Moorish Idol

[Wolf]

Hi, I read that Moorish Idols don't do well in captivity. Has anyone owned this fish and have had sucess with it? TIA, Wolf

P.S. I've never seen them for sale, does anyone know who carries them and about how much they go for?

 

[RogerMcAllen]

A Moorish Idol is one of those fish that should never be kept in a home aquarium. We have had a few members who seemed to have great success with this fish only to have it die for seemingly no reason at all. I'm sure the Rev will chime in soon.

 

[RocketSeason]

Moorish Idols have a 100% death rate in aquariums. do not buy one.

thanks!

 

[quarryshark]

I think you will find this to be the general consensus.
Like RogerMcAllen stated, several very good fish keepers on this site lost them in short order, only to scratch their head afterwards.
Finding Nemo was a bad thing for this fish IMO.

 

[xxmoorishmanxx]

i wouldnt say 100 percent no, but ussually is not good, their natrual diet consists of sponges, tunicates, and algeas ect... this is hard to mimic in the home aquarium. People do get them to feed on pellet and frozen but they still d not do well. They are very plentiful in the wild, but the ones that do last for any amount of time come from hawaiin waters

 

[xxmoorishmanxx]

BTW even though these foods may be part of their diet this isnt for certain as no one knows for sure all the things they eat/need to be kept alive

avg cost = 65-85 dollars

 

[blorkiemom]

My LFS has one that's been there for a while for $39.99, which I hope is an indication that no one will buy him and they are dropping the price. Bad news for that particular fish, good news for all the other Idols that store won't buy in the future.

 

[austinsdad]

Some folks do the heni. Kinda looks like an idol. Never kept one thought, so I can't speak about their hardiness.

 

[lando]

I agree with Austinsdad...If you like the looks of this fish, look into a henniocus bannerfish. AKA the "poor man's moorish idol". They are very hardy and adapt well to aquarium life. One word of caution, they are best in groups as they are schooling fish. They need a very large tank with plenty of swimming space. If you have a reef tank, make sure you get the correct species as one s reef safe and the other is not. Please,please, please do not consider getting the idol. These have a difficult time surviving in large public aquariums, lt alone the home tank. You are btter off walking into the LFS, giving them $50 and leaving empty-handed. This will save you the trouble of fishing the dead idol out of your tank in a few weeks.

 

[revhtree]

Here is a thread about when mine died.

http://aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=27609&highlight=moorish+idol

Don't put yourself or the Idol through it, it's not worth it. To make a long story short, I had Gill for a couple of months. He ate great, and very often. Was fat and beautiful, with a long banner that grew and grew. I came in one day, he did circles as he always did. I fed him, and of course he hogged it down. 2 hrs later he was gone. No signs of sickness whatsoever. Fat, and plump, and deceased. Broke my heart.

Trust me on this, don't do it.

 

[quarryshark]

Heni's are a different story. I have 2 and they are a joy! Lots of personality, friendly (mine hand feed) and very hearty once acclimated (qt for this fish a must).
I definately suggest at least a pair and you need a system of at least 125 gal IMO as they are very active swimmer and get to about 6" as adults.

 

[austinsdad]

Yeah, looks like neither fish would do for you in a 20g tank.

Back to the drawing board, huh? 8)

 

[nodoubt471]

rev, thats so sad, i feel your pain i recently lost my first fish (a yellow tang) to a temp swing.. i cried, it was so sad

 

[Wolf]

I didn't mean in a 20 gallon! If I were to get one I'd keep in at least a 100 gallon! Just for future reference

 

[Edmonton Eskimo]

Why do lfs's even sell this fish? It is irresponsible collection like this that makes governments want to shut down or drastically reduce our hobby. I see some at big als sometimes. Next time I see one there I'm going to express my displeasure.

 

[RocketSeason]

We all should do our best as hobbiests to be as responsible as we can. a friendly email or letter to those companys that offer Moorish Idols can work wonders.