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frogster20001 
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 Topic: Longhorn cow fish
Posted: October 05 2003 at 9:50pm |
 I have a cowfish that I purchased quite a while ago. He eats great and loves his seaweed clip. He is currently in a 65 gallon with just live rock so his horns dont get stuck on any coral. I was wondering if they live long in captivity. I have gotten conflicting info on how long they live and have found sites that said they are easy to care for and others difficult to maintain with relatively little info on the fish itself. Does anyone know for sure what their requirements are and how long they live? any good website to check out? Thanks in advance!
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Ryan Willden
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Posted: October 06 2003 at 7:24am |
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Cowfish have a tendency to become stressed out by other agressive fish in your tank, and can exude a toxin that can wipe out an entire tank. Just keep your eye out for other fish that may pester him. If you notice any signs of stress, or if he gets sick, you may want to remove him.
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John Fletcher
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Posted: October 06 2003 at 8:47am |
I had beatsy for about 3 years. She was hand feed everyday, in a 55 gal. tank, by the time she was transfered to a 225 gal. tank she was almost 12" long from front horn to back horn. She was the easyest fish I have ever taken care of. As long as they are acclimated properly they are great fish. 
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John Fletcher
20 years experience
(Tank of the Month for May 2003)Taking a little break...
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frogster20001
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Posted: October 06 2003 at 2:01pm |
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Beatsy only lived 3 years?
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Adam Blundell
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Posted: October 06 2003 at 2:12pm |
 frogster20001 wrote:
Beatsy only lived 3 years? |
3 years would be a very long time to keep saltwater fish. The vast majority of our fish don't live anywhere near that long.
Adam
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Ryan Willden
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Posted: October 06 2003 at 4:56pm |
Yeah, I'm lucky to keep them three weeks sometimes...
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frogster20001
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Posted: October 06 2003 at 7:01pm |
 oh ...thats so sad....well I can always hope for 10 years if not more!
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: October 06 2003 at 7:06pm |
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Yeah and the inverts like Shrimp (peppermint, coral banded, cleaner) sometimes last just a year. Their lifespan is just short!
Yet coral colonies (they are almost all made up of numerous short lived coral polyps!)can live thousands of years! There are WMAS members that have third and fouth generation cuttings from the original parent up to 7 years ago from our first coral propagation seminars.
P.S. An anemone is one coral polyp. Doesn't this explain their short lifespan?
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Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks:www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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frogster20001
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Posted: October 06 2003 at 7:19pm |
yeah I never really stopped to think of it...but your right..an anemone is one polyp. Maybe now that you mentioned it...that explains why they dont live too long. Maybe in the wild they depend on parent polyps for food and the such..i am not sure...
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Shane H
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Posted: October 06 2003 at 8:21pm |
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I've got an oscellaris clown in my tank now that has got to be going on 7 years. I've also got a yellow tail damsel that is older than that! I've got two anemones that I have had for well over five years.
Many of my corals have been with me for 4,5,6,7 years now.
Seems like I read somewhere that anemones can also live for decades ...
If I don't get at least three years out of a fish - I feel like I'm doing something wrong. I expect longer though.
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Adam Blundell
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Posted: October 07 2003 at 10:19am |
Mark Peterson wrote:
P.S. An anemone is one coral polyp. Doesn't this explain their short lifespan? |
I'm not sure I believe either of those statements. Sometimes I think Mark just likes to stir up debate .
Adam
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