The Moorish Idol Thread
- Thread starter zfunk007
- Start date
OK, let's try this again. A link to the tank and pic's.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=9823965#post9823965
OK it works now.
Also I have a purple sponge growing in my tank and the Idol has not even noticed it yet. He is however eating great and hanging out with the Naso's. I feed a large varitey of pellets, a little from each manufacuter all mixed up and fed 2 to 3 times a day along with a sheet of nori. So far, so good.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=9823965#post9823965
OK it works now.
Also I have a purple sponge growing in my tank and the Idol has not even noticed it yet. He is however eating great and hanging out with the Naso's. I feed a large varitey of pellets, a little from each manufacuter all mixed up and fed 2 to 3 times a day along with a sheet of nori. So far, so good.
7thheaven
Premium Member
Dear Paul~
I tried to give banana yesterday. But The result is failed.
I think because I do not freeze it. so I can not stick easily.
It is too soft to fix....
it flow all around the tank. How can I fix it that MI can try to eat?
Freeze it then the fix to the stick or something with bend?
I tried to give banana yesterday. But The result is failed.
I think because I do not freeze it. so I can not stick easily.
It is too soft to fix....
it flow all around the tank. How can I fix it that MI can try to eat?
Freeze it then the fix to the stick or something with bend?
Paul B
Premium Member
Cthetoy is correct. Bananas should be given (If at all) after he is eating well. I find that Mysis and brine shrimp may be too small, I found ocean plankton which is about 1/4" to be about correct for a full grown Idol. The bananna is tricky to feed. I just put a little mushy bananna on the tip of a knife and swirl it in the water. It floats off the knife and the fish attack it.
Hey Chevy, very nice school of fish you have there. The Idol's dorsal doesen't look bad either. I'm impressed. Corals look good too. Don't tell too many people about the benefits of NSW. They won't believe you anyway.
I have been on a gobi kick and my tank is filled with them. No where near as colorful as "real" fish but I go for wierd and I do get on these kicks for a few years at a time. I may breed some.
Good luck, great looking tank I'm jealous
Now I am going to thank a Veteran.
Paul
Hey Chevy, very nice school of fish you have there. The Idol's dorsal doesen't look bad either. I'm impressed. Corals look good too. Don't tell too many people about the benefits of NSW. They won't believe you anyway.
I have been on a gobi kick and my tank is filled with them. No where near as colorful as "real" fish but I go for wierd and I do get on these kicks for a few years at a time. I may breed some.
Good luck, great looking tank I'm jealous
Now I am going to thank a Veteran.
Paul
long-time-dead
New member
Hi Guys
I thought I would join the thread and give you my input on my Idol. I live in Scotland so please excuse the crazy posting hours !!!
I've had my MI for two months now. Upon seeing the fish in a tankful of tangs and competing for Nori, I couldn't resist it.
Like many, it's dorsal fin was very short with no real streamer present. In a few days, the fin was making great strides forward and the fish plumping up well.
So, all well so far. What is it eating ?
In a word - everything I throw at it.
Sheet Nori - both from the Chinese Supermarket and the Sprung commercial variety.
Pellet - Ocean Nutrition (ON) Formula 1 and 2. Dragon Feeds pellet also.
Flake - Delicasea Marine, ON Prime Reef, ON Brine Shrimp, ON Formula 2, Nutrafin Marine Mix, Nutrafin Spirulina Algae Flake, Julian Sprung Sea Veggies.
Frozen - Marine Mix, Mysis Shrimp, Brine Shrimp.
Others - it cruises the dark areas of my reef in the hunt for sponge. No polyp destruction noted although I have observed that it destroyed a colony of zoas. The reason for this was not the polyps as they were all over the tank but the sponge (white) that had been growing inbetween and on the rock.
My future thoughts are to have a thorough read of this thread to glean what successes you have all had and to add a canister filter on a loop in my sump. This canister filter will contain some LR chunks with sponge on and be filled with LR chunks to be colonised. I will swap out as required to maintain a good crop of homegrown sponge.
Here's a snap of him with some of his current tankmates. It's an 84L*24H*30W tank with a 48*18*24 sump. Around 250lbs of LR, 30x tank turnover in main tank (excluding returns) and chaeto on reversed lighting in the sump. Aquamedic 5000 Shorty skimmer. 3x250w halides.
I thought I would join the thread and give you my input on my Idol. I live in Scotland so please excuse the crazy posting hours !!!
I've had my MI for two months now. Upon seeing the fish in a tankful of tangs and competing for Nori, I couldn't resist it.
Like many, it's dorsal fin was very short with no real streamer present. In a few days, the fin was making great strides forward and the fish plumping up well.
So, all well so far. What is it eating ?
In a word - everything I throw at it.
