My new fish
 

Well I just got back from the LFS and they had a tank full of Moorish Idol's and only $39!! Man they look good, could got 3 of them and they would even give me a deal!! Oh well I will have to let them die in someone else's tank :cry:

I did purchase a 6 line wrasse though, what a cool fish! I love watching it swim. It is very small and likes to play in all the small openings in my rock I love it :lol: :biggrin:

Well I guess there should be a ? in here someware so that I can learn something...I like this fish so much I want another one, can that be done? I have heard that they can get teritorial (SP) will they be okay. 135gal

Thanks for letting me talk

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/moorish_idols.htm

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/idolfaqs.htm

http://reefcentral.com/forums/search...der=descending

From what I've read, another case of a fish's beauty being its curse.

Re: My new fish
 

Hopefully they all die in the LFS tanks. Than he won't order any more.
Great decision Trevor! :biggrin:

Emily: Thanks

Re: My new fish
 

I was at Oceans today and they had 2 Moorish Idols also so I ask him to feed them and sure enough they did not eat :sad:

Too bad somebody is gonna buy em only for them to starve to death :sad:

Re: My new fish
 

I the early days I had a Morrish Idol. He ate very well, and lived for exactly three months. Then one day he was suddenly dead. They should be left in the ocean. :cry:

Moorish Idols
 

The only problem to keeping them is feeding them and making sure there healty right? With enough cleaner wrasses and shrimp why wouldent you be good for one? People have had luck with them using different technic's in feeding them. It takes time but some say it can be done.

There are some creatures that " at this point " their mortality rate in captivity is so pitifully low because we dont have enough info on how to properly care for them ... as hobbyists it is not our jobs to take their lives as a " experiment " and if nobody buys them from the pet store and they die there then hopefully they wont order anymore because there wont be a demand ... the problem with this species is because of the Nemo movie there will be a demand but sadly not enough education :frown:

How are we suppost to study them if we can not keep them in captivity, and can not tag them in the wild because of their size and the aquariums that have open water filtraition system's that have succes's with them are not willing to study them because of the cost. They do deserve the best as do all fish but they are another obstice that the marine aquarius have to overcome. If you reasearch them you find it is possible to keep them for an extended number of years. You need to have time and experence. The way of feeding them is tricky but can be done because in the wild they are bold grasers but in captivity the become shy. In groups of odd numbers and some type of algy pasted on to a piece of rock they become grasers again. Thats just my reasearch and i have yet the experence to even consider one or 3 but i belive it can be done.

Can I get a show of hands from all the people here that "study" fish? :rolleyes:

No kidding. seriously. I research everything I get but I would never consider getting a fish or coral that has a low survivabilty rate in captivity. I am not a marine biologist and although I am sure many of us would love the option of being in a research paper I seriously doubt we have the time or the skills needed to give accurate information. And I for one will not sacrafice a fish to prove to myself I can do it where no one else can.

Just my two cents..

<Quinn raises his hand and votes that only individuals with PhD's from reputable universities, and a background in empirical research methods focusing on biology be allowed to "study" fish>

:razz:

There are people who spend their lives studying study methods. I doubt many of us can really call our hobby activities "research", it's far too involved a process. We are not making accurate written observations, we are not isolating variables, and our "results" would be very difficult to replicate, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. I say leave it to the professionals (who are in fact doing interesting things, I recall one article on an institution with a large centrifugal-current aquarium focusing on sponge maintenance in captivity).

<Quinn also sees this turning into another mandarin debate, ie. one he should have known to stay out of...>

Re: My new fish
 

Anyone have 2 Six-Lines together? Pros? Cons?
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As for Moorish Idols and Flowerpot corals, there are a few skilled aquarists among us -unnamed of course- that are able to keep such animals. Not in the name of research, but because they can.

While these would stop showing up at the LFS if demand dropped right off, we know that they are too well entrenched in the hobby at large for that to happen - the vast majority of SW hobbiests still think they are pretty cool.
:neutral:

What do you mean by "study"? I stare at my fish a lot. Does that count?? :rolleyes: :mrgreen:

Hey Alan ... I had not seen a Moorish Idol in a pet store in a loooong time prior to the Nemo movie

Cheers

Christy, only if you say "hmmmm" a lot when staring at them. If not, well, you're just staring at fish. :razz:

Oh, I always say "hmm", thats the most important part after they've all been accounted for.

Heck I'm a fish researcher anyway, I do study fish for a living so that must count for something.

I can see it now, my name in lights, with the PhD after it. Then and only then I will learn the secret handshake.

Christy :)

Re: My new fish
 

Thanks AJ I knew that I had asked a question, so what do you all think about the 6 line x2 question?

Re: My new fish
 

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I know someone who has three with no problems at all. They get along.

how big is the tank that they are in?
Do you know if they were added at the same time?

The tank is 180 gallons I believe, and they were all added at different times.

great I think that I will give it a try

Rasta-I still see them regularly. before and after Nemo. I guarantee that most stores include them on almost every Hawaiian order.



It seems that many people that mention the movie don't sound like they've actually seen it.
Again I'll state that the Nemo movie has a conservationalist theme throughout the movie! We had tons of ignorant aquarists before Nemo, and we will have plenty after.

If anything, as Nemo humanizes the fish, and depicts them as more than disposable pets(a viewpoint seemingly shared by many), I think it may do the hobby some good. A major message in the movie is that the fish don't want to be in aquariums at all.

Hey Van ... it maybe that you see them where you are but I " rarely " see them here before the movie came out ... as to the movie I took my wife and kidz to it the first weekend it was out ... not that that makes any difference ... they will still die either in the LFS or in somebody's tank ( preferably in the LFS tank )

You may be right Rasta(you are in Alberta and I'm in BC), and the movie comment I made as a general statement.

Generally, I agree that Moorish Idols should be left were they are. Ideally only advanced and expert aquarists with the abilities to provide for a given species, would be allowed to purchase them.
There are many species that fare poorly with beginner to intermediate aquarists that are often kept successfully by more experienced aquarists(re:Moorish Idols, some even on this BB). A perfect example are Seahorses.

Sometimes our hobby does work. Longnose Filefish Oxymonacanthus longirostris used to be common to see. It had a very poor survival rate. Now, I don't think I've seen one in a few years(yes I'm sure there have been a few just to prove me wrong! :redface: ).