how should i care for my Moorish Idol

[hunter770]

Ok, so i just bought a Moorish Idol i know it like meaty foods and sponges but what else should i get for him he seems happy and i prepared my tank for him so. And what type of sponge should i get. So right now i am in the dark i know he is a difficult fish to keep so someone please help me.

-will

 

[spanko]

Herbivores,sponge and algae. Try nori sheets. also do a search for Tenera Red fish food.

 

[mie]

Moorish idol's are VERY difficult to care for, there is somthing in there diet that we cannot provide and they will not survive usually more than a year, a year in a half if lucky. Also a 55 gallon is to small for an idol.
Even the most advanced aquariest cannot keep them for more than two years.

 

[ric maniac]

Not a good buy at all. Read before you purchase, and buying that moorish idol tells the fish dealer "hey, lets order more people seem to like them". Which is bad because they ALL end up dying at very young ages.

 

[florida joe]

Ok not a good choice but the horse is out of the barn now so what other fish do you have in your tank if you can not bring him back then it is your obligation to give him the best chance at survival do all the research you can on line in the library be the person who turned a wrong choice into a success story im rooting for you

 

[hammerhed7]

you can try mysis, plankton, formula one, and various angel formula's, they are difficult to keep eating so try to give as much variety as you can, and keep an algea sheet in the tank for grazing.
Unfortunately the odds are against you, this fish does not do well in captivity, and is better left in the ocean.
Good luck, keep us posted

 

[pastor b.]

Dear hobbyist ,I have a salt water friend who recently brought two Moorish Idols from a lfs at the same time . My friend noticed , that the smaller one was barely eating .Before he could diagnose the problem , the smaller of the two died

. The one he has now is doing just fine,and it eats Hilkari pellets, formula one, and dried sea weed . What a beautiful fish !

 

[hunter770]

Im got him becouse i am up for a challange he seems to be doing fine he is swiming around he eats every now and then so im thinking if he makes it past this first week im set. But then again i have been proven wrong before.

 

[florida joe]

Hunter no disrespect intended but are you sure you got a Moorish idle and not a banner fish seems like a very expensive and hard to keep fish for some one with only 1 year experience did you talk about keeping him with your LFS

 

[ophiura]

Actually, MANY moorish idols do just fine and eat everything...for a year....and die mysteriously at that point. It is not uncommon at all for them to eat all manner of things starting out and this should not be considered a sign that everything will be good, to be honest. A year is the critical point. Ideally this is a very large tank with a LOT of LR...say 200g with 200lbs of rock. There definitely appears to be a nutritional problem long term.
There are lots of posts about moorish idols on the board. I definitely recommend a search on it.

 

[lion_crazz]

Originally Posted by ophiura
http:///forum/post/2476726
There are lots of posts about moorish idols on the board. I definitely recommend a search on it.
I agree. This is defintiely going to be the best way. Many people have made the mistake (in my opinion) to try and keep idols. Really, only those with massive systems can support one for any longer than 6-12 months.

 

[hunter770]

ok everyone i get it i feel like everyone ganged up on me >_<. im gunna bring it back to the lfs and get something nice to replace it =[

 

[lion_crazz]

Originally Posted by hunter770
http:///forum/post/2476746
ok everyone i get it i feel like everyone ganged up on me >_<. im gunna bring it back to the lfs and get something nice to replace it =[
No one is ganging up on you. We are just stressing the importance of research.

 

[slycoolman]

I agree on the big tank, lots of rock idea. They eat sponges as far as I'm aware and those can be best provided with a huge amount of rock, and they are not easily supplemented. They are like mandarins in that respect. Banners are just as cool anyway IMO.

 

[hunter770]

Well i did i knew it was gunna be tuff. and i knew enuf about the fish to get the tank in great condition i just wanted to know what worked for other people who has the moorish idols. becouse the foods that they sayed he would eat wasnt working so i was looking for ideas.

 

[florida joe]

Originally Posted by hunter770
http:///forum/post/2476746
ok everyone i get it i feel like everyone ganged up on me >_<. im gunna bring it back to the lfs and get something nice to replace it =[
Hunter no one is ganging up on you but we are all brothers and sisters in this hobby and sometimes like so we tend to to push our point but in the long run we all try to help each other as best we can not only for the hobbyist but from the fish as well

 

[m0nk]

Originally Posted by hunter770
http:///forum/post/2476772
Well i did i knew it was gunna be tuff. and i knew enuf about the fish to get the tank in great condition i just wanted to know what worked for other people who has the moorish idols. becouse the foods that they sayed he would eat wasnt working so i was looking for ideas.
Well, knowing something would be tough and doing enough research to adequately support something are different things. No one wants to gang up on you, but please spend more time doing research before buying the fish so that you have all of the adequate food items in place, and to be sure you're getting a fish that will thrive in the tank that you have. Everyone's tank is different, but if the tank size in your profile (55g) is the one you would have kept the idol in, you likely didn't do enough research. These fish do need much larger environments, especially since they're more difficult. Hope that helps...

 

[hunter770]

its all good i alredy brought him back so.

 

[florida joe]

Originally Posted by hunter770
http:///forum/post/2477212
its all good i alredy brought him back so.
So welcome to the club