Pics of Moorish Idol

[jsisler]

As promised in another thread I would post some pics my Moorish idol when i received my camera. Had him about a year and he is doing very well. He competes for food with the big boys and gets his share.

http://gatorbait.smugmug.com/photos/83117478-L.jpg

http://gatorbait.smugmug.com/photos/83117219-L.jpg

http://gatorbait.smugmug.com/photos/83118090-L.jpg

http://gatorbait.smugmug.com/photos/83118485-L.jpg

http://gatorbait.smugmug.com/photos/83119874-L.jpg

[Dr.Maybe]

Very nice fish :)

[Brewen]

Great looking fish thanks for sharing.

[virginiabreeze6]

Fish look great ! What size tank are they in?

[hgbarwick]

Nice!!!

[thor32766]

gorgeous fish

[cyan0069]

Congrats! Could you cue us in on some other info? What size tank? Maybe a quick synopis of your system (mainly filtration)? What you feed? I'm always curious when I see someone having success with a notoriously difficult fish.

Thanks! Gorgeous pics BTW

[aquabomber]

I am totally new to SW and this dude from the LFS told me it is very hard to keep "Mack" the fish from "Finding Nemo" aka the Moorish Idol alive in an aquarium. Yes please share with us your set up.

[JGoslee]

Great looking fish!

[jsisler]

The acrylic tank is close to 300 gallons w/ a 70 gallon sump. The dimensions are 84” x 24” x 32” and was custom built by Oceanic. The tank sits on the main floor in the house and all the filtration is plumbed to the basement. I’ll provide some pictures of setup as well. This type of setup creates a very quite operation on the main floor. The return pump is a Hammerhead reeflow that runs wide open turning the tank about 10 times an hour. The filtration and lighting details are as follows:

200 pounds of live rock
2 48” algae scrubbers used to grow micro algae
Custom made 70 gallon sump by triggersys w/ approx 30 gallon refugium used to grow macro algae
Refugium lights are 2 65W PCs
Extra large custom made skimmer by triggersys powered w/ a mag drive supreme 36
Ozone injection with an Enale
Main lighting is 3 x 160W VHOs

Live stock as follows:

Show Indian ocean Blue Face Angel – 12 years
Show Korean Angel – 3 years
Show Red Sea Emperor Angel – 18 months
Large Juvenile Chrysurus Angel – 3 years
X - Large Black Tang – 6 years
Med Purple Tang – 3 years
Large Powder Blue – 3 years
Med Picasso Trigger – 3 years
Med/Large Clown Trigger – 2 years
Large Moorish Idol – 1 year

Sometime in the near future I need to sell one of the large angels as they are growing to big and occasionally scrabble. I’m leaning towards the blue face Angel as he really needs to be the dominant angel in any tank. He is currently 1B next to the Emperor although that could change. I also want to add a small red sea miniatus grouper.

I feed red and green lifeline frozen food, P.E. mysis shrimp, cutup regular shrimp, dried seaweed, platinum herbivore pellets, new lifel spectrum pellets, and fresh micro/macro algae.

http://gatorbait.smugmug.com/photos/38162127-L.jpg

http://gatorbait.smugmug.com/photos/38162133-L.jpg

http://gatorbait.smugmug.com/photos/38162145-L.jpg

[cyan0069]

Congrats! Seems like everyone is fat and happy! Very nice pics BTW, and thanks for posting the info.

[Monkeyfish]

Do the triggers ever go after the Idol?

[jsisler]

no the triggers never go after the idol or anything else for that matter but the emperor and koran will occasionally give him a chase. However, my powder blue tang was determined to kill the idol when I first put him in the main display tank. I even tried to capture the idol and put him back in quarantine but could not. I know it is hard to beleive considering how well the idol is doing now but he literally spent the first 20-30 days in a 6" by 6" space in the top right corner of the tank. i was sure he wasn't going to make it through the night. when i would feed the idol would come to the main area to eat (as best he could with the powder blue chasing him) and would then return to his corner. the powder blue was relentless and the idol had very badly torn fins but eventually they worked it out. now the powder blue ignores him but the idol as tripled in size during this time so that may have something to do with it. would have lost a lot of money if someone had bet me he would make through the night when he was first introduced.

[Monkeyfish]

Interesting. I would've thought that the triggers would have at least taken an exploratory nip at the long dorsal of the Idol. I was afraid to put a heniochus in with my picasso for just that reason.