Maldives Moorish idol Cyanide caught?

N

Naraku

New member
The Moorish idol I bought a month ago from Maldives is still eating but getting skinny. You can see the ribs and the back is paper thin even though its eating.
Stomach is not pinched.

The other one I got at the same time got stuck on a power filter and died the first week.

It seems like they were not in the best condition when I got them even though they were not super thin either.

I am unable to fatten him up.
He is unable/unwilling to eat a lot per feeding.
I am literally feeding 1-2 pellets per 2 hours whenever I don't work.

What other food can fatten him up? However, I don't want him to eat another food and stop eating pellets.


I tried feeding medicated food but he lost appetite the next few days so I stopped. I didn't want him to stop eating.
 
I've read in some articles that there may be some cyanide use by Maldives collectors, though nothing conclusive. If true, it will likely be used on fish that are particularly hard to catch with nets and not on fish that are easily caught with nets or other non narcotic means.
Moorish Idols are not notorious cave dwellers and not particularly hard to catch, so I would doubt they get caught with cyanide.
 
have you read the Moorish Idol primer? Getting them to eat is not the problem. the problem is getting them to eat enough to sustain weight and live long enough..

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=607477

I had a Moorish Idol for almost a year, very fat and healthy before I sold him.. he was just getting too big for my 150gal. At first I fed that tank 5x a day, mostly meaty food and Nori.. After 3-4 months, I slowly cut down to 3, then 2 feedings. you can see him lose weight while eating. so see if you can add meals.

I feed pure market frozen food. Also add vitachem + selcon.
 
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Is there any other fish outcompeting the Idol?

If so, they need to go.

Idols don't eat much at any one time, and can easily get outcompeted by more aggressive fish. The key is having food available all the time so it can eat all the time. I way overfeed pellets so that they are laying around on the bottom til the Idol gets around to eating them. Not a good strategy for a reef tank, but a great strategy for an Idol.

My Idol will fatten up on NLS pellets. Nori is also important and keeps the streamer growing. It takes a while to fatten up but they can turn skinny almost over night.
 
no he is the sole fish in quarantine.

Should I get more idol to make him more comfortable?

I did read the idol primer. The consensus is that they will kill each other if in pairs. What if I bought a group? Will he feel more comfortable and eat more?



Before I leave for work, I feed. He usually only eats 2 pellets. I leave a couple more to sink to the bottom. When I come home, they are usually eaten, I feed when I get back and he eats like 5 pellets. Then I leave a couple more on the bottom.
 
Talk about skinny overnight.

When I first got him, he ate a lot during the second week. He got "normal weight". Went on a 1 day vacation and he was skinny when I returned.

pinnatus said:
Is there any other fish outcompeting the Idol?

If so, they need to go.

Idols don't eat much at any one time, and can easily get outcompeted by more aggressive fish. The key is having food available all the time so it can eat all the time. I way overfeed pellets so that they are laying around on the bottom til the Idol gets around to eating them. Not a good strategy for a reef tank, but a great strategy for an Idol.

My Idol will fatten up on NLS pellets. Nori is also important and keeps the streamer growing. It takes a while to fatten up but they can turn skinny almost over night.
Click to expand...
 
Naraku said:
no he is the sole fish in quarantine.

Should I get more idol to make him more comfortable?

I did read the idol primer. The consensus is that they will kill each other if in pairs. What if I bought a group? Will he feel more comfortable and eat more?



Before I leave for work, I feed. He usually only eats 2 pellets. I leave a couple more to sink to the bottom. When I come home, they are usually eaten, I feed when I get back and he eats like 5 pellets. Then I leave a couple more on the bottom.
Click to expand...

No, don't get more. They will kill each other off.

How big is he? Young ones cannot eat a lot of food at one time. How big are the pellets? Make sure to get the small ones. Their mouths are not very large.

Breathing fast is not a good sign. Prazi is a good idea. Copper is not a bad idea either if it has signs of ick. (TTM is better but takes more time, which you may not have). I have treated mine with both Prazi and Copper and it had no problems.
 
I remember you planned to keep you MI in water that was cooler so you could attempt to keep respiration down.What temperature is your water at,now?
 
Already did TTM and formalin baths. Is prazi really necessary? I don't wat to ruin his appetite thru medication.


pinnatus said:
No, don't get more. They will kill each other off.

How big is he? Young ones cannot eat a lot of food at one time. How big are the pellets? Make sure to get the small ones. Their mouths are not very large.

Breathing fast is not a good sign. Prazi is a good idea. Copper is not a bad idea either if it has signs of ick. (TTM is better but takes more time, which you may not have). I have treated mine with both Prazi and Copper and it had no problems.
Click to expand...
 
He may have flukes. Not gaining weight, not eating much, and breathing fast are all possible signs of flukes. Prazi treatment couldn't hurt, and might help.

My idol got flukes after I had him for maybe 6 years. I could see very light brown smudges on his sides, and that was it. Prazi cleared it right up.
 
I don't see any head shaking or twitching, but I will most likely give it a try.
My Hikari prazi bottle, I got around 4 years ago. There is no expiration date on the bottle. Should I get another one?
 
Better yet, I'll give him a fresh water dip on my next water change to see if anything drops out of his gills.
 
Naraku said:
Before I leave for work, I feed. He usually only eats 2 pellets. I leave a couple more to sink to the bottom. When I come home, they are usually eaten, I feed when I get back and he eats like 5 pellets. Then I leave a couple more on the bottom.
Click to expand...

That is not enough... I would add 2-3 more feedings. Maybe add an auto feeder? or wake up earlier to attempt 2 feedings before work, 2 feedings after?

When you are home, just constantly feed through out the day. Every few hours.. Clean up all the left overs after feeding. When you need to work, set up the auto feeder or leave extra pellets..
 
I saw a stringy poo today.

Going to start metro after a large water change and a fresh water dip to check for flukes.
 
I have never had a MI before. But try feeding live blackworms. It should fatten him up. Plus it is very nutritious. (something about fish oil)
 
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