I’m getting a Moorish Idol tomorrow

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JasonK84

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I think I’ve got the solution to get this guy fattened up while still in QT!! I’ve had this food for a while and decided to give it a try a couple days ago. It floats on the top for a little while and it melts slightly. He/she begins circling the food then starts nibbling at it. Then it starts slowly sinking while the idol pecks at it in its way down to the bottom. Once on the bottom it pecks at it until full. The food stays in one piece because of the gel binder and the idol keeps returning for more until it’s gone. The cube last for several hours allowing it eat when it wants. I’m now looking at getting some more varieties of this food. It’s a slow process getting this guy to where he can compete in my DT for food. He’s up against 5 tangs (and others) that are quick to nab all the food before it hits the bottom. I’ll just keep him alone until he is eating like a champ to give the best chance to thrive. I’m getting a 40 breeder ready in the fish room to use as a grow out/fattening up tank for it so I can get more fish going in the QT (saving for my candy basslet)!

Anyway, here’s the food it has most recently taken to that for the past couple days has been working out great!

82F0A257-24C5-495E-BA52-5C0904E5D168.jpeg
 

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I think I’ve got the solution to get this guy fattened up while still in QT!! I’ve had this food for a while and decided to give it a try a couple days ago. It floats on the top for a little while and it melts slightly. He/she begins circling the food then starts nibbling at it. Then it starts slowly sinking while the idol pecks at it in its way down to the bottom. Once on the bottom it pecks at it until full. The food stays in one piece because of the gel binder and the idol keeps returning for more until it’s gone. The cube last for several hours allowing it eat when it wants. I’m now looking at getting some more varieties of this food. It’s a slow process getting this guy to where he can compete in my DT for food. He’s up against 5 tangs (and others) that are quick to nab all the food before it hits the bottom. I’ll just keep him alone until he is eating like a champ to give the best chance to thrive. I’m getting a 40 breeder ready in the fish room to use as a grow out/fattening up tank for it so I can get more fish going in the QT (saving for my candy basslet)!

Anyway, here’s the food it has most recently taken to that for the past couple days has been working out great!

82F0A257-24C5-495E-BA52-5C0904E5D168.jpeg
A little bit gelled but one of the best vegetation foods out there !
 

theMeat

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Good move on qt. Personally would not use copper unless you observe an issue.
Have gotten a few moorish to eat. Unbelievably would recommend nothing but new life spectrum until she starts eating. Then you can add other stuff. To be long lived be sure to feed sponge regularly. Have seen plenty of fat acclimated for years idols suddenly die, if not fed enough sponge. There is sponge in some frozen food preparations

Good luck
 
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Good move on qt. Personally would not use copper unless you observe an issue.
Have gotten a few moorish to eat. Unbelievably would recommend nothing but new life spectrum until she starts eating. Then you can add other stuff. To be long lived be sure to feed sponge regularly. Have seen plenty of fat acclimated for years idols suddenly die, if not fed enough sponge. There is sponge in some frozen food preparations

Good luck
Thanks, I’ve got a couple butterfly fish foods with sponge. Trying every now and then with NLS pellets but still won’t eat them from the water column. Pretty sure it’s eaten them off the bottom but I haven’t seen it actually eat them, except on one occasion early on in QT, so I won’t say it’s happening. Ocean Nutrition also has an angelfish formula with sponge that I looked up a while ago and that’s one of the varieties I plan on getting. The other I want to try is the VHP (very high protein) formula.
 

theMeat

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Wouldn’t worry about the sponge just yet. My recommendation would be nls and nothing else until eating
 
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Wouldn’t worry about the sponge just yet. My recommendation would be nls and nothing else until eating
I appreciate the recommendation and I realize the benefit of getting it eating on pellet. This is why I regularly throw a few pellets in to see if I can get a response. If no response I go to what I know it will eat to keep it from losing any mass.

Now here is where I disagree with your recommendation. I don’t agree with allowing it to decline while only attempting to get it to eat the NLS. What happens if it declines to the point of not eating anything? I’ve had the fish since November 12th and have already had it eating sponge from Hikari mega marine angel and also an angelfish food from San Francisco Bay brand.

How many Idols have you personally had? This is my first ever attempt. What has been your longest lived? Any posts of yours you can direct me to that discuss your Moorish Idols?

