The Moorish Idol Thread

[Asuran]

Thanks for the insight on how to feed them banana's Paul. I'll give that a try too

[Kennyboy1984]

LOL. They eat bananas? Mine are voracious nori eaters! I'll get some video of them attacking a clip of nori.

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Thanks for you input Paul. I always reguard your input as you've been doing this for a bit and have done some research in the wild with them. That's why I came here to ask questions.

I had already asked the owner of the LFS to put the 2 on hold for me for a week. Now I'm not so sure if I want to attempt them. I did get a PM from the guy who owned the one for 4 months. Winds up he's in my local club. He gave me the scoop on all of the fish. He had the one in his holding tank for 4 months and it was eating just fine. Also all of the MI's came from his supplier in Hawaii and that supplier holds them in his tanks and insures their eating before he ships them out.

I am a little hesitant now because of the tangs but I do have a lot of smaller fish that seem to get plenty to eat. I feed large and small pellets to the tank at different ends. I also feed the tangs a sheet of nori each day. Most of my rocks are covered with sponges as well. Also the tank is set up with a small long island of LR down the middle so as to give plenty of swimming room in the tank.

I'm kind of in a holding patteren right now as I had a deal on a complete setup dropped in my lap and I'm now working on that. So I'm not sure if I'll get the idols yet or not.

One idea is to put them in my 60 sump until the 400 is ready and then put them in there first and let them get the run of the tank before I slowley add in the other fish, with the large one's going in last. As I said before, my tangs are big babbies. They've been in the 400 for about 4 1/2 years now with only a few months of that being in the 200 while I move the 400. They haven't bothered a thing including my smallest fish.

[Paul B]

Chevy a lot of people think that if an Idol is eating the problems are over, I have had about a dozen of them and they all ate.
If you think you could get food into it a few times a day without over polluting your tank then you may have a chance. I would be hesatant with your tank. Being your a veteran your chances are doubled.
Speaking of Veteran stuff, an hour ago I received a large package in the mail from a General who was my Captain in Nam. We traveled the country on choppers and set up and lived on 14 firebases or LZs. Anyway on each LZ he had me draw a picture of the firebase with the artillery guns, tanks barb wire bunkers whatever. My wife (who was my girlfriend then) sent me colored flair pens.
He had four of them framed and sent them to me.
I never knew he kept them. I will hang them tonight. Really brings back memories.
There are some pictures of firebases here. I am in 5 pictures on the first page.
Take care and have a great day.
Paul http://www.77fa.org/photos177.html

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Yea, I'm starting to rethink things a bit and wait for a while. I also just had a complete system droped in my lap ( another 400G tank )and now I've got to figure out what to do with that. So the MI's are going on hold once again.

That's cool about the drawings. Even more so that he kept them and now has sent them to you. I'm sure you have a special place to hang them.

While I was at home during Xmas, my Mom gave me my grandfathers American Legion hat. He had some of his old WW I ribbons and medals on it. Seems he was in the AA, 156 airborne I beleive, was also in a costal patrol battery down in Florida and was a expert rifle. He also had what we beleive is his deployment ribbon with 5 stars on it, we know he was in France for a while, and also what looks like a comendation ribbon. I'm going to try and find out some more about his service time as he didn't talk much about it. But we do have a picture of him in uniform that's pretty cool.

I remember talking to him once and he told me that he saw Hitler. Said if he knew then what he knew now, he'd have shot him when he had him in his sights.

Take care and we'll talk talk later.

[Covey]

Well PaulB I am in the club. I got a Idol today. I wanted one for a while and past on a few at the fish store. They don't get them very often but his supplier said he got a few healthy ones in then. One of them was picking at Nori in the display tank and I decided to pull the trigger.

Honestily I am thru the first 10pages of this thread so I hope to catch up soon.

Tank setup:
150G mostily SPS BB
Heavily skimmed

Other fish:
Yellow Tang (Biggest and in charge)
Palette Blue tang (Tiny)
Lawnmower Blenny
6x Green Chromis

Food I feed so far:
Formula One
Formula Two
Prime Reef
Mysis
Cyclopeeze
Nori and some other seaweeds from the Asion food store across the street.

I am planning to pick up some of that Angel sponge food from SF Bay Brand soon.

How in the world do you feed Bananas? Somehow I don't think it will stay in my algae clip.

I know it was a gamble but I am going to do my best succeed with this fish. Day one it is picking at the sponges in the tank so I am taking this as a good sign.

[Kennyboy1984]

Pics!

