The Moorish Idol Thread
- Thread starter zfunk007
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Paul B
Premium Member
I have heard that too about them pairing and schooling. I have never seen a school of them but I have not dove with all of them yet, but I am trying. 
The only ones I saw were in what seemed to be mated pairs.
As to your question, I don't think you could pair them up even if you had a male and female. Many fish like to pick their mate themselves. (How gosh)
As for sponge, most, if not all will not live in your tank. And if it did the Idols would eat it in a couple of days. If you can get sponge, freeze it. There are some frozen foods as Dodds pionted out that are supposed to contain sponge.
I would not get an Idol in a brand new tank but thats just me.
Good luck Paul
The only ones I saw were in what seemed to be mated pairs.
As to your question, I don't think you could pair them up even if you had a male and female. Many fish like to pick their mate themselves. (How gosh)
As for sponge, most, if not all will not live in your tank. And if it did the Idols would eat it in a couple of days. If you can get sponge, freeze it. There are some frozen foods as Dodds pionted out that are supposed to contain sponge.
I would not get an Idol in a brand new tank but thats just me.
Good luck Paul
natep206
Blenniella chrysospilos
ok well do u think its smart to get 2. or better for one? would it be good to get live sponge for right when i get it so that it ill be full and happy? then start feeding frozen?
im not going to adding it right away probably around the 6th monthe mark or so.
thanks
nate :beer:
im not going to adding it right away probably around the 6th monthe mark or so.
thanks
nate :beer:
KDodds
New member
Again, I think a 180 is a bit on the small side, so I certainly would not even attempt two. I also wouldn't even think about an Idol until past the one year mark, at least. Keeping live sponge in the amounts you'll need is a virtual impossibility in a home system. I'd not buy one that's not eating something other than sponge.
ReefGeekster
Premium Member
Crud.... I missed it, now they are showing "A Mystery in Alaska"
Anyways is this the same program? http://www.shopthirteen.org/webapp/...28760&storeId=10552&catalogId=10101&langId=-1
Paul B
Premium Member
I thought your tank was a 55 gallon?
My 100 gallon is also way too small for even one Idol. He is living in there but because I am doing it does not mean it is right. My Idol is full grown and I can see he gets frustrated in such a small space. Mine is an experiment, I wanted to see If the sponge I can collect would sustain them. I had plans to give him away when it grew but I had no place to give him to.
I don't think I would get another one in this small tank.
If you have a 180 gallon tank you could fit one. As Dodds said. it's still not the right size tank but one would live in it as mine proves. They are a very tough fish to keep and I don't recommend them. I went to Tahiti mainly to study them and try to figure why they are so tempermental, and I have kept about a dozen of them. None more than two years except the one I have now which I feed many things and give suppliments of vitamin A.
As I said, it is an experiment.
Paul
KDodds
New member
Just to give some perspective to head off any "hypocrite" rants that might come... as you can see, Paul has more than 30 years of experience with marine tanks. If you're still a student, that means he's been keeping tanks, most likely, for ten years (or greater) more than you've been alive. That's not cutting anyone down, not in the least.
Look at it this way, you play softball regularly in a lob league. A business acquaintence knows Ken Griffey, Jr. You all head out to your friend's batting cages. You ask him what cage you should take and how fast. He recommends softball, fast pitch, around 60mph. Ken Griffey, Jr. asks him the same question and he recommends hardball, moderate pitch, 80mph. You insist on doing the 80mph hardball as well. While ol' Ken is hammering them this way and plastering them that way, you're struggling to keep from knocking yourself older you're trying to swing so fast. You miss everyone but one, striking out over and over again. And heck, you even trip once and get hit by a pitch as you cross the plate, ending the day on a very sour note. Your pride wounded, you reluctantly admit you should have taken the 60mph softball cage.
Look at it this way, you play softball regularly in a lob league. A business acquaintence knows Ken Griffey, Jr. You all head out to your friend's batting cages. You ask him what cage you should take and how fast. He recommends softball, fast pitch, around 60mph. Ken Griffey, Jr. asks him the same question and he recommends hardball, moderate pitch, 80mph. You insist on doing the 80mph hardball as well. While ol' Ken is hammering them this way and plastering them that way, you're struggling to keep from knocking yourself older you're trying to swing so fast. You miss everyone but one, striking out over and over again. And heck, you even trip once and get hit by a pitch as you cross the plate, ending the day on a very sour note. Your pride wounded, you reluctantly admit you should have taken the 60mph softball cage.
Just a little note here that probably got lost way back on some of the first pages but I'll say it again.
The long Beach Aquarium out here in Sunny SoCal has a school of MI's in a large outdoor tank. They have been there since they opened several years ago. On my trip there, I talked to the guy who was overseeing the tank. The tank, or should I say out door pool, houses this school of about 10 MI's along with several different species of sharks. he told me that these were the only MI's that they were able to keep alive. Any that they put in the smaller tanks inside did not survive.