Sheet Nori - both from the Chinese Supermarket and the Sprung commercial variety.
Pellet - Ocean Nutrition (ON) Formula 1 and 2. Dragon Feeds pellet also.
Flake - Delicasea Marine, ON Prime Reef, ON Brine Shrimp, ON Formula 2, Nutrafin Marine Mix, Nutrafin Spirulina Algae Flake, Julian Sprung Sea Veggies.
Frozen - Marine Mix, Mysis Shrimp, Brine Shrimp.
Others - it cruises the dark areas of my reef in the hunt for sponge. No polyp destruction noted although I have observed that it destroyed a colony of zoas. The reason for this was not the polyps as they were all over the tank but the sponge (white) that had been growing inbetween and on the rock.
My future thoughts are to have a thorough read of this thread to glean what successes you have all had and to add a canister filter on a loop in my sump. This canister filter will contain some LR chunks with sponge on and be filled with LR chunks to be colonised. I will swap out as required to maintain a good crop of homegrown sponge.
Here's a snap of him with some of his current tankmates. It's an 84L*24H*30W tank with a 48*18*24 sump. Around 250lbs of LR, 30x tank turnover in main tank (excluding returns) and chaeto on reversed lighting in the sump. Aquamedic 5000 Shorty skimmer. 3x250w halides.
long-time-dead,
Welcome to the Mi thread. Good reading in here and we look forward to some input fom you. Nice fish you've got there.
Paul, Thanks. I wouldn't call you weird, you just go down the les traveled path. besides, I like gobies, expically the clown gobies.
Don't be jealous of the tank, it's nowhere near as cool as yours. Maybe in a few years when everything has grown in, it may start to something worth mentioning. Right now, it's just a tank full of some nice fish and a couple of old corals. I've got some really nice frags of monti caps in there and so now I'm just waiting for the tank to settle in to it's grove and things to grow. 
Welcome to the Mi thread. Good reading in here and we look forward to some input fom you. Nice fish you've got there.
Paul, Thanks. I wouldn't call you weird, you just go down the les traveled path. besides, I like gobies, expically the clown gobies.
Don't be jealous of the tank, it's nowhere near as cool as yours. Maybe in a few years when everything has grown in, it may start to something worth mentioning. Right now, it's just a tank full of some nice fish and a couple of old corals. I've got some really nice frags of monti caps in there and so now I'm just waiting for the tank to settle in to it's grove and things to grow.
Paul B
Premium Member
Chevy, I could dive in your tank. My tank has had some problems lately. I have had more tank problems in the last year than I had since Nixon was president. At least my beer cans diden't rust yet.
I am going to try to raise some gobies. I have all kinds, some that I haven't seen before and when I see something that I haven't had before I have to get some.
You got that Idol eating bananas yet?
I am off due to a knee operation and am really enjoying it. Any day out of work is a good day. I will take surgery over work any day and you get that nice opportunity to sleep a few hours while they do it. It was sissy arthroscopic surgery not fit for a veteran.
I like it when they tear off your leg and send it out for repairs like a man :eek1:
You have a great tank there, good luck.
Paul:dance:
I am going to try to raise some gobies. I have all kinds, some that I haven't seen before and when I see something that I haven't had before I have to get some.
You got that Idol eating bananas yet?
I am off due to a knee operation and am really enjoying it. Any day out of work is a good day. I will take surgery over work any day and you get that nice opportunity to sleep a few hours while they do it. It was sissy arthroscopic surgery not fit for a veteran.
I like it when they tear off your leg and send it out for repairs like a man :eek1:
You have a great tank there, good luck.
Paul:dance:
Thanks for the laugh.
I spent the weekend out at sea conducting a missle OP so I was busy. a couple of 20 hour days but it was fun, that is if you like stress. Tank was OK while I was gone and the wife said she fed them well. Now I just need to get back to work on them when I get teh chance.
I haven't tried the Bana or avalacdo yet but will next time we go shopping and get some fresh stuff. That is IF I can sneak some away from the wife while she's cooking.
It will be interesting to see how your tank progress now as you enter another cycle in it's life. Sad to see the Idol go but it wouldn't supprise me a bit to find you back on here posting a picture of your newest idol. See you around the board.
Got a question for you. What do you think would make a interesting occupant in a 400G FOWLR tank? The tank is 7' L X 2' W X 4' T. I don't have it set up yet but am contemplating what to keep in it. Was thinking of a small blue spot ray and/or sharks. Wife says no eel's though. Any sugestions of something different from the Norm?
I spent the weekend out at sea conducting a missle OP so I was busy. a couple of 20 hour days but it was fun, that is if you like stress.
