should i buy a moorish idol

Feed it a wide range of food. Like 3 or 4 small meals daily. Pack your tank with live rock but lots of swimming space too, or get a huge refugium. A 120 is doable for a MI, but more like a 250/300 is ideal and you likely wont have the same success as with a larger tank.
 
The biggest problem with Moorish Idols is that they break down in all the transport steps. Getting one directly shipped from the diver to your door would actually probably be the best route to at least "have a chance"! Unless you're intent on making the Moorish Idol the first priority of your fishkeeping endevours, I'd say pass.

MP
 
I say that if you want to keep something then it is your best bet not to ask people here because you will get mixed results. Some will say yes and some will say no. If you read you will see that some people have good luck with them and some people do not. I is up to you if you want one not everyone on here.
 
pro99line i just value other peoples exsperiences when dealing with a fish iv never owned before this has been very helpfull to me and i thank you all
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7683348#post7683348 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pro99line
I say that if you want to keep something then it is your best bet not to ask people here because you will get mixed results. Some will say yes and some will say no. If you read you will see that some people have good luck with them and some people do not. I is up to you if you want one not everyone on here.
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That's a great way to make sure you kill a lot of fish.

There's no reason not to learn from other people's mistakes and successes; you don't have time to make them all. Asking about it also will give you the opportunity to find out about possible alternatives that you may not have considered, and about other ideas people have had for successfully keeping the animals alive.

It's better to get multiple opinions and then make an informed decision based on that.

Dave
 
Moorish idols are very particular nutritionally in their natural environment. As some have said, we can get them to eat in captivity but we don't seem to be able to meet their nutritional needs. In the wild, they eat sponges. Not so easy in captivity to provide that as food. I think that we should attempt to allow our captive friends to live as long or longer than they would live in the ocean. So, with that in mind, Moorish Idols are probably not a fish of choice for the vast majority of aquarists.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7693499#post7693499 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by snorvich
Moorish idols are very particular nutritionally in their natural environment. As some have said, we can get them to eat in captivity but we don't seem to be able to meet their nutritional needs. In the wild, they eat sponges. Not so easy in captivity to provide that as food. I think that we should attempt to allow our captive friends to live as long or longer than they would live in the ocean. So, with that in mind, Moorish Idols are probably not a fish of choice for the vast majority of aquarists.
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Agreed. Their diet is principally sponges, followed by algae. Both will be required for any sort of long-term health. Of course, in addition to this, other assorted (and often, associated) benthic organisms are included in this diet, albeit to a much, much lesser degree.
 
As Amphiprion said, it is very important to satisfy the nutritional requirements of our "guests". That is why we should all strive as aquarists to provide as much nutritional variety as we are able. If a fish will only eat mysis, at least soak it in selcon or similar. In the wild, a fish is able to search for what it needs; in captivity, we must attempt to provide it. Many fish can survive for years in our aquariums if we care for them properly. When we remove them from the ocean, it is our obligation to attempt to do so.
 
First....i just want to address a few things i saw posted that are absurd....MI"s are not gonna jump out of your tank....someone might have had this happen...of all of them i have seen or known of...none have ever jumped or displayed a risk or tendency to want to...and that is quite a few specimens....

Also....if you get any fish wheter it be MI or whatnot...if they get ich and all your other fish die...it is not the MI's fault you just become classified as an idiot and its your fault(sorry to be so blunt)Ich is nothing...if you cant handle that then you definitely shouldnt even get a MI in the first place(i just had to address that load of crap)

anf finally....Paul B is your best source of advice on moorish idols you will likely find on here..hes had one for 3 years or so..which with this fish is great success to what it can be...so take his advice as great advice
 
moorish idol is dead happened really fast he was eating very well antill 2 days ago when he looked bored at the food offered i soaked food in garlic nothing he was always thin and detearated very quickly i wish i,d taken that good advice offered and never touched this fish all other fish are fine no white spot lucky i gess im still amazed how quick he went
 
Bolton,
I can barely understand what you are trying to say. Please complete your thought before beginning a new one. Thanks. :eek2:
 
Bolton Reefer. Sounds like a classic Moorish Idol way to die.

They can eat like pigs for a year or two then get bored and stop eating and die. I have seen it happen many times. I never saw one jump though, they are not real strong swimmers.
Good luck if the rest of you guys have Idols. Mine is still going strong but no where near as nice looking as when I got him. Very large and fat but his fins are not looking like they are supposed to. I am working on it but I think (I know) my 6' tank is way too small. They do not like being confined especially when full grown.
Have a great day.
Paul
 
Moorish Idols get large in the wild but I have never seen a 12 inch streamer and I have seen a LOT of MI in the wild. What are you feeding your fish?
 
Here's one in Bora Bora, you can see it is almost three times the fish length.
Paul

13094tahiti-med.jpg


These are a lot shorter from the same reef.
13094morish_idols_tahiti-med.jpg
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7697670#post7697670 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Serioussnaps
Also....if you get any fish wheter it be MI or whatnot...if they get ich and all your other fish die...it is not the MI's fault you just become classified as an idiot and its your fault(sorry to be so blunt)Ich is nothing
Click to expand...

I sort of disagree with this point (or with the way you've worded it). Anyone who has been in this hobby long enough has lost fish to ick. Yes, with quick recognition and treatment you can usually get them past it, and with good husbandry they're less likely to get it, but that's not the same as saying that it's "nothing".
The reason to consider someone at fault here would be a lack of quarantining.

Dave
 
all i can say is i was warned about these fish but i had to try one but never again, unless i had somthing like 300 gln + system even than no! forget it.
 
Paul B's comments are 100% accurate. Listen to everything he's said.

Out of interest, the only other thing I have ever seen them eat in the wild (read one individual only), was xenia. I watched one eat a piece of xenia like it was fairy floss!

As juvs I have only seen them as singles, but once 5-6" plus, they are almost exclusively in pairs.
Very occasionally I have seen them in schools of 30+. A truly majestic sight.
 
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