How Long Do Fish Live? Cool Facts About Aquatic Animals

Fishes are popular and easy to maintain pets.

Fish are popular pets to be kept in aquariums and they are sure to liven up any environment a little bit. You can find fish tanks in people's homes, in offices and even in a dentist or doctor's office sometimes!

Fish are one the most well-known aquatic animals. There are many different types of fish and aquatic life, but most fish are divided into two categories: freshwater fish and saltwater fish.

Tropical freshwater fish are known to have an average lifespan of three years to five years. Saltwater fish tend to live longer, with an average lifespan of 10 years. This 10-year life span is only achieved when these fish are provided with a high-quality environment and plenty of nutritious food. In stressful environments, fish in aquariums can die young due to disease.

Many factors affect the lifespan of fish in a fish tank. The reproductive health of the fish, the environment in which the aquarium fish lives, and more; there are many things that can lead to poor fish health among goldfish and other pet fish.

If you are looking for more interesting facts, check out this fun facts article about how long dolphins live for and discover some ponyfish facts.

Average Lifespans Of Different Aquarium Fish Species

Many fish species are sold in stores as pets. Here are some facts about some of the most common fish kept in aquariums and how long they live. There are some fish with shorter lifespans of only up to two years old, while some fish have a longer lifespan of decades.

Fish like killifish only live up to two years of age; they have the shortest lifespan among aquarium fish. Other fish species like mollies, swordtails, guppy fish, and gourami usually live up to five years. Angelfish and tetra are known to live up to more than 10 years of age.

Other fish species that live longer are the clown loach, and the weather loach, all of whom live for 10 years or more. Catfish are known to live up to 60 years in age, and goldfish and cichlid fish can live to more than 20 years in age.

The longest living fish known is a bigmouth buffalo fish, who lived to 112 years old in 2013!

The lifespan of many fish depends on having healthy living conditions and the water quality of their fish tank. The cleanliness of the tank affects the health of the fish living in it, thus shortening or lengthening their lives.

Tips For Caring For Your Fish

Caring for a fish is not as difficult as it is for some other pets. Here are some common tips to help you when caring for your fish.

You should provide enough space in your aquarium for your fish to move around. A fishbowl is sufficient if you have a single small fish, but a fish tank is the best option for more fish or bigger fish.

The water should always be balanced when it comes to its pH levels. If the water is too acidic or too alkaline, it can cause your fish to die.

You should try to create a comfortable and natural environment for your fish to live in. This will help the fish to adjust and live stress-free.

Cleaning the tank regularly is extremely important as an unclean tank can be a hotspot for different diseases for your fish.

Feeding your fish properly and avoiding overfeeding is a crucial tip to remember if you want your fish to live for a long time.

Caring for fish is not very time-consuming. You can do the cleaning and maintenance once every two weeks and if you forget to feed your fish once in a while, it is not the end of the world as less is more for your fish.

Fish tend to be the best pets for first-time pet owners due to the amount of attention that they require, which is quite low.

Some fish can live really long lives if they are provided with the proper care and monitored regularly. Tropical fish require a bit more care than other fish due to their sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures.

How To Keep Your Fish Healthy

One of the common reasons for a shorter life span in fish is if their lifestyle and environment are unhealthy.

If you are wondering how to keep your fish healthy, properly feeding them a healthy diet is very important. You should use good fish feed to feed your fish, with supplements twice a week to maintain the excellent health of your fish.

Be careful that you do not overfeed your fish as this can increase the risk of the fish's death due to digestive problems. Food is one big reason why pet fish often die before they reach old age, good quality food required for the healthy diet of pet fish is available in most pet stores.

Fish don't require an extensive range of food on the menu like some other pets to maintain a healthy life. They can be fed pre-packaged fish food, but remember to ensure that the food is of high quality!

The aquarium environment is crucial to fish health. The temperature of the water and the water quality are extremely important as every fish species has a temperature that their body is most comfortable with. You should find out your fish's comfortable temperature and adjust the tank's water temperature accordingly. If you have a pet tropical fish, you should keep a heat adjuster in the tank.

The water quality should be of the highest standard. The aquarium filtration system should be working correctly and clearing out any ammonia and nitrate from the water in your fish tank. The water quality should not change abruptly as this can disturb the fish and make them uncomfortable or sick.

Some fish are extremely shy and like to have lots of hiding spots in their tank. A fish tank should therefore have fake or live plants and other things like fake signboards and castles that provide your fish with a hiding spot and help them to be stress-free. These tank accessories can be brought from a fish pet store relatively easily.

If you have two fish that have a tendency to fight with each other like betta fish, these fish should be kept in separate tanks to provide a healthy environment for both fish to remain stress-free.

Fish tanks should be kept in places that have medium sunlight and no surrounding noise that can cause stress to your fish. They should also be kept in places that won't change the water temperature dramatically. Stress can lead to many kinds of disease in pet fish so is important to avoid.

How long do betta fish live?

Betta fish are one of the most popular aquarium fish in the world due to their vivid neon color scales.

These fish, in healthy environmental conditions and with a good diet, can live up to five years of age. Betta fish can grow up to be healthy fish in the proper conditions.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our article about how long fish live, then why not take a look at our guides to pack animals or animals with big eyes?