Tank was OK while I was gone and the wife said she fed them well. Now I just need to get back to work on them when I get teh chance.I haven't tried the Bana or avalacdo yet but will next time we go shopping and get some fresh stuff. That is IF I can sneak some away from the wife while she's cooking.
It will be interesting to see how your tank progress now as you enter another cycle in it's life. Sad to see the Idol go but it wouldn't supprise me a bit to find you back on here posting a picture of your newest idol.
See you around the board.Got a question for you. What do you think would make a interesting occupant in a 400G FOWLR tank? The tank is 7' L X 2' W X 4' T. I don't have it set up yet but am contemplating what to keep in it. Was thinking of a small blue spot ray and/or sharks. Wife says no eel's though. Any sugestions of something different from the Norm?
cthetoy
Active member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9845414#post9845414 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by blown63chevy
Sad to see the Idol go but it wouldn't supprise me a bit to find you back on here posting a picture of your newest idol.
?
Who lost their Idol? I hope you're not talking about PaulB's Idol
Sorry, but I am. He had a tank crash while attending to a family matter. Nothing really he could do about it.
Paul B
Premium Member
I am partial to pineconefish if you can get them. Lookdowns are really nice in a large tank too. They get about 9" high and a school of three would be great. In St Lucia they were selling lookdowns for 50 cents a lb to eat. Must be all bones though.
You don't see lookdowns in smaller tanks, they just get too big but really nice and out of the norm.
I diden't just lose the Idol. I lost almost all my fish and many of the corals.
I think "Old Tank Syndrome" kicks in at about 37 years old. I have another month or two.
My problems started a couple of months ago when the power and heat went off, the tank went to 60 degrees and some ich developed. I cured that then was doing some much needed maintenance and transfered most of the fish to a smaller tank with no filtration for the day but my Mother was rushed to the hospital and I had to spend a few days there. Something must have died and polluted the water as I figured it would.
Then I found out that my town put zinc orthophosphate in the water to control corrosion in the pipes. My RO seemed to remove most of it because it happened before, anyway, the wife is calling so I have to go. She goes to the gym 4 times a week and now she can kick my a_ _
Talk to you later.
Paul
:lol:
Lookdowns huh? Might have to look into those.
Well as the previous owner had told me and I found out last night, this Idol has a taste for Zoa's. I only had a few in the tank and they were surounded by a purple sponge. Well he ate the Zoa's along with a bit of the sponge. No big deal as they were just some that were on a rock I got, nothing interesting. As for the rest of the sponge's in the tank, he hasn't touched any of them yet.
I tried a little banana last night but he didn't go for it. Matter of fact, none of the fish did. I did pick up a pack of seafood variety at the local Asian market yesterday and am going to blend it up and make some food for them. It has Squid, mussles, shrimp, and octopus in it. I'll add in some pellets, Selcon, garlic, cyclopezz, Nori and whatever else I have around the house that I can throw in there. Maybe some banana and alvacado as well as a little broccili. I'll let you know how it goes.
His streamer as grown a bit and he's still nice and fat. I was in the tank the other day to replace a coral that got knocked off and he didn't go and hide like the rest of the fish do. he just stayed right out front swimming around as normal.
Well as the previous owner had told me and I found out last night, this Idol has a taste for Zoa's. I only had a few in the tank and they were surounded by a purple sponge. Well he ate the Zoa's along with a bit of the sponge. No big deal as they were just some that were on a rock I got, nothing interesting. As for the rest of the sponge's in the tank, he hasn't touched any of them yet.
I tried a little banana last night but he didn't go for it. Matter of fact, none of the fish did. I did pick up a pack of seafood variety at the local Asian market yesterday and am going to blend it up and make some food for them. It has Squid, mussles, shrimp, and octopus in it. I'll add in some pellets, Selcon, garlic, cyclopezz, Nori and whatever else I have around the house that I can throw in there. Maybe some banana and alvacado as well as a little broccili. I'll let you know how it goes.
His streamer as grown a bit and he's still nice and fat. I was in the tank the other day to replace a coral that got knocked off and he didn't go and hide like the rest of the fish do. he just stayed right out front swimming around as normal.
Paul B
Premium Member
Chevy, here are some Lookdown picture sites.
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/speciesid/fish_page/fish16a.html
http://www.markrosenstein.com/gallery2/main.php/v/got/Lookdowns.jpg.html
http://www.smugmug.com/community/SaltwaterAquariums/keyword/lookdowns#129052135
Chevy I received an E mail yesterday from Australia. They are using one of my Elysia Crispata (lettuce slug) pictures in an Australian/New Zealand textbooks.
I am so famous I am beside myself. I used to be two feet to the left of where I am now. :lol:
Anyway, lookdowns are the way to go. I don't know how available they are by you. I see them occasionally here and I can order them. A place near me had a bunch of them last week about 4" high.
