The Moorish Idol Thread
- Thread starter zfunk007
- Start date
Paul B
Premium Member
Zfunk, it looks like an exact duplicate of "Finding Nemo" nice job.
I don't know what the line is running down his back, I will have to look at mine when the lights come on but all fish have a lateral line that runs horizontally all the way to the tail. It is connected to their nervous system and it also is for a scence that we do not have that allows them to "feel" other animals in the water with them. Thats why you have trouble catching a fish with a net. Even if they do not see it they can feel the vibrations, it also keeps them in formations in schools without hitting each other.
Take care.
Paul
I don't know what the line is running down his back, I will have to look at mine when the lights come on but all fish have a lateral line that runs horizontally all the way to the tail. It is connected to their nervous system and it also is for a scence that we do not have that allows them to "feel" other animals in the water with them. Thats why you have trouble catching a fish with a net. Even if they do not see it they can feel the vibrations, it also keeps them in formations in schools without hitting each other.
Take care.
Paul
VolitanLioness
New member
Here is what wetweb says on them "Adults have a prominent spine in front of their eyes that is larger in males."
There is another site that explain more on this.
Kaye
There is another site that explain more on this.
Kaye
zfunk007
Premium Member
I just read that bit on wetweb SpecialK. Interesting, it says they principally eat sponges and algae. Which means that anyone who tries to keep a Moorish Idol should most definitely feed them sponge. Welp, I know what i'm doing tommorow. Me and my bro are going diving early in the morning and I think i'm going to make it my priority to get some sponge.
Another site i'm looking at says they eat coraline algae also, interesting.
About.com has a really good article on them:
http://saltaquarium.about.com/blpick101397idol.htm
Here's a quote: "The body looks full and rounded out, not squeezed or dented inwards anywhere on the body, and its colors are bright and not faded out."
This is what i'm worried about with mine. He has those lines running along him and he's probably skinnier than he should be. However he was like that when I got him (which is probably a bad sign) and he is by all rights still a juvenile, so perhaps they are skinnier than the adults. But it still worries me a bit.
He is still doing well, eating like a pig when I feed him, picking on the rocks, although he has stopped picking at my corals which is nice. Probably because he is getting more to eat now than he was when I first put him in. Yes, its definitely time for some live sponge.
Another site i'm looking at says they eat coraline algae also, interesting.
About.com has a really good article on them:
http://saltaquarium.about.com/blpick101397idol.htm
Here's a quote: "The body looks full and rounded out, not squeezed or dented inwards anywhere on the body, and its colors are bright and not faded out."
This is what i'm worried about with mine. He has those lines running along him and he's probably skinnier than he should be. However he was like that when I got him (which is probably a bad sign) and he is by all rights still a juvenile, so perhaps they are skinnier than the adults. But it still worries me a bit.
He is still doing well, eating like a pig when I feed him, picking on the rocks, although he has stopped picking at my corals which is nice. Probably because he is getting more to eat now than he was when I first put him in. Yes, its definitely time for some live sponge.
zfunk007
Premium Member
Ok, I found another amazing link:
http://www.aquahobby.com/marine/e_moorish.php
Paul B, make sure you read the last post on the page. This guy claims that he's kept an Idol for 9 years. 9 years!!! I'm going to email this guy and ask him some questions.
He is fortunate enough to live in Austrailia, but still. He has some secret.
http://www.aquahobby.com/marine/e_moorish.php
Paul B, make sure you read the last post on the page. This guy claims that he's kept an Idol for 9 years. 9 years!!! I'm going to email this guy and ask him some questions.
He is fortunate enough to live in Austrailia, but still. He has some secret.
zfunk007 said:
I must admit, reading this thread I had a BIG guilt trip.
BUT I have to confess I have an Idol (pic below) and your quote Zfunk sums up why I bought him (her?) I actually saved him from a couple of "and we'll have two of them and one of those and ooooh what's that" merchants.
So I confess I am a newby with an Idol and a HUGE sense of responsibility.
Anyway you can flame away, but I will contribute to this thread as well if that's OK on my "trials and tribulations" (or rather my precious Idol's up and downs)
Anyway - feeding, first two days he was very reticent about eating, I tried all sorts of combinations including foods pasted to rocks and glass with colorfin reef gel and he sort of nibbled and spat it out.
On day three we tried "emerald entree" omnivore frozen food and BINGO he LOVED that, I personally think he was carried along on the rough and tumble of his tankmates attack on the food.
Now all of a sudden he's eating anything I choose to put into the tank. I am varying his diet with the E/Entree, brine and mysis shrimp and Prime Reef flake, all of which he accepts with gusto.