[Paul B]

To feed bananas I first freeze them then slice off small pieces and feed with a baster. Feed it at first with shellfish like clams or oysters. Freeze them first also. These fish need to eat a lot and often. You should also add frozen plankton to that other stuff. Mysis is kind of small and plankton which is about 1/4" is just the right size.
Goog luck.
Paul

[Asuran]

my idol is still small and he/she only pics up the smaller pieces of mysis, whole ones are being avoided. atleast he/she is getting their fair share of pellets though.

and is also feasting on some of the sponges that are growing on my rock... i have not seen it eat nori yet.

[Covey]

I had to be at work all day I got home to see the tank of 15 min with the light on. My LR is real mature I have noticed the MI picking at the sponges. I might have to wait until it burns thru the existing sponges in the tank.

So far:
Formula Two-passing interest
Mysis Shrimp-passing interest
Nori-I think the MI would eat it but my tang is being real protective of it from the Idol.
Bananas-no interest so far but the tang and blennie ate it.

My Yellow Tang so far is the bigger issue. It's not what I would call full scale aggression but the Tang follow the Idol around. Sometime it almost seems like flirting. The Idol isn't game. The tang has been pretty mild with anything else I've intoduced but taking a interest in the idol.

I am hoping it will pass. Has anyone issue with tangs bothering their Idol?

Also I noticed Paul's feed bowl do people Idol prefer feeding off the bottom or do some of them feed in the open water?

[Paul B]

They really don't care where they eat as long as they eat

[Covey]

One funny thing I did notice is mine is a night owl. The other fish go to sleep when the tank lights go out. I can still see the idol zipping around in the dark with the room lights on.

[Covey]

Originally posted by Paul B
They really don't care where they eat as long as they eat

My tank is very export orientated so I can dump whatever I want in it but it is hard to get any food to stand still for any length of time.

[Kennyboy1984]

Don't forget to try new life spectrum pellets. Fish cannot resist that stuff. Yeah I noticed the same exact thing. They either never sleep or sleep while swimming? Weird eh. Yours do that paul? They are always swimming even when the lights are out.

[Paul B]

My tank is in a finished basement and it is pitch dark when the lights are out, however, as soon as I come down (my computer is down here) and put on the room lights he comes over to greet me. Him and the copperband, they hang out together. He is giving me a dirty look now. I guess he is hungry.
I am going to try to get a better feeder that will feed him four times a day. Mine only works twice a day.
Paul

[Covey]

Originally posted by Paul B
Feed it at first with shellfish like clams or oysters.

clams and oysters?

Is my crocea clam on the menu?

He was bothering one of them and hasn't touch the other. He ate a little nori, a couple spectrum pellets, and 2" chunk of yellow sponge from the back side of the rock so he is at least over the first huddle.

[John Dawe]

Back in 1989, when the clams were first came into the hobby, I put one in my tank, it always stayed open. Soon after I added a Moorish Idol and the clam would not open up too much or often.
It took a while but I finally caught the MI nipping at it. Since thats what the MI's do in the wild, swim, nip a something, swim, nip, I would have to say that they are not always clam safe.

[Paul B]

I doubt your crocea clam is on his menu, You have to cut clams up very small or a moorish Idol can't bite it. I have a clam and the Idol and clam have been living together for four years with no problems.

[John Dawe]

My MI's never killed or ate the clam(s), they would just nip at it every once in a while. which would keep them from fully opening some of the time.
By the way, I can only keep MI's for about 3 yrs, something bad has always happened to the tank and caused there death, along with most the other fish. Last time it was a major ick outbreak. Now I assume all new fish have ick and treat them. Just doing quarintine with out treatment is doesn't do much.

[Covey]

Both Clams where open today so maybe he fiqured out he can't eat it.

Got a pic too Idols don't sit still for nothing


That was day one his streamer has already started growing back.

[Asuran]

Covey, your Idol is looking great! Mine is a bit on the thin side about the same size too but it is eating so I hope it will fatten up slowly over the next little while.

Mine has shown a few spots of ich but they have subsided as well.

[cthetoy]

Here is my Idol I bought from a collector when I was in Hawaii last summer. I got the front view of the Idol in case people are wondering if their Idol is getting skinny. I feed mine 4x a day (75% pellets, 10% flakes, 5% Frozen Ocean Nutririon Angel formula, and 5% Mysis, 5% Nori and a clam on the half shell as a treat once a week)

The streamer grows to about 3"-4" long and then in a few days it falls off.

Thanks Paul B. and everyone's tips on Idol care.





Some of its tank mates

[Paul B]

Cthetoy, nice looking Idol. Mine did the same thing with the streamer. It grows very fast then either gets bitten off or ripped off. Mine finally stopped growing.
Paul

[Kennyboy1984]

Do moorish idols take hypo salinity very well?

[John Dawe]

Yes they do, have done it before. They also tolerate FORMULIN BATH for 30 - 45 minutes without a problem.
I lower the salinity slowly over several days and also biring it back up slowely over at least 4 days.