The Moorish Idol Thread

[Shawnts106]

Hello everyone.... First a background:

Hello, Ive had a saltwater tank (reef) 75gallon for 9 years ... I also am running a refugium on the tank


After years of just being scared to try one.. I finnally bit the bullet and special ordered one from my LFS that I work at... I got him yesterday its about 2.5 to 3 inches long... so a small juvie.. which is key! very good shape and has a nice dorsal fin!

He has been nibbling at liverock pretty well.. Not crazy but he is nibbleing quite well! Also I have tried feeding every fish food I have.. to no avail.. but I do have some sponge he has picked at but not injested... dont know why.. its white ... some is purple, and I do have a bit of yellow...

I just bought some GARLIC GAURD from seachem today and soaked the food in it.. I took a clamshell, and put some squid, clams and nori in it... soaked it for a half hour and put it in the tank.. the Idol reallllllllllllly eyed it but did not bite.. I suppose hes not ready! haha, its only been in the tank for a day.. so Im not rushing anything, just glad to see that he is nibbling on LR.. hes also nibbling on my closed brain.. which honestly I dont care.. he can eat the darn thing for all I care!


I was wondering if this is normal behavior for a MI... I know they are hard to keep, I know that they hardly ever survive.. but condering I have been able to grow... not KEEP BUT GROWWWW Alveoporas and Gonioporas for about 7 months in my tank .. having to frag my alveopora twice already I decided on a MI... No I do not regret this... even if he dies... I am determinded to do everything I can to keep him alive! I selected a small young specimen for the same reason you all did, because they tend to do better!


so far hes not being picked on by my other fish, or picking on them.. hes swimming madly LOL, and is picking on LR quite often.... but hasnt accepted any frozen foods just yet, but has shown interest!

is this normal? have any suggestions.. I am trying to get the Frozen Sponge Rations in asap! for now he has a bit of LIVE SPONGE, which he doesnt really like! haha


please help me, I have been on another forum but have repeatitivly got almost CURSED at for getting on... also, currsed at for getting and keeping gonis and alves!.. those people are RIDICULOUS... there is another person on this thread that stated they got screamed at for keeping gonis.. I have talked to this person quite a bit.. we both agree on one thing.. FEED THIS SPECIES OF CORAL!!! haha.. they use Liquid Life.. I use Dts live marine phytoplankton.. they both seem to work!!!


anyway! here is my Idol!

[Shawnts106]

If you cant see him there please visit my page.. its on page 2 of this gallery

My Page here you can see my Idol.. 3 pictures!

[Shawnts106]

*bump* ^

[las]

from what ive read these guys are very similiar to regal angels as far as diet is concerned. maybe this is why you see many reeftanks with both of these fish in them.
They feed on sponges and tunicates. i think the idols prefer the tunicates but i dont know for sure. the question we should be asking is can we propagate tunicates and sponges in our refugiums to meet the demands of feeding these guys? if anyone has experience with fast growing tunicate colonies or sponges please chime in. i think this would help all of us.

peace

[tdude294]

like i said i didnt think so, but it never hurts to ask

[Shawnts106]

Well my Idol is nipping like crazy at my Welso Brain... lol, I dont really mind its not looked good for a week and I dont know why! so he can eat it all he wants.. hes also kinda every once and a while will take one single peck at some NORI... but I dont really think hes eatting any!... but I dont know.. he is picking at LR and Eatting or at least picking at some different sponges.. White, qtip, yellow... nothing more... he has yet to pay attention to anything soaked in or not soaked in garlic gaurd... he does however have 1 singel ick spot... which im a bit concerned about... if it gets worse I will take him out and put him in a qtank... which I DO NOT want to do! so maybe it will heal itself! With all that coral in his stomach I dont see why he couldnt...


this is just day 2 of having him... 3 if you count the day of pickup... so hes still got a chance.. Im going to try and get my hands on some pelets... do you guys have any idea as of what kind are the best for these guys??? hes not ate anything prepared that I know of... just picking at nori.. like I said... so do you think he would even consider the pellets??? possible??? what kind do I need to get? brand? who makes them... thanks!

