The Moorish Idol Thread

[owenspackman]

so whats seems to be the consensus for the MI and quarantine? I've read a lot of this thread and many people suggest placing them directly into the Display while others suggest quarantine, especially as this is a great place to encourage feeding.

I have a 30g quarantine that has been running for 5 months, it has just become free and ready for a new inhabitant.

 

[zfunk007]

so whats seems to be the consensus for the MI and quarantine? I've read a lot of this thread and many people suggest placing them directly into the Display while others suggest quarantine, especially as this is a great place to encourage feeding.

I have a 30g quarantine that has been running for 5 months, it has just become free and ready for a new inhabitant.

I personally did not quarantine mine. I put him directly in the tank. I had great results but others claim that you must quarantine them. I think it's a matter of preference really. There are pros and cons to both methods. If they are in a smaller quarantine tank you can target feed them and get them more food. If you put them directly in the display they will feel more at home and feed off the rocks (corals) etc.

I'd say if the Idol you purchase (or catch, if your lucky enough to live in such an area) appears to be in good health and isn't that skinny, go ahead and put him in the tank. If he is frail and in poor health then quarantine may help. Just my 2 cents.

 

[zfunk007]

I got one a month ago,friend caught it.So minimal transport stress.Have noticed it feeding on the algea on sandbed.Look strange at first.
Just seeing if any other idols do the same.

Your a lucky SOB. I catch all kinds of tropical stuff here in South Florida but I'd give my left foot to be able to have a tank near the Great Barrier Reef...

 

[zfunk007]

Check this out. 2 Moorish Idol in a Nano

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp9Eu1H20Aw

The smallest tank I successfully kept an Idol in for more than 6 months was a 55 gallon. He was then moved to a 150 when he out grew it. This was at a fish store I worked at 10 years ago so we were lucky enough to have multiple tanks to put him in. That tank in the video looks way too small. They will be feasting on those corals soon...

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

so whats seems to be the consensus for the MI and quarantine? I've read a lot of this thread and many people suggest placing them directly into the Display while others suggest quarantine, especially as this is a great place to encourage feeding.

I have a 30g quarantine that has been running for 5 months, it has just become free and ready for a new inhabitant.

My vote is quarantine. If it is healthy, it will do fine in a QT. If it isn't healthy, you want it in the QT.

I quarantine everything, including my MI. It went through quarantine and Cupramine and PraziPro just fine.

Once settled in, these fish will eat almost everything.

 

[owenspackman]

I personally did not quarantine mine. I put him directly in the tank. I had great results but others claim that you must quarantine them. I think it's a matter of preference really. There are pros and cons to both methods. If they are in a smaller quarantine tank you can target feed them and get them more food. If you put them directly in the display they will feel more at home and feed off the rocks (corals) etc.

I'd say if the Idol you purchase (or catch, if your lucky enough to live in such an area) appears to be in good health and isn't that skinny, go ahead and put him in the tank. If he is frail and in poor health then quarantine may help. Just my 2 cents.

thanks for the info! i'm likely to quarantine, would you think a shorter quarantine period give a better success rate for the MI?

I usually do 6 weeks, 4 weeks of cupermine and 2 weeks of prazipro. Any suggestions from those who have quarantined would be great.

thanks.

 

[zfunk007]

thanks for the info! i'm likely to quarantine, would you think a shorter quarantine period give a better success rate for the MI?

I usually do 6 weeks, 4 weeks of cupermine and 2 weeks of prazipro. Any suggestions from those who have quarantined would be great.

thanks.

Just focus on getting him eating. If you can wean him onto pellets he should be fine in the quarantine for the full amount of time. If you can't get him eating that much I would put him in the main display sooner to entice him a bit.

 

[owenspackman]

My vote is quarantine. If it is healthy, it will do fine in a QT. If it isn't healthy, you want it in the QT.

I quarantine everything, including my MI. It went through quarantine and Cupramine and PraziPro just fine.

Once settled in, these fish will eat almost everything.

thanks for the info. Sounds like the standard quarantine for me. Do you always treat Cupramine and Prazipro separately? I always have due to the dosing instructions, but i have been told you can treat both at the same time....any one do this?

Liveaquaria just sold out of their MI, i'll have to patiently wait until they're back in stock!

 

[zfunk007]

thanks for the info. Sounds like the standard quarantine for me. Do you always treat Cupramine and Prazipro separately? I always have due to the dosing instructions, but i have been told you can treat both at the same time....any one do this?

Liveaquaria just sold out of their MI, i'll have to patiently wait until they're back in stock!

