Moorish Idol feed. Sponge??

[RD]

From Bob Fenner's site, just a small sample of what Bob & his mods have to say with regards to feeding Moorish Idol in captivity.

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

<Yes... to sing its praises once again, Spectrum pelleted foods really seem to be a/the "trick" here... Accepted readily and completely nutritious. BobF>

<<EXCELLENT! Of the few successes I have heard about concerning these fish, New Life Spectrum foods have played a key role>>

<<Good signs…but likely not good enough. Just “eating” is not enough with this fish as most will still decline. I think there is something about their diet/dietary requirements that we don’t yet understand…although, there has been anecdotal proof that specimens that will feed on New Life Spectrum pellets may be fulfilling that unknown requirement>>

My LFS is also trying to feed him New Life Spectrum Pellets at my request, and he is starting to show interest.
<<This will probably be key to successfully keeping this fish…along with housing it in a proper environment>>

<<It is not… Getting these fish to eat is not atypical…getting them to thrive/survive the long-term, is. If you don’t have it now, I very much suggest you obtain the Spectrum pelleted food (small [1mm] pellets)>>

I have had two Moorish Idols for a little over a year. They have both grown in size and eat a wide variety of food mainly Spectrum Thera A pellets.
<Ah, yes... have seen Pablo Tepoot's Zanclus... almost bulging at the seams on this food>

<<It’s not so much a matter of getting them to eat...but more a problem of providing the “necessary” nutrition. Many a Moorish Idol has seemed to be feeding well only to die from apparent malnutrition, or secondary disease/infection brought on by malnutrition. But on the bright side, there appears to be anecdotal proof that the pelleted foods from New Life Spectrum can/do provide the necessary nutritional requirements for these (and many/most other) fishes. If you choose to persist in your pursuit of these fishes I highly recommend you give the Spectrum foods a try>>


And medhatreefguy, here's a little reality check for you. I've been a member here for 5 years, and while I have responded to a few discussions involving diet, or fish nutrition in general, I haven't exactly been running around *plugging* products, nor was I shooting down (as you put it) other products. The fact of the matter is I don't know of any other diet that has kept MI's alive & thriving long term in captivity outside of NLS. If you or anyone else does, then by all means add your 2 cents worth, I'm all ears.

You may not consider my advice sound, or Bob Fenner's, or any of his mods.
That's fine by me, but so far I don't see anyone else offering Tony any input as to what to feed his fish to keep it healthy long term.

Bob not only agrees with me, he respects my experience & knowledge on this subject enough to have asked me in the past to join his team of advisors, to which I declined as in that case I did feel that it would be considered by some to be a conflict of interest. Kind of a dumb move for someone who's only interest is to plug his product, don't you think?

This happens to be a subject that I'm very well versed in, and I am as passionate about this hobby as you or anyone else on this forum. Over the years I've swapped spit with the best of them, including manufacturers, marine biologists, zoologists, DVM's, research scientists that specialize in this field, and with enough letters after their name to sink a ship. I'm 50+ yrs of age, and have been closely involved in the science of animal nutrition for over half of my life.



Perhaps in the future don't be so quick to judge every book by its cover, when you crack that book open you just might actually learn something.