Live Aquaria Moorish idols?
- Thread starter RealReef7
- Start date
jnc914
Active member
If it is not a Diver's Den specimen, I wouldn't bother.......especially with such a delicate fish. I would rather purchase one knowing it is already eating than taking a chance that it is not and it will likely starve to death in QT. IMHO, Moorish Idols are one of those fish that should be left in the ocean.
jnc914
Active member
I also started seeing them offered in one of my LFS here in PA, which was odd because they usually carry the same standard, boring livestock. I was in the store 2 weeks ago and they had 3 Moorish Idols in stock, none of which looked healthy and they were not eating yet. Besides getting a Diver's Den specimen, you may want to try and get one direct from HI. I know Les from WetPets HI and Robert L. can get them if you really want one. They are offered very cheap when you get them from the HI divers.
fishkid6692
New member
yea when you get them directly from the divers there only about 10 dollars or so but the shipping is what makes them expensive.
melanotaenia
New member
so unless you buy from the LiveAquaria DD section you are getting crap?
Outerbank
New member
I bought mine from a LFS. Not the best LFS either. It is a matter of being in the right place at the right time. I was checking out the livestock and 2-3 days earlier they received several MIs. The one I bought was the right size, fairly plump, and eating brine shrimp at the LFS. I was a little shocked when the somewhat clueless worker just dumped in brine shrimp and the MI ate with some aggression. I knew I had to immediately snatch that fish!
I like the idea, if possible, of dealing directly with Hawaii. See if they would ship a 3 inch specimen directly to your house. When I was in HI, I saw many wild MIs in the ocean.
I like the idea, if possible, of dealing directly with Hawaii. See if they would ship a 3 inch specimen directly to your house. When I was in HI, I saw many wild MIs in the ocean.
RealReef7
New member
I can get a moorish idol for 15 bucks at my lfs. The only reason why I ask is if live aquaria has better quality fish and they also have the 14 day guarantee.. but some of you guys are saying DD fish are slightly better then the reg livestock? So now I am thinking my lfs would be better haha. Alright thanks again guys.
rgentry123
Member
outerbank, how long have you had yours now?
Outerbank
New member
13 months.
I have only tried 2 MI and both have done well. I had the first MI almost 4 years, but he died in a move when I had to set up a whole new tank half hazardly.
As I have stated in the past, I believe in feeding them like crazy. I have several reasons on why I feed heavily. They seem to have caloric/energy needs that are difficult to meet. Also, if you feed a variety and ton of food, they are more likely to ingest enough of any obligatory nutrient. IMO, LR grazers don't just eat algae or sponge. There are many different organisms they incidently consume as they scrape a piece of algae or sponge off a rock. Perhaps MIs can process a sponge's caloric/energy value better than other foods (with or without nutritional benefits)(a cow can get fat on grass, but I would probably waste away eating grass all day). That may explain why they are so fat in the wild but are somewhat of a challenge to fatten up in the aquarium. However, this is unproven and just a guess at this time. Grass has cell walls we can't break down. Thus humans aquire very little energy from eating grass.--just some "food" for thought.
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LargeAngels
Premium Member
At $15 at your LFS I'd wonder about the quality and collection practice.
LiveAquaria ships almost all of their live stock from Quality Marine (wholesaler) in LA. Diver's Den specimens go to their facility in Wiscon, observed for disease and they get them healthy and eating before offered for sale. There is the difference.
As has been stated many times before idols are not easy and really shouldn't be attempted unless you have the time and experience for them.
If you are lucky enough to get a healthy idol they are surprisingly hardy and aggressive. I have two, in seperate tanks as they will most likely kill each other, and they are very aggressive and eat like pigs. They will square off agains angels twice their size to get at the mysis. What has surprised me the most is that they hardly ever pick at the rocks unless they see a piece of mysis. I did get mine directly from the diver and he made sure they were healthy and eating before shipping them. But a healthly idol that does well is far from the norm and not something which I recommend.
