The Moorish Idol Thread

[Rapide]

Mine is over 3 years.

Oh I like this...
I would really want one too, but I will not support a trade of these amazing animals when it is so hard to keep them alive.
Ken, I salute You

 

[AliciaP]

So how many Moorish Idols here that have lived a year? 8 months... Even 6 months?

Mine has been in my tank for 2.5 months. I got him for $30! I had my very trusted LFS order it in and I came and drove 2 hours to get him on the day of delivery so that he didn't have to acclimate more than once. Since I took all of the risk with him possibly being sick or not eating, they gave me a wonderful price.

He eats Nori, and NLS pellets, and 3 different kinds of flake food and clams. Tomorrow, because of PaulB, I'm going to try banana He's really starting to be a pig and get bossy during feedings which I love. He makes sure he gets his fair share and is putting on weight.

Question!!
Any tips for me from others that have Idols and gone on vacation? I'm stressing over leaving him for a week. I have two people to take care of him (well... the whole tank really lol) and they both have SW tanks, so they have a grasp of what they are doing. Any tips? (I lay out explicit instructions and I package the food for feedings so they don't overfeed my tank.)

Thanks in advance!

 

[boboo]

pellet in the fish feeder

pellet in the fish feeder

Paul B.
It was very nice to talk with on the phone today. I finally figured out registering. Say, regarding pellets in your fish feeder, Do you soak them in Selcon first before you put in to the feeder?

 

[Terra Ferma]

Update: Well my moorish Idol from Divers Den that I got back in March died. It was funny because he was eating NLS pellets, Formula 1 flakes, frozen mysis but was getting skinnier and skinnier until he withered away he lasted like 3 weeks or so. I was completely devastated swore I'd never get another moorish Idol again but like anything in life I got bitten by the moorish idol bug again and got one from Live Aquaria NOT the Diver's Den section June 23, 2012. The new moorish idol did not eat for 8 days I tried everything to get him to eat he was getting skinny like the last one. With a prayer and a piece of algae rubber banded to a piece of "dead Rock" the moorish idol started nipping then started eating the algae. Wouldn't touch the frozen mysis shrimp but would eat the algae. 3 days ago he is started eating the frozen mysis shrimp. He also came down with ick ilke the last one and is currently going through Cupramine treatment but his appetite is getting better and better every day.

I've never kept a Moorish Idol at home, but when I used to work in the trade we always brought in the ones from Hawaii and they generally did very well. They always took the PE mysis as the first food. It doesn't seem like a fish that would need cyanide to be caught but for whatever reason the Hawaiian ones always did a lot better (shorter transit time maybe).

 

[Paul B]

It was very nice to talk with on the phone today. I finally figured out registering. Say, regarding pellets in your fish feeder, Do you soak them in Selcon first before you put in to the feeder?

Hey you made it, I told you it was simple.
I don't use Selcon, I use fish oil, much cheaper. Selcon is good but it seems to be water soluable which means it will wash off food as soon as it hits the water. I am not sure how much oil is in it. Fish Oil is what fish seem to need.

 

[Crusty Old Shellback]

So how many Moorish Idols here that have lived a year? 8 months... Even 6 months?

I lost mine after 4 years. He was about 6 years old in capativity as I got him from another RC member.

It was nothing to do with him or eating. I lost all power to my tank for a long period of time and he basically suffoicated. I lost 10 fish in that incident.

But I'll be looking at getting another one when I find a healthy one.

 

[Allmost]

I just got back from vacation scuba diving with Idols in costa rica, to find my Idol dead ... after 2 years :S

this really sucks ... I am sure every one who owns an Idol would know how I feel now ...

according to the fish feeder, my anchilles was chasing him around all week and was prety rough with him ... Stupid me told the fish feeder to not feed them nori this week, as I didnt want him overfeeding :S

Im gonna let the sponge population in tank to rebuild themselves before I try another one. and perhaps do some serious thinking on the anchilles tang.

just wanted to share with u guys ... sad sad day for moi.

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

I lost mine after 4 years. He was about 6 years old in capativity as I got him from another RC member.

It was nothing to do with him or eating. I lost all power to my tank for a long period of time and he basically suffoicated. I lost 10 fish in that incident.

But I'll be looking at getting another one when I find a healthy one.

Same here. I lost mine in a power outage earlier this month. I lost 4 fish in that incident.

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

I just got back from vacation scuba diving with Idols in costa rica, to find my Idol dead ... after 2 years :S

this really sucks ... I am sure every one who owns an Idol would know how I feel now ...

according to the fish feeder, my anchilles was chasing him around all week and was prety rough with him ... Stupid me told the fish feeder to not feed them nori this week, as I didnt want him overfeeding :S

Im gonna let the sponge population in tank to rebuild themselves before I try another one. and perhaps do some serious thinking on the anchilles tang.

just wanted to share with u guys ... sad sad day for moi.

Idols are related to tangs plus they eat the same things (basically everything). My pbt chased my MI some.

 

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Same here. I lost mine in a power outage earlier this month. I lost 4 fish in that incident.

Sorry to hear. I had a GFCI trip and lost all of my pumps. Woke up to dead silence at 2AM. Sad day.

My baby from 2008.

 

[boboo]

bristle worms

bristle worms

I was cleaning my tank today, and I found a bungle of bristle worms underneath of the squamosa clam. The next thing I noticed was my moorish idol started eating them. Is a moorish idol supposed to eat a bristle worm?? I hope it won't kill him.

 

[boboo]

Paul B
I tried NLS soaked in fish oil. My Idol just loves them. Thanks.

 

[Paul B]

Of course he did, I wouldn't lie. :wavehand:

 

[Allmost]

Idols are related to tangs plus they eat the same things (basically everything). My pbt chased my MI some.

yap ... the nori was keeping the peace ....

time to make a auto nori feeder before getting anothe Idol.


what are the toughts on 2 idols in a 200G guys ? please dont beat me lol we can all dream right ?
Paul, what kind of fish oil do you use ?

 

[alex1965]

Wow Peter, great REEF and nice selection of Fish!!

 

[Paul B]

Paul, what kind of fish oil do you use ?

The same stuff I take myself, whatever is on sale.

 

[cbbram]

Bump

 

[boboo]

The same stuff I take myself, whatever is on sale.

Paul B,

I pre-mixed a batch of pellets in the fish oil before puting into the auto feeder. It may be a silly question. But do you think the oiled pellets would go bad after so many days or weeks?

 

[Paul B]

Yes, I wouldn't make more than a month's supply but I realy don't know how long they last.

 

[boboo]

I have two Morish Idols in the different systems. One eats almost anything, frozen & dry foods. The other one only eats a mussel! For the first one, I feed Mysis in the morning, and feed pellets on an auto feeder in the afternoon. For the second one, I feed mussel twice a day. Next week, we will be out of the town for 3 days. I hope the second idol would survive with algae on the rocks.

Bob O