Moorish Idol

[Andrew D]

I've of course heard that these are difficult to keep, but the LFS has a few that are eating the NLS pellets. IU really like the look of the fish and the price is right, but before I plunge I wanted to find out if anyone else has any good or bad things to say about these fish. I have a 150G with lots of rock, and a regal, yellow and powder blue tang already. None are huge, and I am planning to plan to tell my wife about the 300G I want to get.:spin2:

Thanks, Andrew

 

[disc1]

You say you've heard that they're hard to keep alive so you've obviously heard what people have to say. What. That wasn't the answer you wanted to hear so you thought you'd post and hope that someone would say otherwise so you could feel justified? It won't make the fish last any longer.

 

[foxrazr]

I'm no expert. Just be prepared to see a fish wither away and die even when is eating everything under the sun as it happened to me. Just look for the "Moorish Idol Primer" to see how many fish have made it a couple of years or even months. You will find countless post of people who have lost their moorish idols. I being one of them. With that said I have one in quarantine that has one more week to go before i put him/her in the display. This is my second moorish idol and is nice and fat. I feed mine nori in a clip and pe mysis but to put it simple, difficult they are.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=993712&highlight=moorish+idol+primer

 

[sbracho]

If the fish is already eating pellets, and is in good shape, I would recommend you to go for it. I have mine since about 4 years and he eats everything I pour in the tank, but every single day of these past years he had eaten SPectrum pellets and nori. Every day a leave a piece of Nori hanging for him.

I have a big tank, more than 200 gallons, with plenty live rock but with a limited amount of fishes, but still with small amounts of phosphate and nitrate, I guess my sistem is the usual FOWLR. It is amazing how big this fish has gotten.

Good luck.

 

[bskiba]

people do keep them and once they eat well they can be pigs. I would say see if it eats more and then go for it. I got one and then got rid of it because it harrassed my coral. he ate anything . flake, pellet, ect. if they show bones then you aren't feeding enough and they need to eat 3 times per day.

 

[brandon429]

Surely we're getting pics of the whole setup sbracho

 

[Andrew D]

Thanks (to most of you) for your helpful comments. Will take a chance given the condition he is in.

 

[Chris27]

With the advances in equipment and nutrition this hobby has seen over the last 10 years, we're able to keep more and more delicate species alive and healthy. It wasn't long ago that clown / sohals were considered no-no's, but that has changed...perhaps that fish will too. It's a beautiful fish, it just doesn't have a good track record in captivity.

So if you've found a healthy fish that is eating well, why not give it a shot? Sure they are delicate and hard to feed, but the hard part is already out of the way if it's eating.

 

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Here's some reading for you. The full Moorish Idol thread.

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

I had mine for 4 years before I lost him to a power outage. He was about 6 years old in capativity. Ate like a pig. The big thing for them is they need swimming room, same as a tang. And feed them. Good luck.

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

You may have a lot of trouble with your pbt. The idol is related to the tang family, eats greens, and eats a lot, so it will be competing for your pbt's food.

I put my idol in only one month after the pbt, which was small, and the pbt regularly chased it. Your pbt sounds like it is fully established in your tank and may (likely will?) be very aggressive with the idol.

 

[Allmost]

seems like you went for it, so please try to provide it with its needs ....

you are one step closer to sucess with these beautiful animals, ures is eating.

now ... this fish EATS ALOT .... it out eated all my fish [even my emperor angel] ...
feed it multiple times a day, NLS pellets, LOTS of nori and greens, and PE mysis.

if you feel like the ectra feeding is taking a toll on ure water chemistry, please give the fish away, or do more water changes, feeding it less means it will die SOON after ! [I left mine for 2 weeks on just pellets, after 2 years, and came back after vacation to find it dead ! I never got this sad for loosing a fish ...]

lastly, if ure PBT starts harrasing it, one has to go ... the major reason for mine not making it was my anchilles harrasing it, specially when I was away and they were offered no nori [which keeps the piece]

good luck, and please share pics with us on the primer thread not an impossible to keep fish ... but it takes alot top keep it fat and happy.