Moorish Idol and SPS
 

We've had a Moorish Idol in our tank for a couple of months now and until recently it has been a model citizen. He is accepting frozen mysis and krill and absolutely loves nori. But lately it seems to have developed a liking to sps polyps...has anyone else experienced this before. I can't seem to find much information about them eating sps, it just says that they may eat zoas and pick at lps.
I'd hate to have to get rid of it, but the corals have to come first!

Thanks

For him to be eating anything, even corals is a miracle. Wish you were closer... I would buy him from you.

We were both really excited to see it feeding on everything too...that is until he found our coral polyps.

I totally understand. That really sucks. Is he doing a lot of damage, or is he just taste testing? Perhaps this might be why they usually starve to death in captivity. I did a search and this fellow Bob Fenner says they are strictly vegetarian. Are you sure it is the MI doing the eating? However father down the page someone else says they do pick at corals... here is the link

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/Acanthuro...nclusCompF.htm

I have a regal angel that eats sps polyps and the corals have never had a problem with it, unless you notice sps going into definite decline I would stick it out...an eating moorish idol seems worth a few missing polyps but then again I'm a very tolerant person

They are suppose to be "somewhat" sps safe but I guess it depends. Mine ate LPS like crazy but not sps.

I've got a Scribbled Angel that eats sps polyps as well, but it does not do any real damage (polyp extention is not as far as before the scribbled arrived), and like Marie i tolorate it. In the end it you will have to decide what you can tolerate.

Hahaaa my regal angel has developed a liking for my pipe organ coral. What can you do?

Actually, they are omnivores and that is the problem. They are almost impossible to keep and I am surprised that a LFS is importing them. We do not yet know what is missing from their diet that makes them so difficult to keep.

The quote below summarizes everything.

{{I would steer clear of this fish. While it may be "eating like crazy", whether it's eating enough of the right things is most likely a different story. A VAST majority of Moorish Idols do not survive more than a few days or weeks in captivity. Of the ones that do, and snare a hopeful buyer like yourself, another 95% percent of those are dead within a month or two.
It will in all Likelihood not bother your clams, but in all Likelihood it will not be alive in your tank in 6 months either.
This is one of those fish that should NOT be collected for the trade to begin with, and is best left in the ocean.
Cheers[[

I have one that eats like a pig, but he does goes for zoas once in awhile. Try putting the " angel formula frozen cubes " on a clip. I found that as long as there's food in the tank to nibble at, they ignore the zoas. good luck