Emperor Angelfish VS Moorish Idol

[Allmost]

Hello all :)

so Im almost done setting up my new 220 Gallon SPS reef tank. and my most important reason for this upgrade was to get one of the fishes mentioned above.

anyone with experience keeping emperor angel (Juv.) or moorish Idol, please advice which one you think is better for a SPS reef tank.

which nipps corals and clams less ?
which is more hardy ?
which one requires less feeding?

any other Ideas,/opinions are welcome :)

please keep in mind that none of these fish will be purchased in the next 9 months, I am cycling the new tank and hopefully in 2011 I can transfer all my fish and corals from the 65 over, then wait another 6-8 months for SPS to grow and biology to reach a balance and then try one of these.

thanks in advanced :)

[MCCOOL]

The angel will be much easier to care for, Morish idol's have a horrible track record in captivity. I believe there is a morish idol primer here in one of the sticky threads

[LCP136]

I've never kept either, but here's what I know. I don't think an emperor angel will give you problems in an SPS tank, but if you want to add clams or other corals you might have problems. Moorish Idols are nearly impossible to keep long term from what I've heard. You'd be better off with the similar, albeit not as striking, Black and White Heniochus. I do, however, think that butterflies in general would likely give you problems with SPS excepting the pyramid and maybe the copperband.

[pinnatus]

I have had emperors in the past, and currently have an Idol (22 months).

I have never seen the Idol attack any of my sps, but it does eat zoas and palys.

I don't think I had sps when I had emporers, so I can't say, but I do have a Majestic and an Asfur. I have never seen them eat sps either, but I have a suspicion that the Majestic does.

I would say that it is chancy with the emperor, but the emperor is probably easier to keep.

A good Idol is hard to find, and while I think I am having success with mine, who knows. It could suddenly die tomorrow, and based on their reputations, I have been expecting it to do just that since the day I got it. But I will say, it is my favorite fish, maybe of all time.

If you do decide on an Idol, I would make it one of the first fish in the tank. Unlike most other fish, it has no spines or teeth or sharp fins to protect itself from aggressors. So it is best to acclimate to the tank without any other fish chasing it around. Also, they need to eat a little, often especially when you first get it. Mine eats everything, but I mostly feed New Life Spectrum pellets and sheets of Nori. Rod's food is also good, and I had to use that occasionally when it went on little hunger strikes to get it eating again.

HTH

[Allmost]

thank you all for the great advice.

guess I will get the angelfish first, as it has always been my fav fish :)

will try moorish Idol if I find a nice one and when I know I can overfeed the tank :)

thanks

[Jhockey]

The only problem with the emperor is it will outgrow your tank. The idol won't, but is a lot harder to care for. Kind of a toss up.

[Allmost]

The only problem with the emperor is it will outgrow your tank. The idol won't, but is a lot harder to care for. Kind of a toss up.

will be a long process till a juv. outgrows a 220 Gallon :)

at which time it will make me upgrade again :D hah

[Jhockey]

If you'll upgrade the 220g when needed, there's no problem with that. I just see so many people that say they will, but never do, and the fish suffer the consequences. If your able to do that, more power to you. Then in that case, I'd definitely go with the emperor, a nice healthy 3-4" juvenile.

[jnc914]

I have a Moorish Idol for six months. I got it direct from Hawaii via Les at Wetpets HI. He kept it in a QT for 2 weeks and ensured it was eating prior to shipping. It has not stopped eating since I got it, and has fattened up nicely. The key to keeping this fish is to get a healthy one to start with, and then have patience and offer a variety of food. Mine consumes purple algae, most frozen food, and NLS.
In regards to coral, my old Emp would take apart Zoas and LPS. My current Moorish Idol doesn't touch LPS, but does nip at the SPS I have in the tank; not enough to cause real damage, but I do notice a lack of polyp extension from time to time.
Good luck either way......