Moorish Idol anybody had any luck keeping one

[BigDaddyStar]

There it is thanks for ringing in there......

Thanks again great deal good size the idol and mandarin dragonette are doing good so far I will be calling on you again soon

 

[BigDaddyStar]

So today I began trying to feed him

He is very active to and nipping at things, he is quite fat already (thankfully and very healthy looking)

I left a few browned sps in the fuge and sure enough he is nipping :nono:

I first tried spectrum pellets no luck, then mysis an hour later nada....but I just tried this stuff and he has gone back about 10 times now and nipped on it....I am calling this brief success....It resembles sponge and its orange....spreads like jelly on toast and stays underwater...fingers crossed.

 

[rayray]

try impregnating some spectrum pellets and garlic seaweed in those IO gels and pasting it on some LR with coralline. If not, place some thawed manila clam half shells & see if he bites...

 

[BigDaddyStar]

yeah Its on some live rock now spread over it and I figured if that work put some pellets on it to vary him up.Hes kinda just going around nipping everything though....but to me thats a good sign at least he is trying to feed a day later

 

[plecosword]

hehe his avatar looks like the deep blue sea... and if thats his tank we should all go on a field trip to see it!

Wow how many do you have 5 or so....very awesome

No Fighting problems like I heard with multiples?

I have picked spectrum pellets, seaweed, cyclopeeze, and some new gel squares food,

We will see how it goes...he will definately not die from lack of options

Sorry for not getting back at you, That is a picture I grabbed from google, What I have read about keeping multiples is they must be added at the same time, just like tangs. Even then, you may have territorial issues

 

[BigDaddyStar]

Yeah I kinda figured.....I was gonna say you da man if you have that many going on....lol
It seems as though he was not to interested by the io gel....but he is happily nipping around so he
Does want to eat....so I am haappy for that

 

[rayray]

in the wild juveniles school, but become more solo as adults. there's a thread on RC, and the master idol keeper thinks a mated pair will do the best in a reef tank. How do you ensure a pair is mated?? I dunno.

he kept his MI alive for 4 years! It died due to a power outage along with his other fish. He collects live sponge from piers in NY. He has shipped these sponges to other MI keepers to get them to start eating in captivity or to sustain them.

 

[BigDaddyStar]

wow yeah.......I will be on a hunt for sponge if the first week is not looking so good.....I really want to keep this guy alive....I hate to buy something that will probably die but at least I will make every attempt...better he die with a chance than at the wholeseller i guess....its not like they will stop collecting them....and most people that buy them I think have no clue

 

[BigDaddyStar]

I am proud to say the MI is eating and well.....he has had no problem instantly attacking the combination of instant ocean cyclop-eeze gel impregnated with spectrum pellets smeared over a small piece of rubble rock.

I will maintain that and hopefully switch him to spirulina and other foods

He is fatter than the day I got him....so chances are looking good...

Here is a short video:

http://s586.photobucket.com/albums/ss304/bigdaddystar/?action=view&current=VID_20110402_123355.mp4

 

[rayray]

nice progress!

Im your sure over the next few weeks, you're going to increasing the amount of pellets and dec the gel to the point where he will take free floating pellets. Then its autofeeder time... 3-5x per day. When he attacks the autofeeder, safe to say he's ready for the DT.

 

[BigDaddyStar]

yeah definetely sounds like a plan.....

He does seem more interested in the gel of course but when a pellet comes off he is going for them......

He is a grazer he will pick at the gel continuously throughout the day

 

[BigDaddyStar]

2 weeks now and the MI is still doing well...eating the gel I have having been crushing up large amounts of pellets and mixing with the gel to give him a better taste for it so the ratio is 50/50....hhopefully soon I can get him to just take pellets

His trailer on his top fin was missing when I got him and it has come in nicely now 2 inches long!

 

[bullitr]

I am hoping to pick up one from my own personal fish whisperer

 

[BD Enterprises]

Lookin good Paul!

 

[BigDaddyStar]

thanks brad

they are an amazing fish lawrence....have brad get you one there

I am going to get another one or 2 after I get some tangs in there I dont want any fighting

 

[rayray]

your MI is looking good, getting that banner back, little belly, loosing the lateral line... he looks preppy, like he oughta be at the fish country club... hehe

 

[BigDaddyStar]

yeah his banner is now about 3 inches long....it literally went from nothing to that length in 3 days........he is picture perfect.he looked alot like a henoichus (false idol) before.

He is now happily excepting Spirulina flakes.....I will give him another week and try for pellets but I can live with that.....Spriulina is easy food anyway....Then he is going in the DT.

Then once I get my Tangs in there maybe they can train him on pellets

I am just happy that if he dies from this point it at least wont be from starvartion.

 

[BigDaddyStar]

Nevermind.........He's eating pellets right off the dam floor....this guy will eat anything (hopefully not all my corals)

But I hope this helps someone that might be considering getting one they seem to be outstanding eaters if you can get them to eat.

 

[JOSE CASAS]

Glad to hear it is doing good. What kind of pellets are they?

 

[BigDaddyStar]

i am using spectrum large fish formula....they are to big for him but he will find them and nip at them off the floor I aslo have the small ones but he doesnt seem to see them. sprirulina is best right now though......the gel stuff is even better but that is to much effort to be spreading that stuff around

Glad to hear it is doing good. What kind of pellets are they?