Is it bad to buy a Moorish Idol?

[Moonrs]

I bought a moorish idol tonight from Alamo. I have to admit, I didn't do very much (*that means didn't do any) research before I bought it. I read that it's difficult to get them to eat once taken from their natural environment and introduced into an aquarium. So far, he seems to be okay, but it's only been a couple hours since I added him to my tank. My yellow tang seems to want to ensure the newcomer knows who's the king of the forest, so to speak. I think they'll be okay. Should I be worried that the moorish idol will starve to death? Has anyone else had success with these hard-to-raise fish? Any input would be appreciated.

[captexas]

From what I have read and heard, the almost all die in captivity. They are very difficult to get to eat and don't do well. Hopefully this is not the case in your situation. You should always do research before buying any animal, no matter how small. Always good to carry a book or two in the car when you go browsing the LFS. I always have Scott Michaels book on fish. It's talked me out of buying several fish! lol

[BA]

yea i agree, i've never actually heardof anyone w/ a moorish idol....but hey mayb you can be the first???

[brewercm]

I've always wanted one and have never tried because of what I've read about them. They must be very hard to keep because I don't remember even seeing one at Sea World (could be wrong). One thing though is it may stand a whole better chance of survival at someones home who's willing to spend the time with it than it would at an LFS. Not condoning ordering these from the LFSs and getting them to buying them on regular basis, just a thought if one is already there. Regardless a beautiful fish.

[Moonrs]

okay, so consensus seems to be I've brought this fish into a doomed existance... :-( Hopefully, I'll beat the odds, but from what you guys are saying, it looks like my odds are pretty slim. I'll keep you posted.

[Ram_Puppy]

Actually Moonrs, I would say consensus is more along the lines of 'you gave a fish in a doomed situation a fighting chance' I think brewercm is right, your willing to do the legwork of studying it, you will probably succeed. I can't remember who it was off the top of my head, but I think there is one maast member at least keeping more than one of these fish succesfully... yes, maybe the general success rate is low, but you are not your 'general reefer'. Now, go get yourself a black bat fish. :) jk

[StephenA]

This is from Marine Depot:
Morish Idol - Zanclus canescens
The Zanclus canescens grows up to 7 inches. The Morish Idol prefers a tank of at least 80 gallons with plenty of places to hide & swim. The Zanclus canescens is a omnivore and likes to eat variety of chopped foods (meats & veggies), algae, live foods (worms & brine shrimp). The Morish Idol is a high maintenance fish and may act peacefully toward other fish. Keep with caution in a reef aquarium; may nip at corals. Great care must be taken. Have dismal survival records. Keep water quality high (SG 1.020 - 1.025, pH 8.1 - 8.4, Temp. 72 - 78° F). The Morish Idol is commonly collected from Hawaii, Tahiti.

[Moonrs]

Well, Guess what. I went to bed REALLY late (like 2am), and my fish was doing fine, more or less. The yellow tang kept sneaking up one him periodically and ambushing him from behind the LR. I got up at 8:30 and he's getting munched on by a couple hermit crabs! It was too late. I've no idea what happened. He obviously didn't have time to starve. Maybe the stress was too much. Thanks for all the help... :-( Guess I'll try the easier fish next time. Biggest problem now is that my wife isn't too keen on this hobby anyway, and now she's slightly aggravated at me. It'll be awhile before I can get another. Aghhh!

[Instar]

Tangs are the last fish to put into a tank, thats for sure. A delicate fish like an idol and many of the angels needs to happen first if you even can get a healthy one in the first place. I hate to say it (you may not want to read this because its going to sound like a cut off Reef Central, but, just can't help it; some folks post this stuff on here on a regular basis and it just does earn a commentary. I apologize in advance.), but, people who buy fish without research are what keeps places like this ordering fish that are impossible to keep. Expierienced and responsible reef keepers don't contribute because they research first. Sorry, but I am going to trash you here -- How is this different than bringing home a gold fish when you are a little kid, only to have to keep it in the toilet because you don't have a tank? In both cases, you couldn't care for the creature. Unfortunately most people who buy like this at the salt water store will also read about how to care for their fish in the Express News and never see posts like this. Okay, I'm sorry now that you were not successful - really. Unfortunately where you got it, it was probably not eating anyway. I am quite sure if you could get fish like this and have them in your tank in an hour or so after capture, that they would be fine. Its the week or more of starvation that does them in during capture and transport. I've caught my own fish before and not had any problems with any of them. The exact opposite of buying them.

