- Location
- Pennsylvania
Hey I wanted to know if It was a good idea to add a moorish idol to my reef tank. I have an 120g with a bunch of frags ranging from zoos, polyp, shrooms, candy canes, frog spawns, and hammer heads. What do yall think?
Moorish Idol With Softies Corals. Good or Bad
- Thread starter brick-brothers
- Start date
- Location
- The Big City
Aside from the chance that they'll eat some of your corals I would say your tank is too small for one. They really need a bigger tank, at least 6' long.
- Location
- Pennsylvania
Dam, i really want 1. lol o well
- Location
- The Big City
Look at the Heni, which are Butterfly fish, and are much more hardier but they do eat corals.
- Location
- Wallingford, CT
I kind of think that a Moorish will eventually devastate most corals including softies.
- Location
- New Jersey
i have had two moorish idol in the past got them very young they turn out to grow nice in my mixed reef tank 6 feet long ! with two clams ! it is a problem only when you add more corals after their intro in your tank! but always left alone the once already in tank ! hope this could help you !! !
- Location
- Brooklyn, NY
I agree with the advise above, but if you are considering it, or just want to learn more, read this:
http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum...-cornutus-moorish-idol-spongivore-fishes.html
http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum...-cornutus-moorish-idol-spongivore-fishes.html
- Location
- New Jersey
there are two types of the common heni butterfly one can be housed in a reef just with little caution :\ way to tell it has to be an adult ! then from the mouth to the pelvic fins the butterfly is round shape compare to more stright almost more triangular shape !! i have a butterfly book that i landed to my father will take it back and let you know the proper and scientific name of it!!
- Location
- The Big City
You don't need a book, if you look in the Fish Database you'll see all the common and scientific names.
- Location
- Pennsylvania
wow, well I'm going to think about it. Leaning more too having a fish only tank then picking 1 up.
From what I understand, the main problem with Moorish Idols is that they eat mostly sponges. I think Advanced Aquarist had a good article on them.
- Location
- Pennsylvania
I heard that too. I know this guy that have his morish idol eating mysis shrimp with no problems.
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
I have had many of them and they will eat anything including flakes. I never had a problem feeding them or had a problem with them touching corals. The problems with Idols goes beyond feeding. Even if they eat well, basically, all of them die in a few years, most in a few months and some in days. As far as I can tell, no one has kept one for ten years and this fish should live at least 20 years. That is my opinion of course. I have studied them and dove with them in the South Pacific where I learned a lot about them. The longest I have kept them alive was 5 years and I found a sponge food source for them that I can collect in the summer.
Not a good fish for almost anyone
- Location
- Coram, Long Island
Maybe consider a bannerfish?
From what I understand, there are two varieties-- one is reef safe and one isn't. The good news is that the non safe one is rarer.
From what I understand, there are two varieties-- one is reef safe and one isn't. The good news is that the non safe one is rarer.
- Location
- The Big City
Maybe consider a bannerfish?
From what I understand, there are two varieties-- one is reef safe and one isn't. The good news is that the non safe one is rarer.
Heni butterfly are Banner fish.
- Location
- Coram, Long Island
- Location
- The Big City
They're in the family "Heniochus", thus Heni
- Location
- north jersey
i had just recently lost my moorish idol that was kept for over three and a half years. the lfs had brought 3 in for a customer who ended up taking only one. the two lived in the display for over 8 months. they were fed every possible food the store sell. one day they redid the display and caught the idols. the smaller one (3" or so) was offered to me and needless to say i snapped him up in a heart beat. he ate every food i put in the tank from pellets, flakes, nori, freeze-dried mysis and plankton to frozen food-- mysis, formula one, formula two, butterfly formula, clam, mussel, plankton, and squid. never noticed any major destruction to any of the corals. he occasionally nipped at fleshy lps's like brains and trumpets every now and then. he was very healthy. one day after having fed him in the morning, i came home to find him wedged between the rocks dead. his eyes were still clear. he seems to just had died. there was one very peculiar thing i noticed over the years, i've never seen him sleep. anytime i pass by the tank or even a glimpse from another room, he was always swimming around. he was over 4 years old in captivity and over 6" when he died. i don't know why he died:sad2:.....he survived more than two black outs, heater failure and a tank upgrade. i enjoyed having him for those years.:fish:
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
Thats the way most of them die, for no apparent reason. You just find them dead with no symptoms.
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