Just thought I'd ask how long they usually live for. We have one that is starting to look a little 'rough around the edges'...we've had her for over 3 years now, and she was an 'older' fish when we got her. She was bred from for some time before we purchased her - so the exact age is anyones guess.

But I am curious...how long would you expect a discus to live for?

Natalie.

Hi Natalie. 10 years with good water conditions.

Thanks for that - had wondered that one.

Still have plenty of time then (hopefully - unless she was 6-7 when we got her lol). She's certainly top fish in the tank - bosses the other discus around like there's no tomorrow!

I just don't think she looks quite what she did a few years ago...

Thanks again.

Natalie.

They can live double ten years- a friend of mine knows a lady who has had one particular discus for over 20 years and she didnt get it as a baby baby either Shes in the UK tho, not here.

If you like i can post a link to some pics a friend took showing the difference between old discus and sick discus?

Wow that is a heck of a long time. I also thought that they only lived for 10years.

Some info i found on fish lifespan

Here is a reference with the expected lifespan of popular aquarium fish. These figures are estimates, with good care fish may live much longer.

Adolfos Cory - 5 years

Angelfish - 10+ years

Apistogramma - 3 to 5 years

Archer Fish - 5 years

Armored Catfish - 7 to 15 years

Bala Shark - 10 years

Bandit Cory - 5 years

Banjo Cat - 7 to 15 years

Banjo Catfish - 5 to 8 years

Black Neon Tetra - 5 years

Black Phantom Tetra - 5 years

Black Shark - 4 to 10 years

Black Tetra - 5 years

Black Widow Tetra - 5 years

Blackfin Cory - 5+ years

Bleeding Heart Tetra - 5 years

Blindcave Fish - 5+ years

Bloodfin Tetra - 10+ years

Blue Gourami - 4 years

Boesman Rainbow - 5 years

Bronze Cory - 5 years

Bumble Bee Catfish - 5 to 8 years

Cardinal Tetra - 4 years

Cherry Barb - 5 to 7 years

Chocolate Gourami - 4 years

Clown Loach - 15+ years

Columbian Tetra - 5 years

Congo Tetra - 5 years

Convict - 10 to 18 years

Diamond Tetra - 5 years

Discus - 10 to 18 years

Dojo Loach - 10 years

Dwarf Gourami - 4 years

Emperor Tetra - 6 years

Festivum - 10+ years

Figure 8 Puffer - 5 years

Firemouth - 10 to 15 years

Frontosa - 8 to 15 years

Giant Danio - 5 to 7 years

Glass Catfish - 8 years

Glassfish - 8 years

Glowlight Tetra - 5 years

Goldfish - 10 to 30 years

Guppy - 3 to 5 years

Harlequin - 6 years

Hatchetfish - 5 years

Hog Nose Brochis - 10 years

Honey Gourami - 4 years

Jack Dempsey - 10 to 18 years

Jordan's Catfish - 10+ years

Killifish - 1 to 2 years

Kissing Gourami - 5 years

Lemon Tetra - 5 years

Leopard Danio - 5 to 7 years

Leporinus - 5+ years

Livingstoni - 10+ years

Midas Cichlid - 15+ years

Mollie - 4 years

Moonlight Gourami - 4 years

Neon Rainbow - 3 to 4 years

Neon Tetra - 5 to 10 years

Oscar - 10 to 18 years

Otocinclus - 5 years

Pacu - 10 years

Pearl Danio - 5 years

Pearl Gourami - 4 years

Pictus Catfish - 8 years

Piranha - 10 years

Platy - 3 to 5 years

Pleco - 7 to 15 years

Rafael Catfish - 7 to 15 years

Rainbow Shark - 4 to 10 years

Rams - 4 years

Rasboras - 5 to 10 years

Red Eye Tetra - 5 years

Red Rainbow - 5 years

Red Tailed Catfish - 15 years

Redtail Shark - 8 years

Rosy Barb - 5 years

Royal Pleco - 10+ years

Rummy Nose Tetra - 5 to 10 years

Rumy Nose Tetra - 5 years

Severum - 10 to 18 years

Silver Dollar - 10+ years

Silvertip Tetra - 5 years

Swordtails - 3 to 5 years

Texas Cichlid - 10+ years

Tiger Barb - 6 years

Tigerfish - 5 years

Tinfoild Barb - 10 years

Upside Down Catfish - 5 years

Weather Loach - 10 years

Whiptail - 10+ years

White Cloud Mountain Minnow - 5 to 7 years

Zebra Cichlid - 10+ years

Zebra Danio - 5 years

That's kewl of you to do all that Reef.

Must have taken ages to type all that out.

BUT

Ya missed out the Uaru

Would they be the same as discus??

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a discus older than 10 years, especially in NZ with poor access to medications. Simplydiscus.com reported a 14 year old one once. Definitely a solid innings compared with most fish

Discus live for as long as you give them the right food & clean water.

Asian breeders & the such, practises are mainly just to breed pairs, pump out the young & collect $$$

Therefore they pump them full of blackworms, beefheart mix, blood worms & the like. They get a couple of great years of breeding out of them, the discus by then are shot, then they just get rid of them so to speak.

If you look after them with water quality & diet then getting 5-10years out of them should be no worries at all.

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a discus older than 10 years, especially in NZ with poor access to medications

Aussie dosen't have the meds available like in the states, there are some discus around here over 10years old.

Its more a case, watch what you bring into the tank. If your food is clean & healthy, so is the water. Why do you need meds? As is care when introducing new tank mates.

Yep they seem to be more prone to some parasites & diseases, but I think that is direct link to food types, eg; to much live black worms,{parasites} blood worms & beef heart{hex & bloat}....etc

I see some sites suggest bombing discus with worming tablets once every now & then. You shouldn't have too.

After all, discus are just a cichlid.

Frenchy

especially in NZ with poor access to medications

Do we really need much medication? if you have good water quality and food they should not get sick very often.

haha, cut and paste.

Hahaha, neon tetra 5 - 10 years...

go the cichlids!! hahaha they have long life for fishes.. Ill post back here in about 10 yrs time and let everyone know how they are doing

Ill post back here in about 10 yrs time and let everyone know how they are doing

Mine are always, 1mth-2years :lol:

Keep certain species for a while, pass them on, change to something new.

Frenchy