Bangai Dying of old age

[paul b]

Bangai Cardinal dying from old age.  These fish have a lifespan of only 3 or 4 years, this one maybe 5 years old.  Bangai's have one of the shortest lifespans of all fish although some will live longer.   His mate died a while ago and they spawned for their entire adult life.  He has not eaten in a month (I am not sure if he is drinking)  You can see his fins are starting to deteriorate, he is breathing very slow, his scales are not smooth as silk and his top fin is getting shorter.  Also, a fish dying of old age shows no signs of disease until later in this process when their immune system starts to mis function.  Then he may exhibit spots and the other fish will pick on him.  He will find a hole to rest in and the bristleworms will then grab him and it will be all over.  I will catch him just before that happens and remove him. 
This is the way just about all fish die from old age which probably never happens in the sea.
Video

Here he is with his main squeeze in their younger days.

[paul b]

This is from Wikipedia:

The Banggai cardinalfish is a paternal mouthbrooder.[4] The female plays an active role in courtship and pair formation, which occurs a few hours to a few days before spawning. Mating pairs establish spawning territories several meters away from the main group and vigorously defend them.[4] The eggs are about 2.5 millimeters in diameter. The young remain in the male's mouth cavity for an undetermined period after hatching.[3] Unlike many other species of marine fish, the Banggai cardinalfish lacks a planktonic stage in its life history.[4] The species has a short life span, reaching around four years in optimal conditions in captivity, and perhaps 1 to 2 years in the wild.[4]

Edited November 7, 2017 by paul b

[Hilary]

Poor old dude.  Proof of the one of the positives, though, for fish living in an aquarium versus in the wild.