He is probably the most responsive member of my tank community, if i'm near the tank he's there, I'm sure willing me to feed him, and from the pic you'll see he enjoys the occassional trip to the cleaner shrimp.
So in truth, it's so far very good.
Now I am VERY concious of it's early days yet (in terms of the Idol and my aquarium) so any advice will always be gratefully accepted.
One final point have any of you noticed your idols changing colour at "lights out". I watched him last night and when the lights went off he puffed up his daorsal fin and over about a period of 5 minutes, his middle white/yellow stripe turned battleship grey, his face went black and he developed a silver stripe down the middle of his front black stripe - astonishing to watch, I'll try and get a picture tonight but don't know how it'll come out as I won't use the flash (obviously). Whilst this is going on he patrols as normal, obviously a defence mechanism which maybe he'll stop when he's really settled in.
zfunk007
Premium Member
Toonpack, thanks for posting your experience so far. Feel free to keep posing with your progress. Don't worry, I didn't make this thread for flaming, it is for education ONLY.
Here is a link to what you are talking about:
http://www.amonline.net.au/fishes/fishfacts/fish/zcornutus.htm
Look at the third picture down and you'll notice the color change at night. Mine does the exact same thing. Hes also the first fish up in the morning and the last to goto bed.
Thats great that hes eating, mine took on a similar pattern before he was eating normally. I had to entice him with garlic as I mentioned above.
I noticed in your picture that yours has that same somewhat horizontal line down the middle of his body. I think most of the Idols that make it to our fish stores have that line. I haven't noticed it in any of the wild Idol pictures. Probably has to do with them not being fed by the wholesalers. And i'm guessing this is the reason they are typically harder to get to eat once they finally make it to your aquarium because they have been slightly "starved" on their way here. Keep us posted on your progress!
Here is a link to what you are talking about:
http://www.amonline.net.au/fishes/fishfacts/fish/zcornutus.htm
Look at the third picture down and you'll notice the color change at night. Mine does the exact same thing. Hes also the first fish up in the morning and the last to goto bed.
Thats great that hes eating, mine took on a similar pattern before he was eating normally. I had to entice him with garlic as I mentioned above.
I noticed in your picture that yours has that same somewhat horizontal line down the middle of his body. I think most of the Idols that make it to our fish stores have that line. I haven't noticed it in any of the wild Idol pictures. Probably has to do with them not being fed by the wholesalers. And i'm guessing this is the reason they are typically harder to get to eat once they finally make it to your aquarium because they have been slightly "starved" on their way here. Keep us posted on your progress!
Paul B
Premium Member
Zfunk, 9 years, thats pretty good, Thats what I am hopeing for but who knows.
I started diving in Australia but I do not remember seeing Idols there, I am sure there are plenty. I also believe what he said about collecting fish and putting them right in a tank in a half an hour has a lot to do with your success with these and most fish.
I am sure you know from working where you do that fish do not look too well after being on a plane for two days. I know that I was fairly uncomfortable flying to Australia and Tahiti. Australia is a 24 hour flight from me and I was not breathing in a plastic bag.
Paul
I started diving in Australia but I do not remember seeing Idols there, I am sure there are plenty. I also believe what he said about collecting fish and putting them right in a tank in a half an hour has a lot to do with your success with these and most fish.
I am sure you know from working where you do that fish do not look too well after being on a plane for two days. I know that I was fairly uncomfortable flying to Australia and Tahiti. Australia is a 24 hour flight from me and I was not breathing in a plastic bag.
Paul
zfunk007
Premium Member
Well I emailed that guy that claims to have kept the Moorish Idol for 9 years. No response yet. But its only been a day, hopefully he will respond.
My Idol continues to do well, luckily I have the day off so I can feed him regularly today.
Paul B, I am going out tommorow morning to collect sponge. Would you like to trade some of your sponge with some of mine? Do you think it would be worth it? I could probably ship you some of mine live, although correct me if im wrong, but once you take some types of sponge out of the water do they not die immediatly?
Let me know what you think.
My Idol continues to do well, luckily I have the day off so I can feed him regularly today.
Paul B, I am going out tommorow morning to collect sponge. Would you like to trade some of your sponge with some of mine? Do you think it would be worth it? I could probably ship you some of mine live, although correct me if im wrong, but once you take some types of sponge out of the water do they not die immediatly?
Let me know what you think.
zfunk007
Premium Member
Not to make you all jealous or anything (for those of you that live up north that is) 
but I figured i'd post a few pics from the places I like to go diving around here.
