Calling all Moorish Idol Owners

67chevellemalibu2 · Mar 8, 2019

Are they finicky eaters? First 24 hours for mine. Fed the tank today Nori, Fresh Shrimp, Krill, Frozen Bloodworms, Fresh Clam in the shell,Pellets and Flakes. Didn’t see a response. Not concerned, yet.

mattzang · Mar 8, 2019

never had one, but i believe they are the undefeated champion in the finicky eater category..

Frtdrmrose7 · Mar 8, 2019

67chevellemalibu2 said:
Are they finicky eaters? First 24 hours for mine. Fed the tank today Nori, Fresh Shrimp, Krill, Frozen Bloodworms, Fresh Clam in the shell,Pellets and Flakes. Didn’t see a response. Not concerned, yet.

I have read other threads where people have had to start off with live food to illicit a feeding response then adding frozen with it so the fish develops a taste for it.

Montiman · Mar 8, 2019

Don’t know where your fish is from but the Hawaiian ones do much better. I have had he beat luck with small pellets and clams on the half shell.

JaimeAdams · Mar 8, 2019

I sell Moorish Idols for a living :D Granted other fish and coral too. I've actually had the best luck with them out of Bali. Granted mot all of them do well, but I usually know within a couple days which ones are going to make it and which ones unfortunately won't. I start with trying live blackworms and move onto Larry's Reef/Fish Frenzy. In my experiences they either start eating and do well or they never eat and the outcome is bleak. There are several people that I have sold ones that I deem "Good" that still have them months down the road that are doing very well. Things to try would be live black worms. Freezing some food onto a rock to elicit a natural foraging response., some people will try clams as well. Good luck.

theMeat · Mar 8, 2019

Sounds crazy but ime you will have best luck with getting them to eat feeding nothing but new life spectrum pellets. Nothing else offered. Once eating then do mysis, clams, LRF.
If you want them long lived feed a varied diet with lots of sponge, as most angel food preparations have sponge in the mix.
Good luck

Skynyrd Fish · Mar 8, 2019

I had one for over two years. You could try fish roe to get them to eat. Once they start they will eat anything. They need to be feed a couple times per day or they will slowly wither away. In the wild they graze and love sponge. Try LRS food if available. Did it eat in the store?

puffy127 · Mar 9, 2019

I had one from Hawaii that ate everything including pellets from Day 1 in QT. He was one of the most voracious eaters in my tank, outcompeting angels and butterflies. Then one day around a year later, out of the blue, suddenly died. It was not as others described that he stopped eating and slowly withered away. It was all of a sudden, literally, like an hour after normal eating and normal behavior. Really don't know what happened there.

Ordered another one online that was from Hawaii. Came in extremely skinny and unable to right itself. Was upside down or vertical. Died within 2 days. I saw 2 at the LFS which looked healthy and were picking at the rocks and sand. LFS said they were not Hawaiian, thinks they are African. Bought both and introduced them straight into therapeutic copper (QT already had fish in it at therapeutic levels). Both were eating like champs from Day 1 (in therapeutic copper no less). They eat mainly frozen (mysis, LRS, Hikari Mega Marine Angel, and nori). They do not attack NLS pellets that vigorously, but eventually eat them (as I do not see them at the bottom of the tank). Ironically, they show no interest in live blackworms. But again, eventually they do eat them.

jpas · Mar 9, 2019

They are much like butterflies in their eating habits in the ocean. They like to eat things from the rocky structures of the reef.

I added one and he completely stripped all of my sponges and pods from my live rock. Then he moved on to my rock covered in zoas.

I feed the tank LRS and the MI doesn’t seem to interested in anything floating in the water.

He’s doing well, I’ve had him for 4 months.

Nam · Mar 9, 2019

I alway lucky with it . First you need to see the fish eating at the store and than your tank must have sponges from beginning. He is sponge eater and aptaisa. And than you just feed like regular fish food like all the other fish . Frozen, fake, pellets. He is eat almost anything. But he will snip on your spl like meat coral and acan , Scoly.

67chevellemalibu2 · Mar 9, 2019

Well, that didn’t take long. I believe it was my juvenile queen angel. Some of it’s streamer has been eaten. Will it grow back?

Bob Loblaw · Mar 9, 2019

67chevellemalibu2 · Mar 9, 2019

I didn’t think about the powerheads.

pirate2876 · Mar 9, 2019

Dont forget the nori. Mine eats it like its going out of style. Beware they will also eat coral. Mine likes acro, particularly milles.

67chevellemalibu2 · Mar 9, 2019

Have no corals and do put in Nori sheets.

67chevellemalibu2 · Mar 9, 2019

Bob Loblaw said:
Streamer will grow back, powerheads are another suspect to consider. The Queen may be an issue in the Idol acclimating.

I think you were right. Been watching it swimming all around the one powerhead I have.

67chevellemalibu2 · Mar 13, 2019

My Moorish is doing good so far. Eats what I put in the tank. Swims all around. Personally looks way better then the H. Butterfly’s. Not expensive, either.

KyOsIBa515 · Mar 13, 2019

My buddy had one...had a really hard time getting him to eat. He ended up cracking an oyster and putting a drop or two of garlic on to entice him and laying it on the bottom. That got him to eat and from then on it ate whatever. The initial push was hard but once established from my understanding they become pretty hardy.