[Shawnts106]

BUMP AGAIN!.. come on people lets get the ball rolling.. LOL!

[chisel]

ok, I must confess....I have had a MI for about 4 months in a 55 gal tank. but before you start throwing stones, I didn't know about their requirements when I got it. It was preety small when I got it, and already noticed some growth. But I must admit, the fish is doing great, it eats everything, actually it is constantly begging. I feed it a wide variety of stuff, like pellets, daphnia, angel formula, algae formula, and a couple of other foods. Its dorsal fin is quite long, I've not seen one that long in the LFS. I am in the process of getting a much bigger tank, and should have it in about 2 weeks. I can't quite decide on the 180 or the 210, the only difference between the two is that the 210 is a little taller. I wonder sometimes about the requirement of a bigger tank for these fish, cause I have seen pictures of peoples tanks that are a lot bigger, but is jammed packed with rocks and coral. Is the requirement to give these guys lots of room to swim or lots of room to hide? Anyway, I'll try to get some pics to share, if I can figure out how to load it. Well now my next questions are what kinds of fish can I house with the idol. Will and angel be too aggressive?

[Shawnts106]

Chisel.. you wont be getting hit with any stones from me... while I might say that a 55 gallon I think is a bit to "skinny" in width of the tank for a MI, but Im glad to see your getting a much bigger tank! I have had my Idol for 5 days now... eatting everything other than fish food! Mine is about 2.5 to 3 inchs and is picking at my LR like crazy, also is nipping and I suppose consuming various sponges, Yellow, Purple, and white... Mine has NOT ate any Nori or frozen anything as of yet... but I have noticed his belly is getting bigger, indicating that he IS getting some type of nutrition... so that is good! Mine has I think maybe 1 or 2 Ich spots on him... if it gets any worse I will do a dip or something to get rid of the little buggers!... How big was yours when you got it??? what did it do when you got it? Feeding, behavior, etc... Was it already eatting when you purchased it?... I special ordered mine from my LFS.. I picked it up the DAY it came in... still in the shipping bag, so mine only got acclimated once...


any info on yours would be great! How long did it take it to eat flakes and such?


I do know that Idols LOVE extra swimming room, and rather swift currents as they are from Hawaii, most that are collected, and they are found in shallow swift moving waters!


I would just go with the 180, a 210 is going to be taller.... which means its going to be harder to get light down there to your corals.. if you do do a coral tank! .. Also these guys (MI) do better in reef tanks... while not being reef safe themselves... Mine has only nipped and consumed my Welso Brain... but I was getting tired of that coral anyway.. always moving itsself! .. at least I know it died for a good cause! haha


good luck!

[chisel]

my MI was about 2.5" when I got it, and almost immediately was eating flakes. I got the frozen algae formula when I got it, and it ate that about a day or two after it was in the tank. Then I slowly added other foods to his diet. The only other fish in the tank at the time were 2 clowns and a royal basslet. I used to have a lettuce nudi, and he took a few nips out of it. Usually when it eats, it takes a bite, chews it, spits it out, then eats the smaller bits. It eats food off the surface of the water too. I feed it daphnia (water fleas) about twice a week, which it likes. I used to have some kelp which came on one of my corals, which it ate. I have an orange sponge in the tank, which he totally ignores. So far so good, hopefully it stays around so I can get it in the new tank.

[zfunk007]

Chisel, Shawnts106, Thanks for the posts with your experiences so far. Sorry I couldn't respond sooner. I was out of town in the keys for 4 days and had no access to the internet. But I'm back now!

Shawnts106, you are doing all the right things so far. Your Idol picking at the rocks (and your coral) is a good sign for him. It means he is interested in eating. It is also good that you got him straight from the bag, I did the same with mine.