Have fun testing those missles. I am almost an expert on being on the wrong end of missles but the ones they used to throw at us were only 6' long. Sissy missles compared to what you are launching.
:eek1:
Take care.
Paul
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/speciesid/fish_page/fish16a.html
http://www.markrosenstein.com/gallery2/main.php/v/got/Lookdowns.jpg.html
http://www.smugmug.com/community/SaltwaterAquariums/keyword/lookdowns#129052135
Chevy I received an E mail yesterday from Australia. They are using one of my Elysia Crispata (lettuce slug) pictures in an Australian/New Zealand textbooks.
I am so famous I am beside myself. I used to be two feet to the left of where I am now. :lol:
Anyway, lookdowns are the way to go. I don't know how available they are by you. I see them occasionally here and I can order them. A place near me had a bunch of them last week about 4" high.
Have fun testing those missles. I am almost an expert on being on the wrong end of missles but the ones they used to throw at us were only 6' long. Sissy missles compared to what you are launching.
:eek1:
Take care.
Paul
Had a sucessful test last week and now the Sailors will have one more bag of tricks in their arsnel to defend themselfs aginst the bad guys.
So your published world wide. YOU SIR ARE THE MAN!
We I almost had a switch of plans. Had a guy local giving away a 5' X 4' X 3' tank. Was thinking of getting rid of the second 400G and going with this one and putting in Blue Spot ray's. But someone else grabbed it first. Oh well.
I'll have to run it by the boss. She was originally thinking of rays or sharks. But I'm not sure of any small sharks that are active swimmers. I don't want a big tank with a shark that just sits on the bottom.
AS for the Idol, I saw him last night jump right in the middle of the Naso's and Trigger and grab the sheet of nori from them to get his share so he's not shy at all. That's a good thing. I'm collecting some stuff now to make up some food this weekend. Going to throw it all in the blender and hope for the best. So far I've got Banana's, Alvacados, Broccili, Seafood meadly from the Asian market that has Squid, Octopus, Mussles, and shrimp. I'm also going to throw in some fresh garlic, pellet food that I have, cyclopseez and Selcon. I'll take a look around the LFS when I go to get the selcon to see what other intersting stuff they have. Any other ideas of something to throw in their?
So your published world wide. YOU SIR ARE THE MAN!
We I almost had a switch of plans. Had a guy local giving away a 5' X 4' X 3' tank. Was thinking of getting rid of the second 400G and going with this one and putting in Blue Spot ray's. But someone else grabbed it first. Oh well.
I'll have to run it by the boss. She was originally thinking of rays or sharks. But I'm not sure of any small sharks that are active swimmers. I don't want a big tank with a shark that just sits on the bottom.
AS for the Idol, I saw him last night jump right in the middle of the Naso's and Trigger and grab the sheet of nori from them to get his share so he's not shy at all. That's a good thing. I'm collecting some stuff now to make up some food this weekend. Going to throw it all in the blender and hope for the best. So far I've got Banana's, Alvacados, Broccili, Seafood meadly from the Asian market that has Squid, Octopus, Mussles, and shrimp. I'm also going to throw in some fresh garlic, pellet food that I have, cyclopseez and Selcon. I'll take a look around the LFS when I go to get the selcon to see what other intersting stuff they have. Any other ideas of something to throw in their?
Paul B
Premium Member
Chevy, forget sharks, boreing stupid fish. The real sharks can't be kept in a tank and the only active ones need a much larger tank than you have.
Mudskippers, I mean lookdowns are the way to go.
As for bananas and avacados they really need to be ripe and mushed up. Idols are lazy fish and don't like chewing anything :eek1: As a matter of fact, everything you feed an Idol has to be like baby food. They have very weak jaws and tiny teeth made for soft sponge.
I fed mine live blackworms almost every day along with sponge and all the other stuff you are feeding. I also gave him these tiny fish from an Asian market. They were dried and had to be soaked for an hour to soften them up. He wasen't crazy about them but most of that other food is very low in calcium. Fish get calcium from the bones of other fish.
Have a great day.
Paul
Mudskippers, I mean lookdowns are the way to go.
As for bananas and avacados they really need to be ripe and mushed up. Idols are lazy fish and don't like chewing anything :eek1: As a matter of fact, everything you feed an Idol has to be like baby food. They have very weak jaws and tiny teeth made for soft sponge.
I fed mine live blackworms almost every day along with sponge and all the other stuff you are feeding. I also gave him these tiny fish from an Asian market. They were dried and had to be soaked for an hour to soften them up. He wasen't crazy about them but most of that other food is very low in calcium. Fish get calcium from the bones of other fish.
Have a great day.
Paul
Celso Suguimoto
New member
You said banana really ??
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