How many years can Apistogramma live?

[crouns]

I have four couples of Apistogramma baenschi，I got them in August 2015，and when I got them ,they are only 1.5cm.Now they are grow up.but all of they had only spawned once or twice ,and the eggs all eat by themselves.In my country,lots of people think that Apistogramma only can live 2 to 3 years.And they told me that my fish has be elderly.and they unable to have little fish.
So I want to know how many years can Apistogramma live?
(by the way,my English is poor,please understand.)

 

[chris1805]

I think your fish are definetly not to old. I don't know how many years apisto's can live but i believe when kept properly they can be 5 years old. Your fish are not to old to spawn correctly. I have had pairs that were older and have spawned succesfully.

 

[crouns]

I think your fish are definetly not to old. I don't know how many years apisto's can live but i believe when kept properly they can be 5 years old. Your fish are not to old to spawn correctly. I have had pairs that were older and have spawned succesfully.

Thank you for your answer.I'll try to breed them again.

 

[gerald]

Live blackworms (Lumbriculus) chopped into small pieces (for small fish) seem to have a "magic" quality for bringing older fish past their prime back into breeding condition. I've seen this happen with Killifish and Corydoras cats that their owners thought were too old to breed anymore. My oldest Apisto was a macmasteri that lived over 4 years.

 

[Mike Wise]

I think that the 2 year age is based on studies by Römer for an average longevity. I had several apistos (usually females) live over 6 years in my tanks. Fish are never too old to breed, but they do slow down with age. I had a pair of apistos that successfully reproduced fry at the age of 4+ years (the parents were produced in my tanks).

Your baenschi probably have not reproduced due to problems other than age. There are many causes for this.

 

[crouns]

Live blackworms (Lumbriculus) chopped into small pieces (for small fish) seem to have a "magic" quality for bringing older fish past their prime back into breeding condition. I've seen this happen with Killifish and Corydoras cats that their owners thought were too old to breed anymore. My oldest Apisto was a macmasteri that lived over 4 years.

I cannot get blackworms in my country.I use the larvae of Artemia salina and daphnia to feed my fish.I'm also a hobbyist of killing fish.Your icon is what fish?pupfish or mini sunfish?

 

[crouns]

I think that the 2 year age is based on studies by Römer for an average longevity. I had several apistos (usually females) live over 6 years in my tanks. Fish are never too old to breed, but they do slow down with age. I had a pair of apistos that successfully reproduced fry at the age of 4+ years (the parents were produced in my tanks).

Your baenschi probably have not reproduced due to problems other than age. There are many causes for this.

Thank you.In my country almost all apisto feeder think that them fish only can live 2 years or 3.But in fact most of them just can keep the fish alive for a few months.I think this is our lack of information about the apisto.

 

[gerald]

Any foods you use for killifish are probably good for Apistogramma too. Apisto's seem to be more susceptible to diseases caused by stress than many other common aquarium fishes, which is one reason why many aquarium shops don't sell them. When they get sick, they are more difficult to cure than most other fishes. So, it may be true that a lower percentage of Apisto's survive to their full potential life span than other aquarium fish do. My icon picture is a Gulf Coast Pygmy Sunfish, Elassoma gilberti, from northwestern Florida, near Tallahassee.