My Idol gradually became interested in food. On day one he was picking at the rocks. Day 2 he was eating garlic soaked mysis and brine. And within the next few weeks he accepted more and more different kinds of food. I think it took him 3 weeks before he would actually eat the Spectrum Pellets. You should also try soaking his food in Selcon. Its a supliment I'm sure you carry at your store.

I wouldn't worry too much about the ich spots on your Idol as long as there aren't alot of them. My Idol has always gotten an ich spot or 2 since I've had him. The most he ever had was 5 or 6. But now its been almost 2 months and he doesn't really get them anymore. I think the combination of garlic and him building up a resistance to the ich has caused them to lessen. So don't worry yet unless he just totally breaks out.

chisel, Don't worry I'm not going to flame you. I could hardly do that since we kept a Moorish Idol in our "Finding Nemo" 55 gallon display tank at my old LFS for over a year with great success. However I was going to reccommend you upgrading but since you already are thats a good thing. Your Idol should be happy. I'd go with the 210, thats what I have. Moorish Idols don't hide much, at least mine doesn't. He will dart into the rocks if hes threatend but the MOST important thing is swimming space.

Hope this helps. Hopefully Paul will be back soon to chime in also. Good luck and keep us updated!

[zfunk007]

I just saw your other thread Shawnts106. To answer your questions about the pellets. To get my Idol eating pellets I used "New Life Spectrumax, Finicky Fish Formula." The bottle has a Moorish Idol on it so you can't miss it. Once he started eating those I switched him over to "Spectrum THERA+A by New Life." Those pellets are an anti-parasitic formula that I swear by. ALL my fish at the LFS I work at and all my fish in my 6 tanks at home get these pellets every day.

Also soak all the pellets in Selcon and Garlic Extract if you can. If I were you I would try Garlic Xtreme by Kent. Its alot stronger and more concentrated then the Garlic Guard and might initiate a feeding response quicker.

Hope this helps.

[keefsama2003]

i have a 300g tank im working on and once done the first fish im going to put in are a pair of MI's i have been researching these fish for the last 3 months everyday 8 hours a day ( at work ) and think i have a very good start. i live on the south shore of long island so i may need to head north to check out paul ( paul are you a member of LIRA? )
i will let my MI's establish in the tank for a good couple months before any other fish are added so i can get them on some kind of feeding sched. and also if i need to change foods around i can get my food mix down before anything else goes in so i can make sure they get a good hold on the food.

im going to have 3ft reef with a nice structure and caves and what not and then 5ft of open tank/water for the fish to swim and roam i figure this way i can almost simulate natural habitat somewhat.

they can circle the rocks as they wont be touching the walls anywhere and then can stream down the 8ft length of my 300. any other ideas? would be helpful

[benf]

not to sure about some of the other MI owners, but i fine my Idol loves to get groomed daily by cleaner shrimp.

I have had him for just over a month now. I was a little worried in the beginning cause the 1st 3 days he wouldnt eat and then got ich, but now he is ich free and is eating well. I hope to have him around for years to come as he is a cool fish!

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Hi all. Well I finally got my 400 G tank and am getting it plumbed this week so I can start filling it up. I'm wondering thoug about how to add a MI to the tank.

The tank was set up as a FOWLR and I aquired several large fish with teh tank. They are currently in my 190 holding tank until I get the 400 plumbed. If I want to add a MI, sholud I put him in BEFORE I add the other fish back into the tank or at the same time?

The other fish include a mated pair of Naso tangs, male is about 10", female about 6". A Pink Tale Trigger about 6". A Sailfin Tang about 7". A Vilamagianti (sp) tang about 12". A Foxface about 6". And a Hawaiian Wrasse about 4". I also have a Huma-Huma that's about 6" but I want to get rid of him since I want to turn the tank into a reef.

Any ideas on what size and when to add a MI would be greatly appreciated. Good luck with your MI's and keep the good info coming.

[benf]

Forgot to ask, if there is a significance behind the MI's streamer?

