Read this Before Your Get a Moorish Idol

Just a few weeks after buying the beautiful Moorish Idol, many fish keepers decide to move home on, and here's why. 

Coral Eating Fish

As you might have deduced, many decided to move the Moorish Idol because it started nipping on the corals. But it isn't a typical coral-eating scenario where a fish goes rogue and destroys everything in sight. 

Scalos and Blastos are the usual targets for coral-eating fish. Moorish idols show little interest in Acan, Hammer coral, or Zoas. Instead, they will peck much thinner LPS corals like Maze corals, Gavas, and Chalases.

The fish will not demolish any of it; it will start removing flesh. It can also go for the fungi frags. The Moorish in your tank may be one of those fish that pecks at corals occasionally without doing any significant damage. 

Despite that, things can always get worse. Ultimately, it's all about weighing and removing the risks of catching it. 

Diet

Reef Dork started feeding the fish Nori sheets. While the fish didn't give that much attention, it might have gotten used to the sheet if trained to look for eat. It did go for Hikari seaweed pellets.

To give the Idol a better chance, start with bigger pellets, too. Idol will eat Mysis and shrimp, but they are high in protein and low in fiber, which is the opposite of what these fishes need.  

Word to the Wise

In conclusion, the Moorish idol is easy to feed but is too keen on nipping corals, which could lead people to remove it to prevent the fish from demolishing their corals.

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