PlanetCatfish.com

The other day my girlfriend was asking me about the life expectancy of various fishes in my tanks, and while I had no trouble with some (tetras, cichlids and rainbowfish) I realised that I had no idea where the cats were concerned. Obviously they will live longer in captivity than in the wild, but I couldn't even find information on natural life expectancy. So, any chance of people out there sharing what they know, or adding info on longevity to the cat-eLog?

As always it depends on the species involved.

Catfish are often longer lived than most other fish because they are not usually as active.

As a general rule of thumb, the smaller and more active the creature, the shorter its lifespan.

Otos and corys will probably be the shotest lived of the pet catfish at approximately 4-10 years, while big doradids, loricariids and pimelodids will live 25+ years in captivity if cared for correctly.