I know when i first got him it wasnt visible, but now its shown all the time.

thanks

[Paul B]

keefsama, I have been working late and I just got home. I am in New Hyde Park, would be glad to give you a tank tour.
Benf, the streamer is a sign of a healthy Idol. Mine lost his but is growing it back. Of course, it gets bit off as soon as it grows so it may be a while.
Paul

[benf]

ok, thanks for the info!! That is good news!!

[Shawnts106]

since we kept a Moorish Idol in our "Finding Nemo" 55 gallon display tank at my old LFS for over a year with great success.

Well, yes great success for a year.. but he did die... wether it be because of a power out or not.. I suppose that if the hurricane didnt come he would have lived much longer!


also, A few questions.. Mine is nipping on LR still and sponge a bit.... and I will take a half clam shell and put some Brine Shrimp Forumla from Ocean nutrition, some mysis shrimp, some clams and some muscle and also a bit of NORI in the middle, soak it in garlic gaurd for a day and then put it in the tank.. the Idol will come and give it a few good HARD stares but decides maybe not... occationally he will nip at the mixture.. but most of the time all I get is just a few teasing stares! LOL!

how do you add the pellets? I suppose that yours just automatically goes for them? did you ever do anything special like add it to a clam shell or some type of clip or bag????


do you have any clue where your LFS gets there idols from.. the one you got... where did it come from.. what supplier??? just wondering because I know it all starts with the supplier.. unless they take the time to feed them immediatly after capture they begin to decline in health!!! I think the supplier I got mine from didnt take that much time... he will eat absolutely NOTHING prepared as of yet... maybe a nibble here and there, but no hard bites! *

he does blow a puff of water at the sand all the time and seems to be eatting something.. weather that is an scud or cocopod or something I duno! I got some more blue sponge... reef tank grown!.. so its hardy and can handle reef type tanks.. I dont think he has seen it yet! so I will keep you updated on the blue sponge!

I also got a Cleaner shrimp today... but the IDOL, as well as all the other fish seem to be scared to DEATH of it!!!!


OH, the Ich spots are almost gone.. he has 2... and they look as if they have poped! ... hopefully my fish have a good enough immune system to fight it off! Plus... if the Idol ever decides he needs a cleaning.. well.. MR. SHRIMP will happy do the job! haha

Garlic Extreme... I have heard of this.. seen it too.. is it that much more powerful??? geeze, maybe I should get my hands on a bit!
Do Idols eat diatoms??? Mine seems to eat a bit of sand and spit it back out.. its got diatoms on the sand where hes picking.. is it possible that hes eatting diatoms.. I wouldnt think so! He also still appears to have a bit of a belly... so hes obveously getting some type of nutrition from SOMEWHERE! which... is good, because it buys him more time to get use to prepared foods I would think huh?

These spectrum brand foods, my LFS doesnt carry this brand..we carry, (we = because I work there), Omega foods, Sallys, Tetra, Nutramax, a bit of frozen Ocean Nutrition... Wardleys, but we dont carry this Spectrum..... Maybe I should talk about getting some in!!! Ive heard alot of people talking about how good it is!

Any more advise would be great!!!!

[benf]

another thing i added to get him to eat was from the fish department at the food store. I picked up some muscle and split the shells in half and placed it on the bottem of the tank. IT took a couple but finally he started eating them as well as frozen clam, angel formula, angel formula 2, plankton, mysis, nori, and Spectrum A.

[Shawnts106]

The tank was set up as a FOWLR and I aquired several large fish with teh tank. They are currently in my 190 holding tank until I get the 400 plumbed. If I want to add a MI, sholud I put him in BEFORE I add the other fish back into the tank or at the same time?

I do know that Moorish Idols have to have VERY mature tanks, at least a year.. they do better, and also, while not being reef safe themselves.. they do better in a reef tank!

As far as how to add these fish.. I do know that Moorish Idols should not be kept with any agressive fish, aka puffers, triggers, certain tangs, (large), certain angels etc..... they do better if there are only very peaceful tank mates.. like clownfish, gobies, maybe a dwarf angel.. my Coral Beauty and Flame Angel do not bother my MI one single bit.. they act like they have always known him!