I have an old underwater camera somewhere and i'm going to start taking pictures with it again. When I do i'll be sure and scan and post the pictures.
For now here are 2 above water pics from West Palm Beach:
This place holds a special place in my heart. My dad grew up on this island. (Singer Island) I spent a good deal of my childhood on this island at my grandma's house and diving in this inlet. I still think that if you want tropicals (and all you have is snorkel gear) this inlet is the place to go.
This picture is from the shore off the Breakers Reef in West Palm Beach. This is supposedly one of the nicest reefs in Florida. You can see the reef edge in the picture. It doesn't look like it but the reef is a good 2-300 yards off shore. Quite a swim if all you have is snorkel gear like me! (I'm going to get certified for scuba later this summer finally!)
Wish there were Moorish Idols out there to catch, but I guess i'm just happy to live in Florida hehe.
but I figured i'd post a few pics from the places I like to go diving around here. I have an old underwater camera somewhere and i'm going to start taking pictures with it again. When I do i'll be sure and scan and post the pictures.
For now here are 2 above water pics from West Palm Beach:
This place holds a special place in my heart. My dad grew up on this island. (Singer Island) I spent a good deal of my childhood on this island at my grandma's house and diving in this inlet. I still think that if you want tropicals (and all you have is snorkel gear) this inlet is the place to go.
This picture is from the shore off the Breakers Reef in West Palm Beach. This is supposedly one of the nicest reefs in Florida. You can see the reef edge in the picture. It doesn't look like it but the reef is a good 2-300 yards off shore. Quite a swim if all you have is snorkel gear like me! (I'm going to get certified for scuba later this summer finally!)
Wish there were Moorish Idols out there to catch, but I guess i'm just happy to live in Florida hehe.
Paul B
Premium Member
Zfunk, looks beautiful there. I myself have done quite a bit of diving and some of it was in Florida. I live on an Islant too, Long Island. There is a lot of history here, I usually dive around a lighthouse that was commissioned by George Washington. There are 200 wrecks around Long Island. Many of my froends have boats and we usually go out all weekend and tie up together, sometimes we have 14 boats rafted up.
Take care.
Paul
I dove here in Bora Bora in November, That was our ship and this is the lagoon where they filmed "Mutiny on The Bounty"
Take care.
Paul
I dove here in Bora Bora in November, That was our ship and this is the lagoon where they filmed "Mutiny on The Bounty"
MrMongoose
New member
I have a pond behind my house....bullfrogs keep me up all night. Don't worry I'll post pictures up later.
Back to the Idols..Does anyone know of a frozen food that contains sponges? My friend who works at the LFS said thier is a new food that contains them but I don't know what its called. Maybe this would be a more practical way for others to keep MIs
Back to the Idols..Does anyone know of a frozen food that contains sponges? My friend who works at the LFS said thier is a new food that contains them but I don't know what its called. Maybe this would be a more practical way for others to keep MIs
VolitanLioness
New member
Frozen Angel Formula has sponge, it will say right on the package.
Nice Pic's everyone!!
Kaye
Nice Pic's everyone!!
Kaye
zfunk007
Premium Member
Hey Paul, it actually looks half way decent there 
. Nice pics. There is actually a kind of food called "sponge formula" its by the same company that makes the angel formula and formula 1 and 2. Its just less common and harder to find.
A note of concern for my Idol. He has some ich spots on him. Not a ton, but they seem to be popping up one day and being gone the next. Today he had about 5 or 6 spots on him. I KNOW this is because I broke my rule and didn't quarantine him before I put him in my main system. Cause none of my fish ever get ich generally because I always quarantine them. I hope he gets over this. It doesn't seem to be bothering him. So hopefully he'll get over it on his own. Any ideas?
. Nice pics. There is actually a kind of food called "sponge formula" its by the same company that makes the angel formula and formula 1 and 2. Its just less common and harder to find.A note of concern for my Idol. He has some ich spots on him. Not a ton, but they seem to be popping up one day and being gone the next. Today he had about 5 or 6 spots on him. I KNOW this is because I broke my rule and didn't quarantine him before I put him in my main system. Cause none of my fish ever get ich generally because I always quarantine them. I hope he gets over this. It doesn't seem to be bothering him. So hopefully he'll get over it on his own. Any ideas?
