Moorish Idol feeding schedule

Bunnyspit · Jul 23, 2019

Hey guys, last night my LFS did a really cool thing. Yesterday was my 19th birthday and my LFS let me know that he would give me half off of whatever fish I wanted to add into the tank. My fiancee and I jumped on the offer and picked up a moorish idol, something I've been wanting forever and specifically the one I've been eyeing for a couple weeks. Hes eating frozen brine, krill, and clams and picks off the nori clip with my tangs and picks stuff off the rock. I did quite a bit of research on these guys when I first got our big tank cause I was planning on eventually having one. I know they suck in captivity but I also know there's some people that have had some good success with them here. I read about people feeding them sponges as it's what they tend to graze on in the ocean, so what type of sponges should I add? Should a freeze and then get him pieces of it and where is a good online place to buy some, as my LFS doesnt sell sponges (at least that I've seen) thanks in advance!

67chevellemalibu2 · Jul 23, 2019

Bunnyspit said:
Hey guys, last night my LFS did a really cool thing. Yesterday was my 19th birthday and my LFS let me know that he would give me half off of whatever fish I wanted to add into the tank. My fiancee and I jumped on the offer and picked up a moorish idol, something I've been wanting forever and specifically the one I've been eyeing for a couple weeks. Hes eating frozen brine, krill, and clams and picks off the nori clip with my tangs and picks stuff off the rock. I did quite a bit of research on these guys when I first got our big tank cause I was planning on eventually having one. I know they suck in captivity but I also know there's some people that have had some good success with them here. I read about people feeding them sponges as it's what they tend to graze on in the ocean, so what type of sponges should I add? Should a freeze and then get him pieces of it and where is a good online place to buy some, as my LFS doesnt sell sponges (at least that I've seen) thanks in advance!

I hope you have it in QT. I made the mistake and did not do that. My Moorish wiped out my entire 125 with velvet. They are definitely a beautiful fish.

Bunnyspit · Jul 23, 2019

67chevellemalibu2 said:
I hope you have it in QT. I made the mistake and did not do that. My Moorish wiped out my entire 125 with velvet. They are definitely a beautiful fish.

My LFS actually quarantines fish for me, it cost a little extra but it actually makes them more money in the long run cause people trust their fish more.. if that makes sense lol.

67chevellemalibu2 · Jul 23, 2019

Bunnyspit said:
My LFS actually quarantines fish for me, it cost a little extra but it actually makes them more money in the long run cause people trust their fish more.. if that makes sense lol.

Good luck with that. It's not in the best interest of a LFS, profit wise to fully quarantine like a home reefer would. They use low levels of copper to mask any issues a fish might have. Sometimes there water will look yellow. Hopefully you will have better luck than I did.

Bunnyspit · Jul 23, 2019

67chevellemalibu2 said:
Good luck with that. It's not in the best interest of a LFS, profit wise to fully quarantine like a home reefer would. They use low levels of copper to mask any issues a fish might have. Sometimes there water will look yellow. Hopefully you will have better luck than I did.

I helped open this LFS with my parents way back when I was a kid.. I have a lot of trust in the owners and the way the place is run.

pcon · Jul 23, 2019

as for getting sponge into their diet would recommend feeding any of the commercially available foods which contain sponge. Hikari Mega Marine Angel, Ocean Nutrition angel formula or pygmy angel formula, San Francisco Bay Brand Angel & Butterfly. As for schedule feed as often as possible.

Bunnyspit · Jul 23, 2019

pcon said:
as for getting sponge into their diet would recommend feeding any of the commercially available foods which contain sponge. Hikari Mega Marine Angel, Ocean Nutrition angel formula or pygmy angel formula, San Francisco Bay Brand Angel & Butterfly. As for schedule feed as often as possible.

Thank you, and alright I'll go pick up some of the brands you mentioned tonight. As of right now hes being fed twice a day with brine and krill with the rest of the fish and has a constant supply of nori. I throw some clams in there halfway through the day that hes nibbled on

pcon · Jul 23, 2019

I use all of the foods mentioned for my angels and butterfly, except the ocean nutrition regular angel formula. I like all the brands alot, In particular my friend swears by the Hikari Mega Marine Angel exclusively, my Venusta's favorite is the Pygmy angel formula.

While it is not essential, I have found with new arrivals, especially difficult ones like Moorish Idols, Paracentropyge, Tamarin Wrasse, ect, to absolutely hammer them with food. I feed titchy new arrivals hourly, for the first couple days, and decrease the frequency over the course of 1-3 weeks. This regime has greatly reduced the difficulty and time getting fish conditioned. And quickly gets shy fish used to associating your presence with food.

Bunnyspit · Jul 23, 2019

pcon said:
I use all of the foods mentioned for my angels and butterfly, except the ocean nutrition regular angel formula. I like all the brands alot, In particular my friend swears by the Hikari Mega Marine Angel exclusively, my Venusta's favorite is the Pygmy angel formula.

While it is not essential, I have found with new arrivals, especially difficult ones like Moorish Idols, Paracentropyge, Tamarin Wrasse, ect, to absolutely hammer them with food. I feed titchy new arrivals hourly, for the first couple days, and decrease the frequency over the course of 1-3 weeks. This regime has greatly reduced the difficulty and time getting fish conditioned. And quickly gets shy fish used to associating your presence with food.

Thanks for the advice! I'm glad I got one that's an endless pit and seems to constantly eat whatever I throw at the tank. While I know it's not 100% that it's good just cause it will eat I've read it helps a lot in keeping them healthy