BUT YOU KNOW WHAT!... I have found that MI are REALLY GOOD at dodging YELLOW TAILED DAMSELS!! lol, mine are sooo fast, yet the MI dodges them like crazy! its really funny!

Any ideas on what size and when to add a MI would be greatly appreciated.

I have found and read that a YOUNG (2.5 to 4inch) specimen from hawaii seems to be the best candidate for survival in an aquarium... good luck.. but a word of warning... these fish are NOT FOR BEGGINERS.. they are seriously hard to keep, trive and survive in aquariums..... as I am finding out day by day... they are the most picky fish available IMO... and unless your going to devote several hours a day to trying to feed it and watch its behavior to monitor how it is doing... then do not get one! .. If you do.. be prepared to spend 40$ + on fish food!!!!

I hope to have him around for years to come as he is a cool fish!

VERY GOOD!!! I do too! I think they are one of the most beautiful fish on earth!!!! Also, I took a lunch (slash)... ( or / .. well you could do this > \ ) anyway... I took a lunch/watch the IDOL break just now and mine is just absolutly PIGGING OUT on the blue sponge!!! I will have to get a species or a picture going up on here!!! I personally, though have read no reference to this.. But I think that a Meaty diet, or shrimps, mysis, or brine, and squid, and clams and musscle combined with a good quality pelet soaked in some type of flavor, vitamin enhancer like Zoecon or Selcon or something.. (BTW: we do not also carry selcon but we do have ZOE and Zoecon), anyway.... also, combined with a large part of their daily to every other day diet some type of marine sponge.. like this blue or yellow sponge will give them YEARS in captivity.... I htink personally that SPONGE is a MASSIVE part of the Moorish Idols diet!!!.... Mine is CONSTANTLY picking on sponge growth... more of the deaper colors than the whites or Qtip sponges!... Mine seems so far to absolutly go CRAZY for the BLUE sponge, and Purple sponge... and then likes the Yellow sponge, but seems to dislike, or not care for much for the Qtip and the White sponges.... but this is just MY IDOL... other peoples if collected at different deapths or parts of the world my be attracked to different species of sponge growth!.... I personally am experimenting with various species, colors and forms of sponge so see which mine loves the most... so far mine loves the varities that seem to do well in REEF TANKS... indicating that these sponges are found high on the reef in the ocean... which is also a good reason why MI like them.... They are typically a high reef animal... the ones from hawaii are found on the tops of reefs... just a few meters below the surface... and since these sponges do so well in reef tanks with high lighting I would bet on it that these sponges are found in higher shallower areas on the reefs of the world! ... makes sence to me.. what do you think???

and think i have a very good start

If your tank is mature and has a very good live supply of micro and macro fauna like Scuds and sponge and pods and such then yes you do have a good start.. if not I would wait till you get these in great supply... or I would quickly set up a refugium... these are excelt to get Scuds and pods and such to breed like WILDFIRE!
goodluck!

i will let my MI's establish in the tank for a good couple months before any other fish are added so i can get them on some kind of feeding sched.

VERY GOOD PLANNING! I like this experiment so far... hehehe... also, you should get some damsels like Chromis or something like a few gobies that are peacefull in there before the Idol.. get them cycleing the tank and then a few months or years however long it takes to get a good LR system and Pod reproduction going .. then Add a YOUNG specimen *hawaiian is the best* and then youve got WHOLE lot of a better chance of him surviving!... I waited 9 yearsssss before I added my IDOL! DAY 6 with him for he.. and hes got a full belly of what I suppose is sponge and pods! ... anyway... I think you get my point!

im going to have 3ft reef with a nice structure and caves and what not and then 5ft of open tank/water for the fish to swim and roam i figure this way i can almost simulate natural habitat somewhat.

Sounds like a great Environment for a MI to me... You mentioned Reef... you mean Corals, LR, not base rock, Coraline sponge of course, ect.. right??? These fish are NOT reef safe thenselves.. but the do alot better in a reef tank...