Paul B
Premium Member
Zfunk, there is really nothing you can do but it is a good sign that he only has a few spots. Some fish build up an imminity from it like that. My fish used to occasionally get a few spots but now I never quarintine and I have not had a case of ich in 20 or 25 years. I believe if your fish are very healthy and in breeding condition they will not get ich. I also don't think a moorish Idol will be that healthy in a tank no matter what you do. We all know there is either something missing or too much of something, thats why these fish have such a poor survivability rate.
Have a great day.
Paul
Have a great day.
Paul
zfunk007
Premium Member
Well today the spots on my Idol are all gone. Strange, I didn't realize ich could come and go so quickly. I know it lives in "cycles" where it goes from the sand to the fish and back again but the ich pattern on my Idol seems strange.
I went diving today and got some interesting light blue colored sponge. There are SO many different types of sponge around here that it is hard to identify it exactly but I looked through my book "Reef Creature Identification: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas" by Paul Humann (great book) and it looks like Holopsamma helwigi. If you want to see what else I caught, go look at the "Atlantic Blue Surgeon" thread.
I chopped the sponge up while it was still alive im assuming. Basically took it right out of the bucket and started chopping away. Then I put the pieces in the water for my Idol. At first he woulden't touch it. Then he seemed passively interested in it. But then after a while he started nipping on the pieces that were all over the bottom. And now, 20 mins later he is constantly nipping at the pieces on the bottom. So he apparently likes it.
I took the rest of the sponge and put it in the freezer. I'm going to mix it with his regular food everyday along with the garlic and everything else and when I can i'll get more live sponge for him.
I'm hoping that live sponge is one of the issues that Moorish Idols have in captivity. Because its something I can provide on a regular basis. Time will tell.
I went diving today and got some interesting light blue colored sponge. There are SO many different types of sponge around here that it is hard to identify it exactly but I looked through my book "Reef Creature Identification: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas" by Paul Humann (great book) and it looks like Holopsamma helwigi. If you want to see what else I caught, go look at the "Atlantic Blue Surgeon" thread.
I chopped the sponge up while it was still alive im assuming. Basically took it right out of the bucket and started chopping away. Then I put the pieces in the water for my Idol. At first he woulden't touch it. Then he seemed passively interested in it. But then after a while he started nipping on the pieces that were all over the bottom. And now, 20 mins later he is constantly nipping at the pieces on the bottom. So he apparently likes it.
I took the rest of the sponge and put it in the freezer. I'm going to mix it with his regular food everyday along with the garlic and everything else and when I can i'll get more live sponge for him.
I'm hoping that live sponge is one of the issues that Moorish Idols have in captivity. Because its something I can provide on a regular basis. Time will tell.
zfunk007
Premium Member
Well i'm a little concerned. My Idol is still eating like a pig, has plenty of energy and for the most part seems fine. However, he seems to be getting visibly skinnier despite his apetite. He just won't gain any weight.
I feed him 2-3 times a day, there is plenty of algae for him to graze on in the tank when i'm not here to feed him. What could be causing this? Could he have some sort of intenstinal parasite? I have heard of such things, where a fish will be eating normally but he won't gain any weight and just waste away. Any info would be appreciated.
One thing that bugged me about this from the beggining is that I wasn't at the wholesaler to actually pick out my Idol. I had planned to get an Idol for some time but when my boss picked one up I had to take him. Despite the fact that he looked skinny when we got him. Usually when I pick out fish I go with my boss to the wholesalers and pick the fish out myself so I can make sure they look fat and healthy. We shall see.
I feed him 2-3 times a day, there is plenty of algae for him to graze on in the tank when i'm not here to feed him. What could be causing this? Could he have some sort of intenstinal parasite? I have heard of such things, where a fish will be eating normally but he won't gain any weight and just waste away. Any info would be appreciated.
One thing that bugged me about this from the beggining is that I wasn't at the wholesaler to actually pick out my Idol. I had planned to get an Idol for some time but when my boss picked one up I had to take him. Despite the fact that he looked skinny when we got him. Usually when I pick out fish I go with my boss to the wholesalers and pick the fish out myself so I can make sure they look fat and healthy. We shall see.
zfunk007
Premium Member
Well after doing a little research i'm convinced he has some sort of internal parasite. It seems to be quite common and his symptoms seem to match. Eating normally, not gaining weight. I know hes a Moorish Idol and is hard to keep but in all reality I don't see how anything could eat as much as he eats and "lose" weight.
In another thread someone recommended a medication called "pipzine." I'm going to go out today and see if I can get some and treat his food with it. If anyone else has had a similar experience let me know.
In another thread someone recommended a medication called "pipzine." I'm going to go out today and see if I can get some and treat his food with it. If anyone else has had a similar experience let me know.
