Moorish Idol
- Thread starter PootyTang
- Start date
PootyTang
Member
I was wondering if I could get some opinions about compatible fish. I would really like to get a baby blue-chin trigger. (I'm not too worried about the additional bioload, I went away for a while and when I came back, my nitrates were about 7, 5 weeks since the last water change, so water quality is pretty good)
happy that ur going good with the idol. ive personaly never had one but i have sold many to retail locations. i can get them eating brine, flake, pellets, nori, and alot of other mixes no problem. i think its how they were handeld from collectors. but i never really had problems with them getting sick or much of anything. i used to service aquariums for years and have seen multiple idols in tanks that are reletivly small and they do great. it al has to do with your care for the individual fish and just keep an eye on him every feeding. hope it goes well
PootyTang
Member
So I've noticed a bit of a change in the Idol and thought it was worth mentioning. It used to be that when I fed, the idol would eat 10-15 pellets (the 1mm ones), and would eat all the shrimp she could get her hands on (figuratively of course), now I'm finding she's getting a bit pickier, she still eats nori like crazy, but she just kind of casually eats the shrimp and pellets. Its not bad enough that I'm worried, I just thought it was an interesting change, do you think maybe its because she's gaining some weight, she's switching over to a more natural browsing style? I was thinking about getting a digital automatic feeder to dump pellets in 5-6 times/day to accommodate this, any thoughts?
Paul B
Well-Known Member
I did that for years with my Idol. I had an auto feeder and under it in the tank I had a funnel connected to a tube which went to a dish on the bottom. The Idol would check out the dish on every trekof the tank looking for food. I think thats how I kept him for 5 years, that and the fresh sponge I fed him
proenca
Member
Pooty tang, I'm glad with the Idol getting fat.
Trigger and Idol ? never kept both together but you already have a hepatus tang, idol and a flavescens... and want to add a trigger ? what is your size again ? 125g right ? and you want to add a regal angelfish ?
either you have a uber skimmer and filtration system or that is quite a bioload
not counting the small stuff.
now triggers are ( depending on which ones ) either mild agressive, agressive or complete maniacs.
plus they get big, grow fast and add a ton to the bioload of an aquarium.
they are easy to keep and feed though.
isnt that a reef tank you have ? they are hit or miss with corals ( stony ones ) but they are very MISS with inverts : snails, shrimps, etc, they will be eaten. that's why they have those jaws....
you already have a touchy fish : idol. there shoudnlt be any compatibility problem with the idol at all, but the trigger is very roudy ( well, you get the point ) whilst the idol is shy and timid.
your idol is doing well , or yo say so.
if it was me, I would skip the trigger
Trigger and Idol ? never kept both together but you already have a hepatus tang, idol and a flavescens... and want to add a trigger ? what is your size again ? 125g right ? and you want to add a regal angelfish ?
either you have a uber skimmer and filtration system or that is quite a bioload
not counting the small stuff.now triggers are ( depending on which ones ) either mild agressive, agressive or complete maniacs.
plus they get big, grow fast and add a ton to the bioload of an aquarium.
they are easy to keep and feed though.
isnt that a reef tank you have ? they are hit or miss with corals ( stony ones ) but they are very MISS with inverts : snails, shrimps, etc, they will be eaten. that's why they have those jaws....
you already have a touchy fish : idol. there shoudnlt be any compatibility problem with the idol at all, but the trigger is very roudy ( well, you get the point ) whilst the idol is shy and timid.
your idol is doing well , or yo say so.
if it was me, I would skip the trigger
PootyTang
Member
I'm sorry to have to post bad news, but unfortunately the Moorish Idol died yesterday morning. While it was sudden, I had begun to wonder if everything was okay when she started eating less. While I must admit that I was expecting this, it is still sad to see her go. I still feel like I gave her the best chance she could have had and I don't regret it. In a way, this may be a good thing because everyone who has followed this thread now has some evidence to show others that even when everything seems like its going great, this fish is not ready for captive care just yet.
PootyTang
Member
Thanks for the support, its funny, but I didn't realize how much extra work that fish was until today when I realized I don't have to feed the tank like 9 times/day. I mean, I would have done it for as long as I could have kept the fish, but it goes to show you, they're not kidding when they say this is not just a fish, its a commitment. I am kind of curious though, because from what I've read, there's 2 major obstacles in keeping the Idol. First is around a month, when the trick is getting to eat a variety of foods sufficient for keeping it alive temporarily. Second is at around 6 months, where you find out if the fish has the necessary nutrition to survive. Considering its been almost 3 months since I got her, that kind of puts me right in the middle of those two dates, and she was definitely getting lots of food, and there's no more variety out there that she could have gotten.
Varga
Well-Known Member
Best chance you can give Idols is not purchasing them so they stop kidnaping them from the sea. Everyone will tell you that Idols die in captivity. Even when they eat they will die. But sometimes we have to experience things for ourselves. Same thing goes for cleaner Wrasse, most anemones, mandarins, feather starfish, and a long list of other animals.
Nowellsy SNR
Active Member
Such a shame mate gutted for you been following this thread from the beginning
Sorry to see her go
Sorry to see her go