I have mine now for 6 days.. hes nipped at a Welso Brain, and just a bit at a RED GONIOPORA.. both of these corals were closed up and quite TICKED at something... I think they mine is purposely nipping at dammaged upset or dieing corals... easy meal! LOL they CAN and ARE BEST kept in reef tanks.... but beware.. you may loose or MAY NOT loose a prized coral... just be prepared and willing to spend 40$ or more on a nice expensive LIVE meal for it ...hehehe

I really dont mind that mine is nipping at these 2 corals at all... I believe if it is getting some type of nutrition from them... LET IT! If it somehow is making it live by eatting my Brains out! (lol, no pun intended) haha, then Ill give it to it!

I just saw your other thread Shawnts106. To answer your questions about the pellets. To get my Idol eating pellets I used "New Life Spectrumax, Finicky Fish Formula." The bottle has a Moorish Idol on it so you can't miss it. Once he started eating those I switched him over to "Spectrum THERA+A by New Life." Those pellets are an anti-parasitic formula that I swear by. ALL my fish at the LFS I work at and all my fish in my 6 tanks at home get these pellets every day.

Thanks for that INFO !!!! this will have to be a must to try!!!! thanks!



This is a GREAT thread so far!! really informative.. I myself have learned a great deal just in this one small thread!

oh, someone mentioned they have been doing research for I think months like 8 hours a day... LOL, that is wonderful that you are getting as much info as you can before you make that purchase!!! Thats like me.. no matter if Im getting something or not.. be a coral, fish or new shrimp! LOL, I do an extensive amount of research on the animal before actually getting it! This makes for a much happier animal... plus a much SAVED MUUULAAAA on trying things like getting it to eat, or it eatting things etc...

I researched this ONE FISH for nearly about 5 years before purchasing THIS ONE!.... I now have ALOT better understanding of this species and its learned requirements!!! Therefore being able to give this fish what it needs!!!! I now know that these fish in the wild feed on sponge, some algae and small inverts like Pods scuds, worms etc... Knowing this I can offer it sponge, pods and algae.. various calurpa species.. Red grape, Feather, and Green Bubble Calurpa... although its not paid any attention to the algaes... well at least I knew to try it! haha

I knew to select the BEST POSSIBLE CANDIDATE FOR SURVIVAL.. a young hawaiian specimen! ... this gives the fish a better chance of survival!

RESEARCH, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE IS EVERYTHING!

GOOD LUCK!

[Paul B]

Blown Chevy, How are you doing? You have some fairly large agressive fish there. I don't know about an Idol in your tank. Although some Idols eat very well they will still have trouble keeping up with large tangs and forget the trigger, I know you are not going to have the trigger it in there for long. As I followed Moorish Idols in Tahiti they did not have any competition while feeding. They seem to eat sponges that the other fish had no interest in therefore they took their time eating as no other fish bothered them. They swim far from one feeding place to another and I always saw them in mated pairs.
I feed mine local New York sponge every day along with Selcon soaked "Soft and Moist" pellets which are fed in a dish. There is a picture of it at the start of this thread. I also feed small frozen whole fish, frozen mysis and plankton. I am not home much so I had to get a feeder but I really can't feed the Idol as I would like to. The one I have now will eat anything and a lot of it so it is messing up my water. Without an Idol I only feed every other day but with this fish I feed three times a day. I think it would eat ten times a day. I doubt they will eat (or even see) diatoms, pods etc. Like I said before I believe they mate for life and I think the males are the dominant ones and they lead the females to food. I think thats why some of them do not eat.
Be careful with these fish, sometimes (many times) they will appear very healthy for a year or two then just stop feeding and die for no apparent reason. I have seen it many times. As far as I know there is only one person that kept one for nine years. A fish this size should live at least ten or twelve years so I know that even though we can keep them for a couple of years we are not there yet. But we will someday.
Have a great day.
Paul

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Hi Paul. I'm busy trying to get the new tank up and running. I'm redoing the plumbing to better suit a reef tank and my house.