As I watched them, they were constantly cruising around the pond, staying in a group. One would occasionaly get seperated from the group as he stopped to eat some of the green slime that was growing on the edge. But he would soon be back in the group. I watched them for about 20 min's before the wife and kids wanted to move on.
They were constantly swiming while I was watching them. They all looked very healthy and were nice and fat, not obese like the pic posted earlier.
Just thought I'd bring that back up since you guys are talking about pairs and schooling. No Paul, I haven't got one yet for my 400 but I'm working on it. I hope to move the tank into the new sunroom soon, hopefully starting on it this weekend. I did get rid of 3 of my large fish so I think I'll have room for a couple of Idols, I hope. My current stocking plans is to try and get pairs of all of my fish. Some of the smaller species will be harems, like my Royal Grammas. So far I have my pair of Naso tangs and a pair of Wantanabie Angels. I'm looking for a male bellus angel for my female and another blue hippo tang to pair with my other one.
The long Beach Aquarium out here in Sunny SoCal has a school of MI's in a large outdoor tank. They have been there since they opened several years ago. On my trip there, I talked to the guy who was overseeing the tank. The tank, or should I say out door pool, houses this school of about 10 MI's along with several different species of sharks. he told me that these were the only MI's that they were able to keep alive. Any that they put in the smaller tanks inside did not survive.
As I watched them, they were constantly cruising around the pond, staying in a group. One would occasionaly get seperated from the group as he stopped to eat some of the green slime that was growing on the edge. But he would soon be back in the group. I watched them for about 20 min's before the wife and kids wanted to move on.
They were constantly swiming while I was watching them. They all looked very healthy and were nice and fat, not obese like the pic posted earlier. Just thought I'd bring that back up since you guys are talking about pairs and schooling. No Paul, I haven't got one yet for my 400 but I'm working on it.
I hope to move the tank into the new sunroom soon, hopefully starting on it this weekend. I did get rid of 3 of my large fish so I think I'll have room for a couple of Idols, I hope. My current stocking plans is to try and get pairs of all of my fish. Some of the smaller species will be harems, like my Royal Grammas. So far I have my pair of Naso tangs and a pair of Wantanabie Angels. I'm looking for a male bellus angel for my female and another blue hippo tang to pair with my other one.
Paul B
Premium Member
Chevy, If you lived closer I would give you my Idol. I am sure he would be happier in a 400.
Kieron, I was trying to talk him out of it without hurting his feelings, but you put it much better.
I have never advocated anyone to get one of these fish and I always tell people that I have had about a dozen and I don't think anyone except my present one lived over two years.
I am learning a lot about them now and I hope to dive with them again. I feel fairly confident that I could keep them in a very large tank maybe 400 gallons but I doubt we will ever overcome their desire to swim long distances as BlownChevy states.
That fact may be the deciding factor in their longivity or lack of.
Most people think it's food but I think that is a secondary factor caused by lack of space or lack of a mate. Great whites can't be kept in tanks and I think on a much smaller scale moorish Idols have the same problem. Another fish with a simalar problem is a porcupine fish, even though they are slow and do not move real far on a reef they spend a lot of time just trying to get out by swimming against the glass.
Too bad for moorish Idols that they are so beautiful and easy to collect.
Paul
Kieron, I was trying to talk him out of it without hurting his feelings, but you put it much better.
I have never advocated anyone to get one of these fish and I always tell people that I have had about a dozen and I don't think anyone except my present one lived over two years.
I am learning a lot about them now and I hope to dive with them again. I feel fairly confident that I could keep them in a very large tank maybe 400 gallons but I doubt we will ever overcome their desire to swim long distances as BlownChevy states.
That fact may be the deciding factor in their longivity or lack of.
Most people think it's food but I think that is a secondary factor caused by lack of space or lack of a mate. Great whites can't be kept in tanks and I think on a much smaller scale moorish Idols have the same problem. Another fish with a simalar problem is a porcupine fish, even though they are slow and do not move real far on a reef they spend a lot of time just trying to get out by swimming against the glass.
Too bad for moorish Idols that they are so beautiful and easy to collect.
Paul
KDodds
New member
Thanks Paul. Please understand I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings at all. I'll never be a Wide Receiver, I don't have the height or deep desire to overcome the height difference. I'll never be a track star, I'm fast, yeah, but I don't have the commitment. And baseball? Well, I don't think I have a hope in heck of ever hitting even one 90mph pitch. Sometimes you have a talent, sometimes you don't, but even if you're "born with it", you still need to cultivate it over time, and that's all I'm really trying to say. Without the major investment it takes to keep an Idol, most people don't have a hope in heck of ever keeping one alive for more than maybe a few months. And that investment isn't just in equipment and food, it's the little things, the knowledge we, as fishkeepers, pick up over time, all of the little things it's impossible to detail out in any book, post, or thread.
