Hardest fish to keep & what is your oldest fish

[my2rotties]

What species is the hardest to keep for you and why?

Do some species have lower immune systems?

What is the oldest most healthy fish you have had?

What kind of fish did you lose despite a perfect water and feeding and such?

What kind of fish would you avoid getting no matter what?

[digital-audiophile]

My longest living fish is my Purple Tang, I've had him for ~4 years and through two tank crashes from moving tanks.

I think the hardest fish I have ever tried is a mandarin, i've tried two different times with both ending in death. I only tried once my tanks were mature enough but also keeping a six line at the same time I think was the downfall.

[fdiddy]

Hardest fish for me to keep so far would have to be a Kole tang. Don't know why, other tangs seem to do great, but I've tried two of these fish and they don't seem to do as well. Longest fish I have, and they've been in there since I started the tank, is a yellow-tailed damsel and a gold stripe maroon clown. Both approx. 1.5 years old. Been through a tank crash and an upgrade to a 160g from a 40g.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Copperband Butterfly for me.

Longest fish I had was a Green Spotted Puffer for almost 9 years. I also had a few Archer fishes for 5 years.

Longest actual saltwater fish would be a Stars and Stripes Puffer for 3 years. Kind of sad that for saltwater fish, the longest is 3 years He is still alive and well though with a friend in Florida. So he is about 6 or 7 years old now.

I would avoid many, many fish personally (mostly the usual suspects for hard to keep fish). Just not worth the effort or risk to keep them alive for. Many are better left in the ocean.

[EmilyB]

Black Blotch Trigger 11 years so far

Black back butterfly 9 years so far

I sold a yellow tang when it was 9, don't know if she is still around.

Lost many along the way unfortunately.

[reefy]

hardiest one for me would be Morish Idol
longest one that I have is my 2 perculas and pyjamas cardinal 3 years sinces I start salwater.

[marie]

my longest lived fish is my clarkii clown, I'll have had her 10 yrs in sept. The rest of my fish (with the exception of a few little guys and the copperband) I have had for at least 3 yrs

[untamed]

Copperband butterfly fish was the one fish that frustrated me because I couldn't keep it alive no matter what I tried. Never again. (unless someone provides me with one they have already kept for a year or more)

My best record is with a yellow-tail damsel - 13 years...and a convict damsel at 12 years. Both have passed away and I really believe they both just died of old age.

My current longest lived is a gold-striped maroon clown at almost 4 years.

[Trigger Man]

Copperband butterfly and Regal Angel fish were the hardest ones for me to try and in the end both slowly died away despite my best efforts.
The Achilles tang was the one that still has me confused, as it was great for over a month never showed ick, ate everything, had great color and then one day just died in a span of 5 hours, breathing heavy and slowly did the sideways thing, but no other fish or coral in the tank looked un normal and the water checked out perfectly when I tested it.
My longest living fish are currently a little over 2 years old (were introduced within 2 months of eachother) and are my Crosshatch trigger, Jumbo Chromis, Purcula Clownfish.

[xenon]

My true percula is 4years old and very easy to care for.

I tried 4 different copperband butterflies of all different sizes that were eating at the LFS before I brougt them home and none survived longer than 3weeks.