brightly colored single fish in a fish tank

How Long Do Aquarium Fish Live

5 min read

One of the most anxious questions aquarists have is “how long do aquarium fish live?”

You may be looking to buy some new fish and wondering how big of a commitment it is, or you may just want to know how much longer your existing beloved pet will stay with you.

Fish have a reputation for being short-term pets – is it really true? Learn about the average lifespan of aquarium fish.

Let’s also look at how you can improve the life expectancy of aquarium fish.

How Long Do Aquarium Fish Live

Of course, how long aquarium fish live depends on the species in question. Generally speaking, the average aquarium fish lifespan is 3-5 years.

While it is different for each breed, the general rule is that bigger fish tend to live longer than smaller fish; it’s not really surprising considering that you have to live long in order to grow to a considerable size.

Also, egg-laying fish tend to live longer than livebearers.

You should consider the age of the fish when you bought it from the store – the fish could be anywhere between many months to even a year old, which is going to shorten the time it is going to spend with you.

How Long Do Fish Live in Captivity vs Wild

Fish in aquariums are subject to a completely different set of circumstances than in the wild, so you can expect the lifespan to be different between the two.

While it is debatable, there is a line of thinking that fish lifespan in aquarium is longer than in the wild.

After all, a fish tank is a controlled environment where the fish can be properly cared for by the aquarist. Also, there are no predators to speak of (unless you have carelessly mixed two incompatible species together) – fish tend to live longer if they are not eaten by other fish.

Lastly, an aquarium is a closed system where your pets are relatively safe from infectious diseases that could spread unchecked in the wild – the only risk of infection in an aquarium is when you introduce new fish (or any other foreign material).

Conversely, an aquarium can significantly reduce the lifespan of fish if the conditions are poor; in the wild, the conditions are stable because there’s basically an unlimited amount of water, but in a fish tank, a broken filter or not doing water change for a while can significantly degrade the water and lead to the demise of your fish.

How Long Do Betta Fish Live

Purple Betta in a small bowl with green aquatic plant

Betta fish is one of the most popular fish you can get for your aquarium – their bright colors and magnificent fins make them really attractive.

Betta fish lifespan in aquarium is somewhere between 2 and 5 years. With proper care, they are known to live for up to 8 years even.

Do not keep two male bettas together as they are highly aggressive towards each other (they are called Siamese fighting fish for a reason). The constant fighting can stress them and shorten their lifespan.

How Long Do Goldfish Live

several gold fish swimming in a tank

As you may know, goldfish can grow really big. They are also an aquarium fish with long lifespan and can live 10-25 years.

That may come as a surprise to you because, tragically, many goldfish die due to poor environment. The infamous goldfish bowl is a good example.

It is important to get the proper tank size for your goldfish considering how big they will eventually grow into, not how big they are when you get them. Depending on the breed, goldfish can grow up to 5 to 15 inches.

How Long Do Angelfish Live

Stripped Anglefish with aquatic plants in the background

Angelfish is a popular pick for aquarists. They are known for their slim triangular bodies, which makes them look kind of like an angel when viewed from the side.

Being another large breed of fish, they can live 10-12 years on average. Some are even known to reach the age of 15.

How Long Does Guppy Live

4 guppy’s swimming in a fish tank

Guppies are a small breed of fish everyone likes to keep because they are so easy to keep. Guppy fish lifespan in aquarium is 2-3 years.

Other live bearers such as mollies, platys, and swordtails have a similar lifespan, which is rather short.

Unlike some other fish, guppies are known to live longer in captivity than in the wild.

Female guppies have a shorter lifespan than males due to the fact that they get pregnant often.

How Long Can Koi Fish Live

Like goldfish, koi fish can also grow to a considerable size. So according to the rule we mentioned, you’d expect them to live for a long time.

Koi fish feeding in a pond

Indeed, koi fish lifespan in aquarium is an impressive 25-35 years. That is just the average number – they can live much longer than that with proper care.

In fact, there had been reports of a 226-year-old koi named Hanako from Japan; while this could be an exaggeration, koi fish is known to achieve impressive records with its lifespan.

How to Increase the Life Expectancy of Aquarium Fish

1. Purchase Healthy Fish from the Store

It’s a no-brainer that healthy fish tend to live longer than unhealthy ones, so pick carefully when you are buying from the pet store.

Get your fish from reputed sellers; avoid fish that are kept in bad overcrowded conditions.

It is easy to tell healthy fish apart from unhealthy ones – look for bright colors, erect fins, and ability to swim well.

2. Maintain Conditions Ideal for Your Fish

Once you purchase healthy fish from the store, it is up to you to provide them with the best care possible in your aquarium.

First thing is tank size – make sure it is big enough for the bioload you have. It is always good to have more water for your fish, so bigger is better.

Make sure you have efficient filtration and perform regular water changes to keep the water clean.

Maintain the required conditions for your fish such as temperature, pH, and hardness.

3. Avoid Stress in Your Fish

Stress is the biggest killer of fish, so make sure your aquatic buddies are happy all the time.

Get compatible fish so that there’s no infighting – some species such as bettas can fight within themselves too.

Make sure your aquarium has hiding spots where stressed fish can take refuge to feel safe.

4. Give Them Proper Nutrition

A balanced diet is important; if you feed the same thing to your fish all the time, they will not be healthy, so vary the diet.

Live food options such as brine shrimp and bloodworms are healthy additions to regular fish food.

This does not mean you should overfeed your fish – like humans, fish too can eat too much and become unhealthy.

Final Thoughts

By now you should have an idea of how long aquarium fish live. As we mentioned, it varies according to species.

It also depends largely on the conditions you subject them to – optimal conditions can really extend the lifespan of your aquatic pets.

Do everything to keep your fish healthy and they will spend a lot of happy years with you.

Thanks for reading.

Written by:

Pet Aquariums

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