Paul B
Premium Member
Kieron, I agree with you completely. I still feed my Idol twice a day in a dish. He learned to eat out of it when I got him and every time he goes from side to side he checks out the dish. An automatic feeder puts food in the dish twice a day. These are things that many people will not take the time to learn, and if they do, I think most people will lose interest. I also collect food for him, sponges, worms, snails etc. You will not find things like that in a book. I would never just put food in a tank for a moorish Idol. I "feed" it with a baster for the other meal that he gets. These fish require major time, they are not clownfish or damsels which practically have to be stepped on to kill. Moorish Idols have no sence of humor and it is not their fault that we can't understand their needs. After all, we are removing them from some of the nicest reefs in the world and keeping them prisoner. It took me many years of watching these guys to get one to live past three years. I am sure I am just lucky.
I see people all the time who want a moorish Idol who have had fish for a year or two but although I don't want to discourage them or hurt their feelings I just know the fish will die in a few weeks. My tank for some reason is unusual, nothing dies. I can't understand it but I am sure thats why my Idol is still living.
Have a great day.
Paul
I see people all the time who want a moorish Idol who have had fish for a year or two but although I don't want to discourage them or hurt their feelings I just know the fish will die in a few weeks. My tank for some reason is unusual, nothing dies. I can't understand it but I am sure thats why my Idol is still living.
Have a great day.
Paul
Paul,
Your tank is not unusual, it's basic and well cared for. That's why it thrives. You've taken the time to nurture it and feed it. Collecting NSW and such I think is a major step in the longivity of your tank.
You, like me, don't get stressed out when a little hair or slime alage shows up. WE've realised that it's part of the cycle in our tanks. You for one, have the greatest insight to these cycles as you've had your tank long enough to see them. After reading some of your threads, I have realized that that's what as been going on in my tank and so I just let it take it's coures and everything seems to work out in the end.
I am however a firm beliver that NSW is much better than the ASW that's available on the market. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with ASW, a lot of people use it because that's all they have available. But I do beleive that there is something in NSW that just can't be replicated in ASW. I've watched my corals too much over the years and have seen a improvement when I switched to NSW. I even had my Male Naso grow some long streamers when he was switched from a 3+ year old tank tank with ASW to one full of NSW. I can't prove that NSW is better, I can only see the results I have obtained when I switched.
It's things like this that set your tank apart. You've done experiments but you've also WATCHED your tank grow and watched how it's run it's own coures. That my friend, is a true hobbiest in my eyes.
Sorry for the rambling. Have a great day shipmate.
Your tank is not unusual, it's basic and well cared for. That's why it thrives. You've taken the time to nurture it and feed it. Collecting NSW and such I think is a major step in the longivity of your tank.
You, like me, don't get stressed out when a little hair or slime alage shows up. WE've realised that it's part of the cycle in our tanks. You for one, have the greatest insight to these cycles as you've had your tank long enough to see them. After reading some of your threads, I have realized that that's what as been going on in my tank and so I just let it take it's coures and everything seems to work out in the end.
I am however a firm beliver that NSW is much better than the ASW that's available on the market. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with ASW, a lot of people use it because that's all they have available. But I do beleive that there is something in NSW that just can't be replicated in ASW. I've watched my corals too much over the years and have seen a improvement when I switched to NSW. I even had my Male Naso grow some long streamers when he was switched from a 3+ year old tank tank with ASW to one full of NSW. I can't prove that NSW is better, I can only see the results I have obtained when I switched.
It's things like this that set your tank apart. You've done experiments but you've also WATCHED your tank grow and watched how it's run it's own coures. That my friend, is a true hobbiest in my eyes.
Sorry for the rambling. Have a great day shipmate.
KDodds
New member
I agree with blown63chevy, in time, guys like us who have been doing this for decades forget all of the little things we learned along the way. Pretty much nothing dies in my tanks either, at least not until it's well past it's prime, unless there's a MAJOR mishap. I don't think that's all that unusual for someone qwith 3 decades of experience.
Hey Kieron,
Just noticed your sig. I still have some of my old TFH magazines from the 70's that I got as a kid. Still in good shape too.
I remember reading them as a kid and marveling at some of the pics of tanks in them. Some of which would still stand out today as great ideas. My favorite one, which I'd love to do someday, was of a in wall tank that surounded the 3 walls of a bathtub. You could just lay in the tub, relaxing, and watch the fish swim around you.
Just noticed your sig. I still have some of my old TFH magazines from the 70's that I got as a kid. Still in good shape too.
I remember reading them as a kid and marveling at some of the pics of tanks in them. Some of which would still stand out today as great ideas. My favorite one, which I'd love to do someday, was of a in wall tank that surounded the 3 walls of a bathtub. You could just lay in the tub, relaxing, and watch the fish swim around you.
I'll have to dig out the box one day and look you up. Do you remember what issue? Or is that going back too far for you to remember? :lol:
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