I’ve tried raising fish, but haven’t met with much success. The common goldfish my kids won at fairs, or convinced me to buy from department stores, have lived less than a week. Perhaps I’ve been buying the wrong breed of fish.

(Photo credit: John Byron Kuhner) According to the New York Daily News, Queens pet shot owner Steve Gruebel has figured out how to keep a fish alive. He owns the oldest fish in New York…a black pacu named Buttkiss (named after Hall of Fame football player Dick Butkus.)
Buttkiss is 43 years old, more than twice as old as expected for a typical black pacu.

The pacu was only “guppy-sized” when Gruebel got him in 1967. Now he is 23 inches long and weighs more than 20 pounds. He lives at Gruebel’s pet shop, Cameo Pet Shop in NYC, but Gruebel says he’s not for sale. “He’s a member of the family now.”