In regard to the Idols; I've seen Moorish Idols kept successfully however, in tanks about 5x what that Marine Depot general misinformation says and with live bright green and dark green slime algaes. Huge tank, lots of worms and critters. The tank was a reef crest with a surge tower. Tank is 8 feet long x 8 feet wide, set up for many years and loaded with all kinds of live rock, polyp rocks and stoney corals. It had large refugiums as well. It had 1 Moorish Idol in it for a long time, a very active fish that used the entire tank for swimming. These fish, from what I've seen in pictures are schooling fish though. There are lots of fish in the Ocean that won't live in 18 inches of water, our average tanks, still they are imported and sold for profit. It will eventually stop as these fish are being depleted on the reefs anyway and will be out of price range in our lifetime.

[JimD]

Research BEFORE buying should be the very first lesson a potential hobbiest learns. Ive seen this scenerio way to many times and it almost always ends the same. I did a quick Google search and it came up with tons of info on the Moor, most all informing of the almost zero mortality rate in captivity, took me all of five minutes. The trend is to present a beautiful animal to the general unknowing public, price it accordingly and just wait for the unsuspecting impulse buyer to arrive. Same thing happens with Linkia starfish, very few have succesfully kept them alive, including well informed aquarist who know the meaning of research.... More attention should be paid to pre-purchase research as opposed to post-purchase research.

[Moonrs]

Well, although I don't enjoy the bashing, I earned it. I honestly almost never "impulse" buy anything, especially something that's going into my tank. I've got numerous resources at home that I usually use to research potential purchases. I've been in this hobby for almost 3 years, the last two in saltwater. For some reason, I left my brain at home the other day when I went to the lfs. I am not the type to indescriminately buy whatever looks nice. I have spent too much money on this hobby to not care what goes into my tank. This is one mistake that I will not repeat again. Thanks again for everyone's help.

[Instar]

Thanks Moonrs for not being offended. This group of MAAST folks is a collection of reef keepers comprised of very experienced PHD's, engineers, chemists, long term hobbieists of all professions and marine professionals in Reef Keeping. I hope many read this and realize that bug for these incredibly beautiful creatures has bitten us all. Just put the thing on hold for 24 hours and go home, post on here and wait a little while. This applies equally to both members and non-members. A wealth of information is available and will come your way when asked for in advance. The Department of the Interior has been trying for a long time to outlaw marine fish and the list they had was extensive. They would be banned in the U.S. if the efforts are ever successful. Dealers and situations like this give fuel to their cause. You normally do good work, so please don't be discouraged.

[JimD]

And for yor pennance you must read this www.motherjones.com/news/special_reports/coral_reef/ and report back with an opinion. lol,,, Actually, if anyones interested in the alarming state of the worlds coral reefs, this is a must read.

[GaryP]

My real issue is with an LFS ordering Idols. They should know better.

You might want to consider a Heniochus. I admit I am no expert on the species, but what I do know of them is that they look very similar to an Idol and are much hardier. Worth doing some research on, anyway.

Gary

[Moonrs]

you know what? Ironically enough, I was looking at the Heniochus' in the store, actually tried to buy one, but couldn't because of a problem with my credit card. I went back the next day to get the heniochus, but changed my mind at the last minute and bought the idol. What an idiot! Hmmmm...

[BA]

what's the update w/ this fish??eating good???

[JimD]

Read the 9th post down from the top...

[BA]

oh wow, pretty bad, i didn't read the rest of the forum, just wanted to see how it was doing...well to bad another number to the bad living record of the moorish idol

[cvonseggern]

I'm consistently a little disappointed with the stocking practices at Alamo. I frequently see Moorish Idols, blue ribbon eels, and other critters that just don't make it in most hobbyists' tanks. I think they need to take a hard look at the viability of their business practices in the long term, especially given that reefs are so badly pressured these days.