moorish idol HELP

[clk2609]

I have already posted this on RC, but no hits yet, any help is greatly appreciated.

ok, did a search about moorish idols and apparently pretty hot topic. This post is NOT intended for a debate to rage on, more of a question of WHAT I SHOULD DO.

background, i have a 110g reef with softies, LPS and new SPS. just purchased a 233g acrylic tank to ugrade to and moorish idol came with it. . The moorish idol is in my 75g tank with the live rock from the purchase.

1. NOW, some say they are reef safe and others say they are not. PLEASE.... some opinions on people that actually have this fish and kept it with success... which i know is few and far in between. for those of you that have them: ARE your tanks REEF or FISH ONLY? if reef, what kind of corals do you have?

The one i have now has been eating well for over a year and still eating in my 75g tank and is gorgeous.

2. Should i take the chance and put it into my reef once i transfer it to the 233g?

3. OR try to sell to somebody locally... only dilemna there is i want him to go to a good home and good size tank... there is no need for this fish to perish needlessly. I will not give to LFS!!

PLEASE HELP WITH THIS TOPIC, IN A BIND HERE.
THANKS!!

 

[Mikef1]

I have had a moorish idol in my 150 reef for over a year now and he has not bothered any of my sps,lps,clams,softies,ect. This fish was introduced with just live rock in the tank and then I added corals slowly. It is a hawaiian moorish idol, which I personally think do much better.

 

[clk2609]

thanks mikef.... do you have any shrimp that it bothers?

i am sure you have heard of moorish idol's not being reefsafe right? what made you decide to take the chance?

got a pic?

Please, other opinions out there are welcome

 

[Mikef1]

I have a pair of coral bandids, blood shrimp, 2 pepermints, and a skunk cleaner. I havnt ever seen the moorish idol go near them. I dont have any pics currently but will try to get some when I borrow my friends camera.

 

[outerbank]

I added a morish idol to my 240 on Wednesday after 12 days in copper quarentine. I have this fish eating 4 different types of flakes, mysis shrimp, blood worms, and nori. When I put him in my reef, he is nipping at my Montipora digitata (orange, they like green and orange foods!!). He nipped at a green lemnalia, and went to town on a candycane coral. I needed to frag my huge candycane and put it in my refugium. He also started to nip at my brain coral. I think brain corals and candycanes are not safe with MI. I have him eating so well that he has slowed down on nipping at any of the SPS and is grazing algae more than anything else. He was very thin when I bought him, but eating, and is fattening up nice. I will try to reintroduce the candycane and brain later when I get him as fat as a pig.

This is a very difficult species, but, IMO, far from impossible to keep. The key is a nice tank to quarentine them, get them to eat and adjust somewhat to aquarium life, and put them in a large disease free tank. There are no parasites in my main tank thanks to the beauty of quarentine and hyposalinity. Quarentining fish will give this fish a much better chance at survival. You can almost forget it if they are not eating when you buy them and you put them directly into the display tank. They need time to adjust to a tank and they need a big tank. I would really not recommend smaller than a 180.

HTHs,
Scott

 

[Garry thomas]

i'v had mine now in a reef tank for 10 months, it dont bother any of the inverts at all. :wink:

 

[steve F]

I second that on no smaller than a 180, I would even go further and say 240g.

I have a 300g system(not up and running yet) and even with my system after maturity, probably will not get a MI, even though they are a beautiful fish

Steve
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