So you’ve got yourself a fish tank that you’re looking to fill up with some aquarium buddies? Well, it may serve you well to know which species of fish live the longest. As long as you provide a healthy environment and proper feeding, the following species of fish will be around for plenty of years to come.
The Goldfish
On average, the lifespan of a goldfish can be from 5 to 10 years. However, with proper care, this lifespan can be extended to over 40 years. The great thing about goldfish is that they’re colorful and not expensive at all. They’re also available at almost all pet stores.
An estimate shows that 90% of all fishkeepers in the world have started with the goldfish. This is a very active fish that’s just a delight to watch. They’re also pretty fond of being in a group. Over a hundred varieties of goldfish exist in the world, from varying coloration patterns to a difference in physical characteristics.
The common goldfish will have two sets of paired fins which are the pelvic fins and pectoral fins. It also has three single fins which are the caudal, dorsal and anal. Goldfish don’t have scales on their heads and their upper jaws are lacking barbels.
Clown Loach
The clown loach is a favorite species of fish for freshwater fishkeepers. It’s a pretty peaceful fish that can coexist with all other fish mates in the same tank. They’re also pretty amusing to look at because they’re very active during the day. The clown loach fish tends to feed on snails that can wind up in your fish tank.
The clown loach is a super lean and long fish that has very distinctive barbels and a pointy nose that just looks cute. The barbels almost look like whiskers too so they’re even cuter. The loach is able to grow up to 12 to 14 inches and it can have an incredible lifespan of 15 years.
Discus
This is a genus fish of cichlids native that features a distinctive, compressed body shape and it’s one of the best-looking freshwater aquarium fish that you can get buy because of the gorgeous bright colors that it has. These colors have granted the discus the title of “King of the Aquarium”.
With proper care and good feeding, the King of the Aquarium can have a very lengthy reign that spans between 10 and 18 years. It’s much easier to keep the captive-bred discus fish than their wild-caught ones because they don’t really require a pristine water quality to live in as much.
The discus fish can be spotted with a few blotches of yellow, black, and red pigmentations. Their anal and dorsal fins are rounded and have a pretty long base, while their pelvic fins are shaped almost like a saber. This fish can grow up to 9 inches and tend to weigh around half a pound.
Neon Tetra
It’s commonly known that the larger species of fish tend to live longer than the smaller ones, but the neon tetra is one of those small species that have a lifespan that rivals that of larger ones. It can live up to 5 to 10 years, which is around the same average lifespan of a goldfish.
These little beams of light are one of the best pet fish sold on the market. Over 2 million of these beautiful creatures are sold in the USA alone every month. The neon tetra has a light-blue back and a silver-white abdomen. It’s mostly notable for its blue, iridescent, horizontal stripe
Jack Dempsey
As the name suggests, this isn’t a very friendly aquarium fish and it’s certainly a bruiser. Named after the American boxer William Harrison, also known as Jack Dempsey, this fish has the looks that kill, literally. It’s nothing less than stunning but it’s fatal to a lot of other tank mates.
This species of fish is known to grow up to 8 to 9 inches in size and tend to have a lifespan of 10 to 15 years. Their sparkly bodies tend to have the colors cyan, blue, and gold very often. It’s too much for a lot of fishkeepers to care for the Jack Dempsey, but if you’re into predatory fish, then this is the fish for you.
When placed in fairly commodious fish tanks, the Jack Dempsey fish doesn’t show much of their aggression in small capacity tanks. However, it’s advised to keep this fish with other equal-sized cichlid fish such as the firemouth cichlid, green terror, blue acara, and the convict cichlid.
Final Words
It’s crucial to remember that no matter the estimated lifespan of a fish, taking good care of it and feeding it properly is what’s going to make it enjoy a healthy and lengthy life. Best of luck for you and your new aquarium buddies.