The Moorish Idol Thread

HEy ZFUNK I think that is really nice of you do do that and ship the sponge I will talk to my Partner that I keep the IDOL with and we will work something out with you with the sponge....


I just started an Aquarium MAintenance business what kind of business do you have?
 
Thanks for the kind comments italia987. Aquarium Maintenance huh? Yuck... I never wanted to be into that :D. We sell items over the internet and ship them out. Met quite a few interesting and very nice hobbiests this way.

As far as the sponge goes, just email me here: caribbeanfishandmore@gmail.com and we'll work something out. Anything I can do to help out a fellow hobbyist with a Moorish Idol.
 
Last night we went out by boat to watch the fireworks at Orchid beach in the Bronx.
I found a new location to collect sponge to feed my moorish Idol,
City Island (in the Sound between Long Island and the Bronx) is full of the stuff which means I will have enough to feed him all winter. Last year I ran out of the stuff.
The Idol is about the only fish that eats the disguesting stuff but it is his favorite food and since they eat mostly sponge I feed it to him. I would really like to know what it is composed of.
It is that orange looking spongy stuff that you see clinging to docks near the surface of the water.
My copperband tries the sponge but then gives me a funny look, he really does not like it.
I can't keep it alive for more than a few hours so I freeze it.
ZFunk how you doing buddy? How is the business doing?
Have a great Fourth of July.
Paul
 
Paul, why not ask Dr. Ron if you can send him a sample for identification? It would be interesting to know if it's a similar species to what might be found in their natural range.
 
Kieron, I could do that or I could find out locally in one of the public aquariums. It is very common here in NY and even grows in the New Yory Aquarium tanks. I know some people there who could tell me.
It is not that important I guess since I have been feeding it for 3 years and the fish is still alive.
I doubt it is similar to what it eats in the South Pacific. NY encrusting sponge must be loaded with nutrients (and of course pollutants) I collect it in marina's in water that is lets say "not perfect" There is sometimes a gas sheen on the surface and usually some garbage. It grows a few inches below the surface and is completely surrounded with sea squirts, barnacles and uncountable amphipods.
Take care.
Paul
 
Hey Paul, things are going well. Still working on building the business. Just got back from a keys trip actually and got stung really bad by some fire coral. Ended up with some blisters on my side because of it. OUCH!

Anyway, I wouldn't worry about the pollutants and garbage where you collect your sponge from. There are plenty of pollutants and garbage in Florida as well. Especially in the keys and in the inlets around where I go diving. Never had any problems here. You got to figure that since they live with pollutants and garbage in the wild, they must build up a tolerance for it :D.

No Idol news here. I may not have one of my own for quite some time (although I plan on buying some for my business at some point this summer). My personal display tanks are still sitting without water in them and since I am planning on moving out of my parents house in the next year or so, I figure I should probably just wait to setup a tank until I get my own place. We'll see though...

Hope everyone and their Idols are doing well.
 
hey guys, well decided to try moorish idols again.
my gf bought me three and i put them in the main tank 3 days ago risking some pretty expensive corals. the good news is that the biggest one is eating well, the bad news, he's eating the crocea clam that my gf bought for me. :( well maybe i can now try clams on a half shell. they're also picking at my yellow turbinia coral. i think they're laying off the lps and the rest of the sps. anyone know where to get sponge based food or what it's called? thanks guys.
btw, PaulB...my girlfriend decided to go on my account and read some stuff that you wrote on a different thread...it was so cute. she was telling me about what to feed the idols. haah
 
Both SFBB (Angel and Butterfly Diet) and ON (Angel Formula) contain sponge. My Idol eats both, but prefers the ON. And yes, he eats halved bivalves too.
 
John37, I feed him normal moorish Idol food, bananas and avacado mixed with plaster of paris. I thought everyone fed that to their Idols :lol: (actually I do)
Of course I do feed sponge every day as that is the only thing I have seen them eat in the sea. As was said above there are prepared foods that are supposed to contain sponge but if you defrost those foods and look closely it looks like a lot of plain brine shrimp to me. I could be wrong but if you can get regular natural sponge from the sea like the encrusting orange stuff that grows on most everything in northern waters they love the stuff. I know a lot of people do not live by the sea but the stuff freezes well and I have kept it for 6 months frozen.
I wish I could send it to everyone. I can't keep the stuff alive in a tank for a day.
Have a great day.
Paul
 
Paul B. Where did your Idol come from? From reading this long thread I was wonderinf if Idols from Hawaii have different diets compared to Idols in the indo-pacific area.
 
cthetoy, the store around the corner. Before that, I have no Idea.
I never dove with them in Hawaii only Tahiti so I can't answer that.
Paul
 
Of all of the gut studies I could find, all Idols had overwhelmingly predominantly sponge matter in their digestive systems with one exception. The exception is a study done by Randall in the 50's and consisted of exactly 2 specimens that had only algae in their guts.
 
Hey zfunk007, I dont have an idol but i'm joining in on the thread to learn about them. I dint have a chance to read all the threads, so my main ? is are they reef safe and is a 92 courner tank big enough to keep one?How will they do against a 2 year old yellow tang.
 
Reef safe within reason. I've never read of reports of their going after SPS, softs, or polyps, but LPS and Clams they sometimes do. IMO, no, a 90 gallon is not large enough, especially not a corner tank. I would say that a 180 is a bare minimum, and even that I would say is too small after observing their swimming behavior for extended periods. It's impossible to say how one individual fish will react to another. I can say that in my 450, the PBT (albeit far more aggressive than a YT) gave my MI hell for a few days after introduction. But, he does that with any remotely competing species. In a 90, tho, a tank 1/5 the size, who can say, you might find that your YT kills the MI, or is responsible for the death if not outright, or you can find the reverse. Once established, MIs are not slouches in the least.
 
I don't know on the exact physiology, but I suspect the mouth parts are not soft at all from visual examination of living specimens, including observations on feeding. Sponge is pretty tough to chew, after all. Can't say on natural algae consumed, but mine loves Nori (Poryphyra) and ignores other algae sheets and things like Hijiki, Edamame, etc.
 
Here is my list of foods:
ulva algae
nori
caulerpa
Ocean Nutrition angel formula
Ocean Nutrition special formula
Kent Marine garlic extreme
 
Update, same Idol that I have had since Jan. 20ish 2006 (earlier post). So far only coral it picks on is green fingure leather.

Foods it loves: nori; frozen mysis and Spirulina enhanced brine; Pellets and flake


June 29 photos:

DSCN2862.JPG

DSCN2860.JPG

DSCN2873.JPG
 
Kieron from observing them while diving with them for a week in Tahiti I only saw them eat this sticky looking lime green sponge. I couldn't collect any because they always found it for me and it was always gone when I caught up to them. I feed NY encrusting sponge which they can't eat unless I cut it in small pieces. Their mouths are almost useless at tearing anything I guess thats why they are adapted to that goey sponge.
Paul
 
Moorish Idol is getting a little chubby

Moorish Idol is getting a little chubby

Here's the lastest pic 07/13/06 I've had Him/Her going on a year and a half. All my fish are pretty chunky. Anyone have a fatter Idol?

showphoto.php


showphoto.php


The Blue Hippo Tang I've raised from a tiny, almost a fry was so small it was smaller than my small clown fishes. :)
 
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