moorish idol! info? please

fugu

fugu

Member
ok a word of explanation about where i am living currently: lfs owners(from lahore,pakistan) go to thailand and basically buy what ever they can that looks good without knowing what they are buying most of these guys cant speak english or thai! so they really dont have a clue what they are buying.(i got a blue ribbon eel from one which wouldnt eat for a month and a half) there are 5 marine tank keepers in the whole of this city! when ever livestock arrives all these tankkeepers will buy anything that they can get there hands on! (regardless of whether they know anything about the species!)including endangered/restricted species.
when ever something difficult turns up i am contacted as i have numerous tanks and good water parameters.
sorry for such a long spiel but i wanted to give some background before being ostrisized for buying restricted soecies!
just recieved a moorish idol about 2" across and 5" from dorsal to caudal.
so far so good but this is a very sensitive creature would anyone have any experience with these? stunning species would love to see it survive ,any and all help would be greatly appreciated.
yes we are trying to educate them to become concientous aquarists, but it is taking time!!
 
mr . salty

mr . salty

Active Member
SAMMY'S right on with this one.The key is eating.And being in a tank with little to no compatition for food.If he eats,he will most likly live,but any stress will do it in...
 
fugu

fugu

Member
thankyou i am flattered to have 3 response ,all from sharks!, thankyou really.
the idol seems to be fine the dominoe damsels are bullying a bit , but they are very hard to catch!!!!
will try and keep the idol for as long as poss. but i hate to see something die because i couldnt save it, so any input on dietary requirements ,water parameters etc. would be great.
my tank is turning into a refugium for estranged species!.
what is in your tanks?- sharks who seem to prowl these waters!- its 2 in the morning here!
thanks again for the rappid response.
 
tjswanson

tjswanson

Member
Not only is eating important, but I've read that they mate for life and if they aren't w/ their mate they usually get depressed, which leads to feeding problems. And they die with out their partner. Of course there are always exceptions, but very rarely does this fish live for an extented period of time. TJ
 
mr . salty

mr . salty

Active Member
Is there any chance you could put a tank divider in there to keep the damsels away from him??? They are sold over here in many fish stores,but could be made out of plastic screen(window or door) material.The ones they sell here are made of clear,very thin plastic sheets with millions of small holes in them to provide water circulation.This would possibly help him acclimate to his new home.And avoid un needed stress.
 
S

slk3599

Guest
Here's what Scott Michael's book says about the Idol:
100 gallon minimum tank
Very difficult to feed. Varied diet, including finely chopped table shrimp, squid, clams, mysid shrimp, vitamin enriched live brine shrimp, live black worms, as well as vegetable matter. Also offers foods with Spirulina and various marine algae. Feed several times a day. Reluctant feeders may require live rock with rich coralline algae and sponge growth (their natural fare) to survive acclimation.
All the bad news about this fish you probably know.
Good luck
[ June 14, 2001: Message edited by: slk3599 ]
 
rmc

rmc

New Member
Fugu I wanted to reply to your post when I noticed it early this morning but decided to wait and look up some info I found awhile ago on Moorish Idols.
“ The diet of the individuals collected from Southeast Asia is coral, and because of this it is difficult to maintain. There are reports that the Costa Rican Moorish Idol can be kept successfully in an aquarium because it has a different diet in its natural habitat (there is no coral reef in Costa Rica).” Seewasser-Fische Pablo Tepoot.
Now to answer your question, I purchased two Moorish Idols from the LFS about 10 months ago. Originally (about the first month) they were in the same tank. They constantly fought and now are in separate tanks and doing fine. The Moorish should be kept either singly or in-group only. Mine eat mainly LifeLine and Angle Formula, but also Plankton, Silversides, Krill, Formula One flakes, and Spirulina flakes. I try to vary the diet as much as possible.
Email me and I will send you more information, one guy is approaching two years successfully.
 
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