zfunk007
Premium Member
Well, if anyone is still keeping tabs on this thread I started... It's been 20 years. Hard to believe. I'm now 45 years old and have been working in the aquarium industry as a career. In that time, I have run 2 different stores and now run my own aquarium service business with over 80 clients. I never lost my passion for this hobby, although I will say, it took me almost 10 years to setup another saltwater aquarium after I accidentally killed my Moorish Idol (and entire fish tank) back in 2006. I dabbled in smaller tanks for a while, but back in 2022, I decided to take the plunge and finally get a "big" tank again. A Pro Star 230, my goal was an SPS reef. Fish were secondary.
Nearly 3 years later, I've got the tank of my dreams full of coral, but sort of lacking on the fish side. Then on May 23rd, I decided to stop into my local fish store to grab a few thing for my clients. I always take a quick look around to see what fish are available... and low and behold I see this fairly healthy looking guy:
I had a quarantine tank setup in my garage that I used to keep fish for clients... but I was hesitant. My Moorish Idol from 20 years ago devoured my coral, so I was forced to move him into a fish only tank. I knew it would be a risky move to bring him in. But I couldn't resist. So I brought him home and the journey has begun again!
I have been documenting things over on the Reef sub on Reddit. I know not many have posted here in recent years, but I also know that it has been a resource with a lot of useful information. I figured I could share the strategies I used this time around to get my Idol eating, which included training him to eat from a "grazing pad" and then introducing him successfully to my 230 gallon reef aquarium. It's been over 2 months since he's been in my tank and he is thriving. He "nips" at certain corals on occasion, but so far he has done very little damage and nothing has died. The key I have found is to keep him busy with other things to eat, the grazing pad being key (it lasts most of the day). Also, like I did 20 years ago, I have gone diving to collect different types of sponges for him to munch on as I know that is an important part of their diet. I spread them all around the tank so he has plenty to peck at as he cruises. Makes him less likely to nip at my coral as well.
Anyway, I am thrilled to have another Moorish Idol again and did everything I possibly could to give him the best chance of survival. So far so good! If anyone is interested, like I mentioned before, I documented all this on Reddit. You can find the links below:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ReefTank/c...=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
https://www.reddit.com/r/ReefTank/c...=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
https://www.reddit.com/r/ReefTank/c...=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Nearly 3 years later, I've got the tank of my dreams full of coral, but sort of lacking on the fish side. Then on May 23rd, I decided to stop into my local fish store to grab a few thing for my clients. I always take a quick look around to see what fish are available... and low and behold I see this fairly healthy looking guy:
I had a quarantine tank setup in my garage that I used to keep fish for clients... but I was hesitant. My Moorish Idol from 20 years ago devoured my coral, so I was forced to move him into a fish only tank. I knew it would be a risky move to bring him in. But I couldn't resist. So I brought him home and the journey has begun again!
I have been documenting things over on the Reef sub on Reddit. I know not many have posted here in recent years, but I also know that it has been a resource with a lot of useful information. I figured I could share the strategies I used this time around to get my Idol eating, which included training him to eat from a "grazing pad" and then introducing him successfully to my 230 gallon reef aquarium. It's been over 2 months since he's been in my tank and he is thriving. He "nips" at certain corals on occasion, but so far he has done very little damage and nothing has died. The key I have found is to keep him busy with other things to eat, the grazing pad being key (it lasts most of the day). Also, like I did 20 years ago, I have gone diving to collect different types of sponges for him to munch on as I know that is an important part of their diet. I spread them all around the tank so he has plenty to peck at as he cruises. Makes him less likely to nip at my coral as well.
Anyway, I am thrilled to have another Moorish Idol again and did everything I possibly could to give him the best chance of survival. So far so good! If anyone is interested, like I mentioned before, I documented all this on Reddit. You can find the links below:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ReefTank/c...=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
https://www.reddit.com/r/ReefTank/c...=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
https://www.reddit.com/r/ReefTank/c...=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
