Moorish Idol is an infamous fish. Its popularity has increased with the famous children’s movie called “Finding Nemo”. But most of the hobbyists have soon found out that this typical saltwater fish is extremely tough to keep and acclimate. Its survival on long-term basis (in aquariums) has also been put to question. Truly, this fish is one of the most difficult to raise and keep.

This fish is colored with back, yellow and white vertical body markings. They are commonly found along the reef. If you have a large aquarium, you can infact keep multiple amount of this salt water fish in it.

Moorish Idol is a selective eater. They can pose even more problems while eating if their protruding mouths had been damaged while transportation and collection. It is good to put them in a quarantined tank, so as to let them eat without any competition and develop a good habit. In their natural habitat they generally feed on sponges and marine alga. Having abundant amounts of rock in your tank will help in providing grazing chance in between meals. You must try to give them an assorted diet of frozen and live marine fish foods.

If you are having difficulty in getting them to eat than it is sure that they have some disease. In such a case you can use a quarantined tank to treat the fish. Once they start eating again, you can put them back in the previous aquarium.

Moorish Idol is known for its beauty and good marine aquariums. Hobbyists can keep this fish in it as well. According to experience of many hobbyists, Moorish Idol is best kept left on reef.

Buying Tips:

Since these fish are characteristically complicated to care for in internment, a key factor that can account for success of keeping a Moorish Idol is opting to buy the one that is in the best of health. The colors are preferred if bright and dark. Make sure they are not washed out or faded. The body of fish should appear rounded and full; the area of stomach should not appear sunken or concave. Make sure that the skeleton of fish is not visible from underneath the skin.