If you haven't seen my thread about the tank, here it is. I'll be keeping it updated with pic's and info as I progress thru the build up.
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...hreadid=630143

Thanks everyone for the help. Yes the Huma will be gone before I even think about putting in a MI. I may also get rid of the Vilmaganti (sp) tang as well. He does seem a nit timid though and not agressive at all even though he is the biggets fish in the tank. When I saw him in the tank before we tore it down to move it, he was always hiding in the rocks.

I'd like to keep the mated pair of Naso tangs though as that is one of my other favorite fish and to have a mated pair is even more cool. The male seems to be the boss of the tank. I don't know if it's because he has a mate and no one else does or what.

The sailfin, foxface, Hawaiian wrasse and pink tale all seem very peaceful. I've watched them eat and none seem to be agressive even when eating.

I know I will want to get the tank well estabilished and am turning it into a reef. My current reef tank has a lot of different types/colors of sponges growing on the rocks in it and I will try and transport some of it into the new tank.

Has anyone seen their MI eat and algae of any sort?

Keep up teh good work everyone of informing us as to what your MI is doing. This is great information for the rest of the community to see and possibly take the plunge into trying to estabilish a MI in a tank long term.

[zfunk007]

Ahhh Paul, always the realist . Thats good though, cause thats how I am too.

Blown Chevy, I'd suggest putting the Idol in first after the tank is cycled, get him comfortable and eating nicely THEN add the other bigger fish. My Idol has alot of competition when eating (3 wrasse, 3 Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Blue Chromis and the Regal Angel) and he seems to get plenty to eat.

I put him in my tank about 7-8 months after it was set up. Also I'm pretty sure he was from the South Pacific somewhere but not Hawaii. I don't think the wholesaler we got him from gets Moorish Idols from Hawaii.

When I first got him I wasn't even prepared for a Moorish Idol. I had planned on getting one but I wanted to wait longer to further prepare my tank. We just happend to get one in and I figured why not. Thankfully so far it has turned out ok.

Shawnts106, glad to see your so passionate about Moorish Idols. I can't believe your LFS doesn't carry Spectrum foods!!! Every fish store I have ever been to here in Florida carrys them!!! Thats good that your Idol is finally eating something. Give him time and keep bombarding him with food and hopefully he will start taking some.

I think one reason the Idols may just drop dead after a year or 2 like Paul was saying is because maybe they out grow their tanks. I think Blown Chevy has a good situation cause he has a huge tank and the Idol will have lots of room to swim around. I'm hoping my Idol will live long enough so that when I can get my 1000 gallon setup in a couple years he will be able to be transfered to it.

Also your right Shawnts106, Moorish Idols are most certainly NOT reef safe. If you put one in your tank be prepared to possibly lose a few corals. Particularly LPS's. I think my Idol has "sampled" probably every coral in my tank including SPS's. Although he hasn't damaged them enough to kill them thankfully. But be warned.

My Idol is doing very well. I went away for 4 days (had my parents watch my tank and feed everyone) and when I got back my Idols streamer seemed to have grown even more! Its really starting to "curve" into the rainbow shape. I think one of the reasons he is doing well now is because I am feeding him 3-4 times a day. He gets the spectrum pellets twice a day along with 2 sea weed strips attached to the glass. And then at night he gets the mix of all the different kinds of food I have soaked in garlic and selcon.

I bought a really nice automatic feeder today and I am going to rig it so that it feeds him 2-3 times a day while I am at work. Since my vacation is over I can't be home to feed him all the time so this should fix the problem. Thanks for the updates everyone! Can't wait to see your tank Blown Chevy!!

[zfunk007]

Has anyone seen their MI eat and algae of any sort?

My Moorish Idol constantly grazes on the hair algae at the very top of my tank. He also seems to eat coraline algae off the rocks and just about any other kind of algae he can find. And he devours the sea weed clips I put in for him twice a day. So needless to say my Idol is an algae eater.