Need a response ASAP re: Moorish Idols

ClaptonsGhost

Active Member
I picked up an absolutely gorgeous Moorish Idol specimen today. He acclimated beautifully and already is eating whatever I put in the tank, plus I've got plenty of live sponges in the tank for him. They had another Moorish Idol in a different tank that was kind of beat up so I didn't get him as well, but I know that they do better in pairs or more. My question is, can I put in another Moorish Idol after the fact, a day or so later, or did I miss the window of opportunity by not putting two in at the same time. Will they buddy up with a later arrival?
 

bang guy

Moderator
Just say no to Moorish Idols.

This opinion does not reflect the opinion of SWF.com, only Bang Guy.
 

ClaptonsGhost

Active Member
Yeah, I was gonna add don't tell me not to buy Moorish Idols. I know all about them, but this one was such a perfect specimen, trying to eat bubbles at the top of the tank, and ate the food the LFS guy put in the tank. I figured I'd give him a shot. Kept them before, not a novice. But, next time I need an editorial opinion I'll be sure to check with you.
 

jay0705

Well-Known Member
Isn't there another fish that looks very similar but are easier to keep? Something like honecious
 

ClaptonsGhost

Active Member
Seriously, what is wrong with you people? No wonder there's so little activity here. I've already GOT the Moorish Idol (who, btw, is doing great right now). Of what use is it to me to tell me about other "similar" fish, which you can't even spell correctly. It's Heniochus, FYI. Either answer my question or ignore my post. I don't need personal opinions.
 

ClaptonsGhost

Active Member
Moorish Idols need OTHER Moorish Idols, not second rate Moorish Idols. I'm aggravated because this is ALWAYS the quality of response I get here.
 

trigger40

Well-Known Member
I picked up an absolutely gorgeous Moorish Idol specimen today. He acclimated beautifully and already is eating whatever I put in the tank, plus I've got plenty of live sponges in the tank for him. They had another Moorish Idol in a different tank that was kind of beat up so I didn't get him as well, but I know that they do better in pairs or more. My question is, can I put in another Moorish Idol after the fact, a day or so later, or did I miss the window of opportunity by not putting two in at the same time. Will they buddy up with a later arrival?
i don't know much about Moorish idols but from knowledge i have about fish that can be aggressive towards their own kind i'd say you have about 4 days to get another.
 

trigger40

Well-Known Member
Moorish Idols need OTHER Moorish Idols, not second rate Moorish Idols. I'm aggravated because this is ALWAYS the quality of response I get here.
then why did you not Wait until you could get two healthy fish at the same time? you kinda created your own problem. especially sense they NEED other Moorish idols... and now your insulting every one who is just trying to help you with this problem you could have e voided with a little patience by just waiting until you could get two healthy fish. whats wrong with you!?!?!
 

beth

Administrator
Staff member
I think in this situation its a big toss. No one can really say if the addition of another MI is going to go bad. I will say that the fish that remained at the LFS is already compromised (you said he was beat up). You might ask why that other fish is beat up? Was it previously with your Idol, for instance, and they fought?? Questions for your LFS before making an informed decision.

I advocate strongly for quarantining all new fish, but it seems like you added the new Idol into your display without quarantine? Especially with a stress harassed fish, I would not advocate for adding another to my display directly.

I don't know at all your type tank nor your exp. level in the hobby, but MI, as we all seem to know, are not fish that usually survive in hands of most hobby fishkeepers. You have the fish now, so you will need to make decisions about how best to proceed. If it were me, in your situation, and I decided to get the 2nd fish (after getting more info form LFS) I'd QT both fish together to see if they are compatible, and allow both fish to experience isolation and stress recovery and possible disease treatment before putting them in the display.

Responses here by members, I think, were based on a conscientious voice advocating against keeping MI in the hobby. Doing so would represent our advocacy for this fish and would discourage fish sellers from harvesting these fish (that have low survival rate in captivity). Generally, in any fish forum, advocacy for proper care of the animals we keep is a common theme. Hobbyist everywhere advocate strongly against harvesting, selling, and keeping animals with low survival rates in captivity.