C24AF87B-F895-44A0-AD0C-4238759AA7CB.jpeg
 

theMeat

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Have tried 6. The first one died before I got it to start eating. As most do. Like you, tried everything. The next 4 I got to eat on nls. Trying A lil 2-3x a day, took a few days or so with fingers crossed. One died about a year later along with a bunch of other fish due to ich. One I did for a friend/fellow reefer. One I got from a friend who couldn’t get it to eat after a week and was on death’s door. That one I got to eat but it didn’t survive more than a year. One ate like a pig , nls, and after a few days anything else. Was a bully, fat, healthy, thought would live for years, and just suddenly died one day after a coupe of years. The last one I learned to feed sponge, after I got it to eat using nls, and he lived for about 4 years in my tank until he started picking on coral so I gave him to a friend who didn’t feed much sponge where he lived another year or so.
In my experience you can get years from a moorish if eating well. If you want it more long lived than that, feed varied diet including sponge.
Would find no pleasure in your fish dying and I wish you luck. Think your best course of action for an idol is only nls until eating
 
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Have tried 6. The first one died before I got it to start eating. As most do. Like you, tried everything. The next 4 I got to eat on nls. Trying A lil 2-3x a day, took a few days or so with fingers crossed. One died about a year later along with a bunch of other fish due to ich. One I did for a friend/fellow reefer. One I got from a friend who couldn’t get it to eat after a week and was on death’s door. That one I got to eat but it didn’t survive more than a year. The last one ate like a pig , nls, and after a few days anything else. Was a bully, fat, healthy and just suddenly died one day after a coupe of years. The last one I learned to feed sponge, after I got it to eat using nls, and he lived for about 4 years in my tank until he started picking on coral so I gave him to a friend who didn’t feed much sponge where he lived another year or so.
In my experience you can get years from a moorish if eating well. If you want it more long lived than that, feed varied diet including sponge.
Would find no pleasure in your fish dying and I wish you luck. Think your best course of action for an idol is only nls until eating
Thank you for the reply and your experience with these fish. It is truly an amazing fish and I am crossing my fingers daily for its continued success.
 

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Mesh pouch feeders are great for fish like butterflies & Moorish Idols. Not the ones that are open from sides, but the ones that only open @ the top:

You can put in partially thawed LRS food, thawed clam or musssel, even Masstick in the pouch. They use their long beaks to pick at the food. Other fish pick too but with this feeder they have advantage due to snouts.
F963C639-79AD-4BE8-90BA-4A84F3082959.jpeg
 
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Mesh pouch feeders are great for fish like butterflies & Moorish Idols. Not the ones that are open from sides, but the ones that only open @ the top:

You can put in partially thawed LRS food, thawed clam or musssel, even Masstick in the pouch. They use their long beaks to pick at the food. Other fish pick too but with this feeder they have advantage due to snouts.
F963C639-79AD-4BE8-90BA-4A84F3082959.jpeg

Great recommendation! Thanks.
 

tehmadreefer

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MI’s get a bad rap from people freaking out like it’s the hardest fish ever to get eating....

It’s not, in that they will eat anything once they are eating in captivity, just like any tang or difficult to get eating fish.
Just feed it whatever you want and it’ll be fine, to include corals, and yes, it WILL munch on your corals.
 

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MI’s get a bad rap from people freaking out like it’s the hardest fish ever to get eating....

It’s not, in that they will eat anything once they are eating in captivity, just like any tang or difficult to get eating fish.
Just feed it whatever you want and it’ll be fine, to include corals, and yes, it WILL munch on your corals.

He doesn't ever eat the healthy ones but somehow he Knows when a coral is having a bad day!
 

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Try a bunch of foods. I had 5 of them at work eating finicky fish pellets
 
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Mine will literally eat anything! Including struggling corals. Anyone want to adopt him? lol
If you’d ship it I’d sure take it! I hear they do better in multiples. Hopefully I can get mine eating as well as yours is. Maybe I need yours to teach mine?
 
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MI’s get a bad rap from people freaking out like it’s the hardest fish ever to get eating....

It’s not, in that they will eat anything once they are eating in captivity, just like any tang or difficult to get eating fish.
Just feed it whatever you want and it’ll be fine, to include corals, and yes, it WILL munch on your corals.
It won’t eat on my corals! Unless it develops a taste for artificial coral from Instant Reef. Lol
 

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@Terri Caton

What corals has your idol eaten? I meat need to ask for some donor coral to provide this guy with a complete balanced diet!

Why not take it out of qt and put it with other fish so it will eat. I mean you’ve had this fish since November and still having issues... cmon man! QT is a bunch of bs anyway.
 
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MI’s get a bad rap from people freaking out like it’s the hardest fish ever to get eating....

It’s not, in that they will eat anything once they are eating in captivity, just like any tang or difficult to get eating fish.
Just feed it whatever you want and it’ll be fine, to include corals, and yes, it WILL munch on your corals.
Yes, they may be easy (er) once they eat but why are people not having long term success with these? The longest lived I’ve heard of is an idol that @Paul B talks about and I believe he says his was 5 and calls it a failure. How long do they live in their natural habitat? Paul, sorry I brought you into the thread of a chemo treated idol but you’ve got the record as far as I know at 5 years.
 

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