morish idol

Crazy4Reef · #1 08/17/2004, 02:02 PM

i know they are difficult to keep, but does anyone here had success with them?

Paul-sn · #2 08/17/2004, 02:26 PM

They're more like impossible to keep. Nobody should be taking them out of the ocean for us... it's a death sentence to the fish.

magnum420 · #3 08/17/2004, 02:28 PM

If you are thinking of getting one, please reconsider.. they are a beautiful fish that should be left in the ocean. I have heard of a couple of people that have kept them for a while, but that is the exception, not the norm. They dont do well in fish tanks.

MAg

Crazy4Reef · #4 08/17/2004, 02:29 PM

agree... but sometimes i think they have a better chance in my tank, then the lfs.

Crusty Old Shellback · #5 08/17/2004, 02:34 PM

Do a search for them here on RC. There are a lot more who have kept them alive than people think. Since things have changed a lot over the years, people are having better success with them. It seems that the main thing that seems constant in their success is a VERY VARIED DIET. Good luck if you get one and keep us up on the progress. I know that it seems that young Hawaiian specimens seem to do better than others.

Crazy4Reef · #6 08/17/2004, 02:40 PM

i've been told clown tangs are pretty difficult to keep. I have one for about 7 months now and wanted to give morish a try. again, i really feel they are better suited in my tank, then lfs.... if i decide to get one, i will surely keep everyone posted.

Artista · #7 08/17/2004, 02:40 PM

You buy it from the LFS and they will get more. If it stays in the store for awhile and/or perishes this is the only way that the store will not stock more. This one may die but the store owner might get the hint and not order more. Probably just wishful thinking

Jimbo · #8 08/17/2004, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by blown63chevy
Do a search for them here on RC. There are a lot more who have kept them alive than people think. Since things have changed a lot over the years, people are having better success with them. It seems that the main thing that seems constant in their success is a VERY VARIED DIET. Good luck if you get one and keep us up on the progress. I know that it seems that young Hawaiian specimens seem to do better than others.

Show me a 7 year old Moorish Idol.

Crusty Old Shellback · #9 08/17/2004, 02:58 PM

If I knew where the thread was, I would. There are several people on here who have had theirs more than 5 years. There's also a large school of them swimming at the long beach aquarium that have been in there since they opened some 5 years ago or more. They are FAT and school around in the shark pool at that, not in a reef.

despot101 · #10 08/17/2004, 03:11 PM

I may be wrong but the long beack aquarium is a bit larger than any normal home system and that may play a part in why they have been able to keep them soo long.

Crazy4Reef, I think its irresponsible to purchase idol's at this time. Using the logic that your tank is better than the LFS's tank, may be correct. However they sell 1 morish idol they will get more.

Jimbo · #11 08/17/2004, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by blown63chevy
If I knew where the thread was, I would. There are several people on here who have had theirs more than 5 years. There's also a large school of them swimming at the long beach aquarium that have been in there since they opened some 5 years ago or more. They are FAT and school around in the shark pool at that, not in a reef.

Very cool, let me know if you find the thread.

Jimbo · #12 08/17/2004, 03:14 PM

I should add though, that the success of a few individuals with a few specimens still does not warrant the further collection of this species. A few dozen living out of tens of thousands that are collected doesn't make sense. Parrotfish, certain butterflies, beaked leatherjackets, etc are all in that category.

Jim

timespinner · #13 08/17/2004, 03:21 PM

Please reconsider - Moorish Idols have some of the worst records of any species living in captivity. Please, please be resonsible and don't try to keep this species! There are many other species that are just as beautiful that do not have the same mortality rate.

Jimbo · #14 08/17/2004, 03:31 PM

Exactly my point.

dirtyreefer · #15 08/17/2004, 03:40 PM

For the amount of people that have reported "success" with keeping a Moorish Idol on Reef Central, you should consider the hundreds (or thousands?) of unsuccessful people that have also tried it. The odds are probably 10-1 in obtaining a specimen that will accept food in an aquarium, so where's all the other reports on RC of the failures?

I'm sure that everybody on RC (or anywhere else) that has attempted to keep an Idol has not reported their failures. I certainly wouldn't report it since it is unethical and would be shameful to share that experience with others.

Paul-sn · #16 08/17/2004, 04:49 PM

It's all around a very bad idea to purchase one of these fish.
If you do, as others have stated, you simply encourage your LFS to stock more, and your odds of keeping it healthy are extremely limited.
This type of practice is what will one day see to it that no one keeps moorish idols - and other hard to keep animals - because there won't be anymore.

Jimbo · #17 08/17/2004, 04:52 PM

Wow, lots of smart people.
Nice to see.

Jim

Mishri · #18 08/17/2004, 05:23 PM

wow, ethics? forget about that... ethics wont get you anywhere in life

hehe.. if the idol is accepting prepared food items you could give it a shot if you aren't worried about possibly losing him and throwing the money down the drain.. he is going to die either way right? boy.. some ppl.. so high and mighty on their ooo don't hurt a fish.. although it does make sense that the lfs might try to get more if he sells..just remember to feed him a large variety of foods and i hope you have a very large tank

Jimbo · #19 08/17/2004, 05:27 PM

Quote:

boy.. some ppl.. so high and mighty on their ooo don't hurt a fish.. [/B]

I don't know why, but this cracked me up.

fishman520 · #20 08/17/2004, 09:01 PM

I have had one for 3 weeks now i bought him knowing it was a big risk he was eating at the LFS and my wife talked me into it now that I have him and he is eating I cant wait to get him into my 450ga but Iwould not recomend it to everyone

despot101 · #21 08/17/2004, 09:02 PM

Good luck I guess.

Crusty Old Shellback · #22 08/18/2004, 12:48 PM

Here's one link for you Jimbo
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...5&pagenumber=1
There are many more, just use the search function. You seem to be SOO negative on any thread that talks about MI. Don't know why. Are all of your tanks inhabitants aquacultured? Or are some of them wild colinies or wild caught? HMMM.

despot101 · #23 08/18/2004, 01:38 PM

Even if you find 50 people that have had Idol's over a few years (I doubt there are that many). Lets consider the thousands of Idol's that have died in captivity. Does a 1-2% success rate really equal success?

Crusty Old Shellback · #24 08/18/2004, 02:07 PM

How do you know that thousand have died? Yes I agree that in the past, they had a high mortalaty rate. However, we have made progress and you hear more and more of sucess. Look back 15 years ago at where the Reef community was. You nver heard of someone keeping SPS corals. It's called progress. Too many times you see someone come on hear and ask a question about something only to be bashed into giving it up because so and so had one die so you you should leave them all in the ocean. Same thing can be said about mandrian fish, yet several people on here have them and have even breed them. The KEY is to do some research and know what the requirments are for what you want to keep. i will agree that MI's are hard to keep but it can be done.
I'll get off my soap box now and let the rest of you rant on.
Maybe I have a different outlook on life because I work with Test and evaluation and I know that not everything succeds the first time out.

VolitanLioness · #25 08/18/2004, 02:12 PM

Moorish Idols do have a terrible track record they die all the time. It is difficult to get them on prepared foods and they need alot of food. They need to be fed meaty foods at least 4 times a day they also graze on sponges and algaes.
Sponges are a very important part of their diet that means you need to go out and buy those nice red & orange sponges just to be ripped apart. Meaty foods are very important and most people do not want or are unable to feed 4 times a day or it will starve to death. A variety of Meaty foods is important, very important.
You would also be placing this fish in with an aggressive fish it may not be able to compete for the food with that clown tang.

Kaye