Hopefully all will go well in this situation, and I'd be interested in hearing updates. Good luck!
 

Bryce E

Active Member
Yeah Beth makes a great point in finding out whether the two were already together or not. But it sounds like you'll be looking for a different one anyways due to the look of the other fish at the store. So there's only going to be one way to know for sure and that's to put two of them together. (In my experience all fish are different in personality and sometimes being able to be together or not isn't based upon their species but how they are as individuals, size of the tank and number of hiding spots etc.)

I know nothing about them but they are certainly a beautiful fish... I did a little reading and found this. Hope it helps.

"In captivity, almost everyone tries to keep this species solo, and I believe this is a mistake. Though it is best to carefully acclimate new purchases separately to assure their health, as well as cleanliness from pathogens and parasites, few aquarium animals kept on their own do well for any period of time. The best way to keep this species alive long-term is to pair two together, quarantine the established animal for a few days to give the new one a chance to become familiar and feed both at the same time out of view from either" By Bob Fenner/Fishchannel.com

So basically what I got from this (aside from whatever QT period you may or may not give your fish)... is that you are going to remove the established one to another tank, put in the new one for a few days then add the established one back in (probably to prevent territorial behavior found from the established one)

Which also means you could probably add another one right away since this ones not established yet.... however it would probably not be the best idea not to have a quarantine procedure especially for a sensitive species. So once both have been properly quarantined separately to insure they aren't carrying any diseases or parasites then do the switch ups if you have the extra tanks to do it for the best chances of success in putting them together.

On another note... catching them and moving them around like that could also stress them out as well. So you're going to have to make your own decision on the best way to do it. Personally I'd rather they undergo quarantine and and have them be stressed from being caught then to skip quarantine for the purpose of not wanting to move them around too much.
 

Bryce E

Active Member
The hobby has made major advancements in the last decade and there are so many species once thought to be impossible to keep that are now commonplace in the industry. Take my Green Goniopora for example. Not too long ago everyone said that they were doomed... don't add them, they're impossible to keep. I have one and honestly it's not all that people made it out to be... Totally happy, Responds to food, has doubled in size since I got it. People have successfully kept moorish idols as well. Clapton was asking about compatibility and the timing for adding more than one to a tank at different times. He stated that he already has experience with this fish and likely knows what he's getting himself into and I would imagine has had prior success or likely wouldn't be getting one again. I do understand if your perspective is "at what cost"? How many must die before we reach the necessary learning curve? And that the novice should not attempt such a delicate or difficult species as it's not fair to the animal based upon the likelihood of failure. So yeah in a way I get it. I love marine life and often times have my own reservations about plucking something from the ocean and confining it in a tiny box in my living room. But there are also major benefits to be had. Many coral reefs are dying and some of what we have learned in the hobby and the popularity and propagation of many corals may someday help to save them as well. On the flip side there's the harm that's being done in over harvesting for the hobby as well but even easy to care for species are often times just as doomed by the mishandling, shipping and lack of proper care, poor quarantine procedures, how they were caught in the first place etc. So many things have the same fate simply due to lack of knowledge and experience. How many clownfish have died because an 8 year old saw finding nemo and the parents wanted to get one but had no clue what they were doing? But everyone has to start somewhere and none of us would be experienced in the hobby at all if we all had this outlook.
 

Kristin1234

Active Member
Seriously, what is wrong with you people? No wonder there's so little activity here. I've already GOT the Moorish Idol (who, btw, is doing great right now). Of what use is it to me to tell me about other "similar" fish, which you can't even spell correctly. It's Heniochus, FYI. Either answer my question or ignore my post. I don't need personal opinions.

Holy temper tantrum. Lol
 
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ClaptonsGhost

Active Member
... Clapton was asking about compatibility and the timing for adding more than one to a tank at different times. He stated that he already has experience with this fish and likely knows what he's getting himself into and I would imagine has had prior success or likely wouldn't be getting one again...
Thank you!
 
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