Copper and Furan 2 work great for me. I believe the active ingredient in Furan is Nitrofurazone which is great for bacterial and fugal infections. It's what most of the fish wholesalers in Miami use. It also turns the water yellow

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

thanks for the info. Sounds like the standard quarantine for me. Do you always treat Cupramine and Prazipro separately? I always have due to the dosing instructions, but i have been told you can treat both at the same time....any one do this?

Liveaquaria just sold out of their MI, i'll have to patiently wait until they're back in stock!

I overlap Cupramine and PraziPro in my QT, using Cupramine either at the beginning or end of the second PraziPro treatment. I don't treat with either until I get the fish eating well unless there is evidence of parasites or flukes.

 

[owenspackman]

Copper and Furan 2 work great for me. I believe the active ingredient in Furan is Nitrofurazone which is great for bacterial and fugal infections. It's what most of the fish wholesalers in Miami use. It also turns the water yellow

I overlap Cupramine and PraziPro in my QT, using Cupramine either at the beginning or end of the second PraziPro treatment. I don't treat with either until I get the fish eating well unless there is evidence of parasites or flukes.

great valuable information. This could potentially reduce the quarantine period for me.

good suggestion on the getting to feed BEFORE any treatment, i've noticed PraziPro really suppresses the appetite.

 

[ovakil]

Your a lucky SOB. I catch all kinds of tropical stuff here in South Florida but I'd give my left foot to be able to have a tank near the Great Barrier Reef...

Soon when weather is good,going to get a small Hareliquin & juv emperor angle.Mate got couple for his tanks.
Cheers.

 

[owenspackman]

Has anyone completed a success quarantine of 2 MI's in a similarly sized 30g tank for a 2-3 week period?

Would this be too risky with aggression and space? I would like to try the pair, but would want to introduce them to the display at the same time, plus on only have the space for the 1 30g quarantine set up.

 

[owenspackman]

BlueZooAquatics suggested 2 in a 30g would not be advisable without a divider which is easy enough. They said their MI's are houses in 10"x12" cubes, about 5 gallons, slightly surprising.

They stock the MI's from Hawaii though which makes them a good option.

 

[gofor100]

Has anyone completed a success quarantine of 2 MI's in a similarly sized 30g tank for a 2-3 week period?

Would this be too risky with aggression and space? I would like to try the pair, but would want to introduce them to the display at the same time, plus on only have the space for the 1 30g quarantine set up.

How big is your DT? I honestly wouldn't even try pairing them unless you have a REALLY BIG tank (500+ gallons) since if you've read this thread, the result is usually a disaster.

As for quarantining... the bigger the better. So optimally, I would just get another cheap/used 30 gallon tank and house them separately unless you can get a larger QT tank and use a divider. I just know that the more confined the spaces, the more stressed they'll get. And the more stressed they get, the worse chance you have to get them eating and acclimated (much less make it through quarantine where you're adding chemicals that will stress them even more).

I personally QT'd mine in my old 60 gallon, and he seemed to do fine in that one for the 5 or so weeks he was in there. He had a mini-hunger strike for a couple of days after slowly adding Cupramine, but he got over it and has been a pig ever since.

Good luck,

Chad

 

[owenspackman]

How big is your DT? I honestly wouldn't even try pairing them unless you have a REALLY BIG tank (500+ gallons) since if you've read this thread, the result is usually a disaster.

Chad

Thanks for the advice Chad. There really is conflicting information both in and out of this thread on whether or not its right to pair them. My main concern would be I get unlucky like many have here and they don't get along until the weaker is picked off.

I have a 180, nothing close to the size you suggested I'm afraid.

 

[zfunk007]

Has anyone completed a success quarantine of 2 MI's in a similarly sized 30g tank for a 2-3 week period?

Would this be too risky with aggression and space? I would like to try the pair, but would want to introduce them to the display at the same time, plus on only have the space for the 1 30g quarantine set up.

I would advise against getting two as well. I have never attempted it myself but from working at fish stores for 10+ years I know they are not happy together generally unless like Chad said they have a massive tank to swim around in.

 

[pinnatus]

Here is a video of my tank, with the Idol in it, of course.

 

[zfunk007]

Here is a video of my tank, with the Idol in it, of course.

Nice video Pinnatus! Great looking Idol! Nice to see that you have some Caribbean species mixed in there. I always feel at home when I see my local fish in someones tank .

And I know this is off topic but how long have you had that Chaetodon capistratus?? I have been catching and trying to keep those since I was a kid and have had NO success. They always wither away and die.

 

[pinnatus]

I have had it about a year and a half. It doesn't eat prepared foods, so it is surviving on whatever it finds I guess. In the past month or two it does seem to take frozen Rod's food, but I don't feed that very often. I like it very much, it is a great fish. It loves it when I clean the glass, maybe I stir up something that it likes.