LF Moorish Idol

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by naesco

Good advice GSP
The survival rate for moorish idol is next to nil.
There is a reason why goo LFS never carry them anymore. They die or emaciate in their tanks before they can evern sell them.
There is a bannerfish which looks the same .

Yes I would recommend a Heniochus instead.

Specifically Heniochus acuminatus or Heniochus diphreutes.

[Ryan_Lap]

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

Yes I would recommend a Heniochus instead.

Specifically Heniochus acuminatus or Heniochus diphreutes.

Diphreutes is considered reef safe. acuminatus is not. good luck telling the difference between the 2 when they are juvies.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by Ryan_Lap

Diphreutes is considered reef safe. acuminatus is not. good luck telling the difference between the 2 when they are juvies.

Yes can be hard but the Heniochus acuminatus has a longer anal fin and a different snout/mouth. H. acuminatus don't really like groups either, so you do have to try to get a good ID. They seem ok in pairs I guess but not large groups like H. Diphreutes.

[Fishfanatic]

I kept one sucessfully before and he ate everything including nori so I am going to try again.

[Edmonton Eskimo]

how long did you have it for? Did you sell it or did it perish? I really have a sore spot for the capture of these fish from the ocean to only meet certain doom in our aquaria. I am not saying they are impossible to keep as some experienced reefers have kept them but the death rate is well over 80 percent in captivity. To me that is our human arrogance thinking we own this planet and we can take what we want. And keeping one for a year or two is not success. To have success is to have it live for or very close to it's natural lifespan. I urge everyone reading this to please not purchase moorish idols. You may be able to keep one for a while but by us buying them that means the lfs will keep bringing them in to ultimately meet there death. They are beautiful fish so let's leave them where they belong.

[Doo]

Jason, I agree with what you are saying, but where did you get that stat from and do you know of similar stats on all the other fish that we keep?

It would be cool to do a POLE on how many fish (all types) that we all lose after purchase within: 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 & 24 months...

Just to see what overall % we lose.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Doo

It would be cool to do a POLE on how many fish (all types) that we all lose after purchase within: 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 & 24 months...

Just to see what overall % we lose.

Hmm, sounds just like our Canreef fish lifespan polls....we have a whole section on this

[Underwater]

+1000 on this. I, admittedly (and shamefully), thought that the rest of the fishkeeping world was also nuts about not being able to keep an MI. And, truthfully, there are many people who have "lucked out" in keeping them. So, I figured I would try it. Afterall, I have had tremendous success with many "difficult" animals, so surely this wouldn't be any different.

Let me be the first to say that I WAS TERRIBLY WRONG! Unfortunately, I am also a slow learner, so it took-not just one failure-but two before I admitted defeat. These are-no doubt-spectacular fish, and I (along with many others) would love to have them grace our tanks; however, to continue to try would be a waste of a beautiful, stunning fish.

Until there is a way to purchase an animal that is tank bred-save the life of a fish, and yourself the heartache of such devastating loss.

We can't always get what we want-

[superduperwesman]

Originally Posted by Edmonton Eskimo

To have success is to have it live for or very close to it's natural lifespan.

I'm not saying he should have one or not, but I think 90% of what is in our tanks doesn't live "very close to it's natural life span"

[Edmonton Eskimo]

I don't have actual stats on their death rate I have just read that it's close to 80 percent. If we keep a fish healthy and disease free they will usually live longer in our tanks than in the ocean. Most fish die due to our neglect or ineperience.