Moorish idol: trios in tank?

[ntropics]

So I was at the LFS picking up some supplies, and they had three MI's in a tank, each about four inches long. They were quite beautiful. I was not interested in purchasing them but I spoke with one of the guys there, remarking that I would never buy them, because of husbandry challenges. He said that he successfully kept five moorish idols in his tank many years ago (before he knew that they were impossible to keep) and that they never gave him any trouble, and lived for many years (did not ask him how many though). He believes that a single moorish idol is much more likely to perish than a group. He recommends three in a tank, which of course means a big tank! He really was NOT trying to sell me these, believe me. And the three fish at the store were, indeed, eating.

Anyone have any ideas about this?

 

[snorvich]

Well have you read the Moorish Idol thread at the top of this forum? Your odds are not very good for one, let alone multiples. LFS people are there to sell fish; if the person had so much success with them, HE should buy them. Once you read the thread on this forum, you can decide if YOU are likely to be successful.

 

[ntropics]

Thanks for your response.
Yeah, I've read the thread. It goes back years! Like I said, he was NOT trying to sell me the fish. I also have no intention on buying them.

In fact, if you go through the moorish idol thread, there are a couple of people who have said that they fare much better as mated pairs. So, my question was to address solely the idea of multiple vs. single moorish idols in a tank.


Bruce