Moorish idols

[kingspade]

has anyone ever had any luck with keeping Moorish Idols? i would really like to have one but i have read that they do not eat very well. The way i see it, they arent that expensive to buy and try but if it is completely a worthless shot i wont get one.

 

[fedukeford]

Originally Posted by KingSpade
has anyone ever had any luck with keeping Moorish Idols? i would really like to have one but i have read that they do not eat very well. The way i see it, they arent that expensive to buy and try but if it is completely a worthless shot i wont get one.
they need huge tanks, 300 gallon MINIMUM, and in your proflile it says you have a 125, so if your not thinking of upgrading, dont then think about morish idols, if you like the morish idols, look at henichous (spelling?) butterflys, a LITTLE easier to keep

 

[dogstar]

One in a 1,000 might make it past a year. Eatings not the problem, many eat like pigs. I dont think any one knows why they dont last.

 

[supalupa]

I took one of the snorkeling trips to Kealakakua Bay in Hawaii and one of the tour guides said that Moorish Idols stay together in mated pairs and if something happens to one, the other one won't eat and starves to death. You might need to get a mated pair which would require a rather large tank.

 

[ophiura]

There is almost a thread a week on these. I would do a search. You'll read all about the heartbreak

I would never recommend keeping one - they are a worthless shot if that will keep you from getting one.

 

[viet-tin]

I know a lfs that has kept one for more than a year. They have it in this huge display tank and its gorgeous. Hes one spoiled fish though because once in awhile the store owner drops in an expensive clam dinner

 

[yellow ace]

ha ha...yeah. When I first thought I wanted to have sw was when I saw "Gill" in finding nemo...lol

-Ace

 

[unleashed]

even large aquariums have a hard time keeping them for long periods of time.one thing they may have that helps sustain them is a natural diet of live corals.most hobbiest do not or cannot afford to keep replacing the corals the idol eats naturally in the wild.

 

[ophiura]

We also kept one at our LFS for a year, and it ate EVERYTHING it was fed, from flake to all frozen, to ...anything! It still died, a year later, as so many do. Even success to this mark is not assurance of long term success.

 

[lion_crazz]

Originally Posted by KingSpade
if it is completely a worthless shot i wont get one.
It is definitely a worthless shot. Even some of the most experienced fish keepers cannot keep these guys.

 

[kingspade]

thats too bad they are so hard to keep, they are amazing looking fish. guess ill have to enjoy their beauty from pictures, thanx for the responses guys!

 

[lion_crazz]

Thanks for making the wise decision! It takes a truly knowledgable and conscientious hobbiest to know his or her limits and have control over their own purchases.