Life expectancy

[themountain]

What is the life expectancy of wild or F1 Apistogramma in our tanks ? Any differences between the species?? My Aggis got three years..give and take...is that normal?

 

[ErtyJr]

3 years is normal. Mike wise has one 5 years old and if I'm not mistaken even one 6 or 7 years old!

He told me once he keeps his in cooler temps, breeds them only 1-2 times a year, and feeds them less. He can tell you more then I can though.

 

[Mike Wise]

IMHO most hobbyists shorten the lives of their apistos by overfeeding and over breeding. I don't think that my temperatures slow the aging process in any way. I keep my tanks at 77°F/25°C instead of the commonly recommended 79°F/26°C only because I want a few more females than males.

 

[ErtyJr]

Ah, I suppose over time I forgot parts of your response. I do believe some people here told me that they believed the temps contribute though. And it does make a bit of sense, but in the end all of these things are merely speculation and we can't say for certain which is causing it.

What we can say for certain though is that you certainly have a knack for raising apistogramma!