists some of the unexpected deaths we see as our tangs age might be due to variables out of our control. We may have individuals that can live decades but 10-15 years is a more realistic expectation for most.

 

marrone

The All Powerful OZ
Staff member
Vendor
Location
The Big City
Rating - 98.8%
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There are so many things that happen to fish out in the wild that effect their lifespans and even sizes. I think if you look at lifespans of fish kept at large public aquariums some have very long lives, though they may not get as big, or fully colored as ones in the ocean. I guess the real question is how long can some of these fish live under perfect or near perfect conditions.
 

MIKE NY

Two Decade Club
Rating - 100%
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That’s what the hobby is about for me. Trying to create the best living conditions possible for these animals without the natural predators. My PBT lived to 17 yo( my avatar)and probably would have lived longer, but it was so territorial that it needed to be removed whenever new fish were added even with the use of acclimation boxes and mirrors etc….


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MIKE NY

Two Decade Club
Rating - 100%
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Almost 35 years and never a crash. I keep it simple and meet the basic requirements with no fancy equipment like an Apex etc.. because I don’t want one piece of equipment to control too many things. I always have a back up for all my equipment, pumps, heaters etc.. because something will always fail. I ran a generator 24/7 for a week during Sandy including standing on the gas lines.


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