Moorish Idol

[affan]

I bought Gill a few days ago because he looks cool. Now he refuses to eat! I've tried everything! Garlic soaked food, flakes, mysid shrimp, brine shrimp, Spirulina, and algae! He just doesn't want to eat. I am worried he'll starve to death, and mommy won't let me buy another fish til next month! Help!

 

[Chelsey]

Unfortunately Moorish Idol do not typically thrive in home aquaria

 

[affan]

but the guy at the fish store said he wasn't a typical moorish idol

 

[ste6168]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7203812#post7203812 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by affan
but the guy at the fish store said he wasn't a typical moorish idol

Did you see him eating at the pet store? If not, i dont know what the guy at the pet store was talking about. Anyway, PaulB, has been quite succesful keeping an idol from what i am aware, he said that even if you get them to eat the still will not survive long becuase it is like there is something in them that needs to eat sponge. I think that paulb feeds his idol locally picked sponge that he dives for... could be mistaken, but i am pretty sure i have read all of that somewhere.

 

[zemuron114]

The idols that come directly from hawaii (IE skip the wholesaler) usually eat.
My friend catches and sells them and so far the last 40 or so idols he has sent out are thriving and eating everything.
never buy one unless it eats.. I suggest you take it back.

 

[Johnson7]

If you are serious about your MI you might want to look this over
The Moorish Idol Thread
You will be able to find excellent help there

 

[affan]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I had no idea these were so difficult to keep. He just looked so beautiful and graceful, I had to bring him home. I realize now that I might have made a mistake. I have a 200 gallon tank, so he's got plenty of room to swim. Except for the Purple and Sohal tangs, I don't have any agressive fish but I've been watching the tank closely and both the tangs have barely noticed him. Anyway, reading the thread posted by bthomas, there seems to be a possibility of success in maintaining this beautiful fish in my tank. At the risk of being cruel, I am going to try and keep him. I will buy some sponge, and those 'soft and moist' pellets PaulB mentions in his post tomorrow. Will post pictures as well. Thanks again for the excellent feedback.

 

[affan]

He hasn't eaten anything I've tried to feed so far, but is it possible that he may be nipping on corals and my inverts because he looks brighter and healthier than when I bought him?

 

[kenny77]

well sadly I did the mistake one to try it. He ate but ont the food I was feeding him, instead he deside to try the tree sponge I had and the colony of zoanthias I had. He die after a while, with no sign of sickness, he just die.

If you have an established 200g tank and if you are lucky and provide him the right condition he will survive. I will recomend recollecting some wild sponge and try to feed them to see his reaction

 

[Paul B]

Affan, you really need to see them eat in the store, after saying that since you live in NYC you can collect sponge that they eat. Of course if it does not want to eat, you can't force it but sponge is their main food. I dove with them in Tahiti for a week and thats all I ever saw them eat. I know mine loves NYC sponge. You can collect it growing on docks just under the surface. I collected some yesterday out in Seaford Long Island. It is kind of reddish orange and disguesting looking. I freeze it for the rest of the year. I am not saying your Idol will eat it but if it eats anything it should eat that. Also, Idols live in mated pairs with one (I think the male) leading the female to food. If you got the subordinate one it may never eat.
Paul