Fish Die From Old Age?

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J

_Jessica_

Feeder Fish
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Jan 22, 2010
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Has anyone had a fish die from seemingly "old age"? No tankmates sick/dead, water params good, no visible disease or injury? I've often wondered this, I know most lose fish to accidents or disease.

I have some rainbowfish that are supposedly 10+ years old, one has been at the top breathing a little heavy a few times today, I hope it's just me imagining things but he dosen't look 100%. Most sites state around a 5 year lifespan for the rainbows...well I've got four that must be considered seniors.
 
i had a red tail shark that actually started to get gray with age.. yes they do get old too.. if they are with you to old age then consider yourself a great fishkeeper.. so many never never last this long..
 
I had a Dojo loach for 8+ years that seemed to die of old age. No new tankmates for years, plenty of space, good appetite, but it slowly thinned out despite eating a lot and eventually just passed away in the night. Seemed to go very peacefully and spent its last evening slithering around my fingers like normal. That was a very sad day.
 
Also remember that age itself won't be the cause of death. The immune system weakens, organ walls become thin, and (according to which aging theory you subscribe to) cells stop dividing or producing certain enzymes. As pieces of the fish begin to cease functioning, the eventual cause of death is technically always the cessation of adequate oxygenation of the brain.

Ten years for a rainbow is pretty good. Nice work.
 
knifegill;4146385; said:
Until something kills all the jellyfish. :D
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thank you knifegill. might I add here too, or the originator of this thread is speaking of a creature, a rainbow fish which has a backbone, not some spineless jellyfish!
 
knifegill;4146347; said:
Also remember that age itself won't be the cause of death. The immune system weakens, organ walls become thin, and (according to which aging theory you subscribe to) cells stop dividing or producing certain enzymes. As pieces of the fish begin to cease functioning, the eventual cause of death is technically always the cessation of adequate oxygenation of the brain.
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Exactly the best and perfect explanation, not necessarily age itself.;)
 
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