Keeping a Moorish Idol

I have been researching-reading-watching-asking a lot of questions about this fish lately. Before anybody starts throwing rocks at me, yes I know they are hard to keep, yes I know they are prone to low survival rate, yes I know they will likely die within 6 months, yes I know their diet is hard to mimic, and yes I know several people who have had a Moorish Idol for well over a year and their fish are flourishing. Which causes a debate. First, if you look around on the net you will see people are starting to have success with these beauties. I use to be a huge doubter on this fish. But I have started to change my mind. New Life Spectrum pellets seem to be directlly linked to these fish' success in the home aquaria. Along with other vitamin supplements they seem to be doing better all the time. I dont think it should be hard to believe our hobby is expanding and becoming so advanced that fish once thought impossible to keep are now a regular addition. I have found these fish are really hard to find around this area. But if I can find one that is healthy, I dont think I will detoured from buying one. Does anybody on here have any success stories with these beauties?

 

I won't throw rocks, but I will say that I've cared for a couple short term that were actually very easy to get eating. The problem I still hear when I bring this up is diet. There are some animals that you can get to eat and they won't starve, but they will die from malnutrition. I'm told this is one that will die in about two years in an aquarium due to this. I'm not confirming this or denying it, but I did want to throw it out there for you. With that said, it's my opinion that a large part of success when it comes to butterflies is being sure they never touch a net. Their gills are very sensitive and can be damages easily.

I have to agree with you that our hobby is progressing so fast that some facts will change, and it's not until someone has that success that it can happen. Not long ago people would of looked at you like you were crazy if you talked about keeping SPS, and look at us now. The key is that we have to continue to report our failures as well as our successes. Sometimes it's hard to get on and say I was wrong, but in order to keep tabs on what is currently possible, we can't only report the sensational success stories.

If you decide to try it, I will only wish you good luck, and ask for you to keep us updated.

 

I don't know anyone that has a Moorish Idol, but I just wanted to say that not too many decades ago, it was believed that we might never be able to keep corals alive in an aquarium, but today reefkeeping is even easier than FO tanks were back then. So yes, it shouldn't be too difficult to accept that the hobby is still advancing.

Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress.

 

Thanks Mike and +1 on NO NETS. I hate watching any fish being netted. Why net a fish when you can use a specimen container and have no contact with the animal at all? The only LFS where I buy my fish does not and has never used a net to catch fish. I am going to do some more research and see what I can find on this fish before I buy one. But if I do get one I will be sure to keep a thread updated on here about him.

 

You may have seen this thread.

http://www.3reef.com/forums/tropical-fish/moorish-idol-log-97897.html

 

No I havent but I will be sure to check it out

 

Does he happen to know for sure it was the powerhead that killed this fish? Seems odd a fish would live for a year in a tank and then get killed off by a powerhead. Or maybe it was another statistic of this fish. As I said before I know a couple people who have had them for over a year and they are doing well. However, I should note particular care is given to their feeding and vitamin enrichment seems to be a must.