# Starting up and maintaining an aquarium/ moorish idols.



## dansav95 (May 18, 2014)

I have always wanted a Moorish idol but I have been reading so many bad things about them due to the difficulty of maintaining them. Despite what I read, I am still keen on owning one an doing my best to take care of it, can someone just please talk about starting up and maintaining an aquarium (not a huge one, but a good size) and talk about the Moorish idol, and if I should even consider buying one, being a beginner at this.


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## Fishyfins (Feb 28, 2009)

Hi there!

Well, you have certainly chosen a species that will "throw you in the deep end" so to speak. One of the most notoriously difficult to keep marine fish we have in the hobby! I for one, would suggest you start on something a little more robust first, and built up your skills before you attempt a Moorish Idol.

There are so many things you would need to know before trying to keep one. A major factor you need to consider is space. You say you want a good size, but not huge aquarium. Many experts would suggest that to even stand a chance of success with these guys, you need to aim for an aquarium 1000 litres or more (some suggest 2000L)..... to put that in context, my largest aquarium is 200L, and thats about 4ft long.

The cost of setting up and running such an aquarium would be staggering. Obviously i dont know your financial situation, but we would be talking probably upwards of £10k to get it sorted to the standards you would need it (like using live rock and such), and then yearly running costs on top of that.

The problem is, Moorish Idols require huge levels of stability within the system. If anything goes out of whack then they will be done for. A bigger system gives far more stability, and allows for the more natural environment they require. 

Have you considered the very similar wimple fish? A lot hardier, and can live in much smaller tanks. You could probably get away with keeping one in a 300L, alongside a few other fish.


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## dansav95 (May 18, 2014)

Fishyfins said:


> Hi there!
> 
> Well, you have certainly chosen a species that will "throw you in the deep end" so to speak. One of the most notoriously difficult to keep marine fish we have in the hobby! I for one, would suggest you start on something a little more robust first, and built up your skills before you attempt a Moorish Idol.
> 
> ...


Hey there, I had a feeling someone would tell me everything you said about the Moorish idol, it really is a beautiful fish and I would love to have one but it really does seem a bit too much for me too maintain, plus, I wouldn't want to own one and put its life in jeopardy also.

Oh wow, I have never seen wimple fish before, are they much more common than Moorish idols? I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to species of fish and how common they are, but wimple fish look very nice too, how much would you think it costs (dollars) to get a 200-300L tank with all the essentials.


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## dansav95 (May 18, 2014)

Fishyfins said:


> Hi there!
> 
> Well, you have certainly chosen a species that will "throw you in the deep end" so to speak. One of the most notoriously difficult to keep marine fish we have in the hobby! I for one, would suggest you start on something a little more robust first, and built up your skills before you attempt a Moorish Idol.
> 
> ...


And also, what types of fish would be compatible with Wimple Fish?


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## Jellypi3 (Jan 3, 2014)

Sorry to sound blunt but have you ever owned a Marine tank? They are a lot more complex and costly than tropical fresh water tanks. I think if you haven't your first port of call (ignore the pun) would be to buy some books, join some marine reef keeping forums and do your research. 

As alluded to above, a set up to keep a Moorish Idol would set you back a lot of money. But even setting up a tank for a wimple fish is going to cost you a fair buck or two. They need in the regions of 350-400litres to be happy. If you are planning on having a reef tank, you then need to consider the cost of live rock and lighting to sustain the corals (LR isn't cheap in the slightest - around £10 per kilo and you need a Kilo per 10 litres of water), if you are looking at a Fish Only W/O Live Rock then you still need to consider the costs of a protein skimmer, Reverse Osmosis Unit (unless you can buy RO water as you shouldn't use tap water with marines), Salt etc. All these things are a consideration for marines, unlike a tropical tank which most people can just start up.

As I said, I hope this doesn't come across as rude or blunt, but I have a marine tank and I love it but it is a big commitment, both financially and time wise.

Incidently, I use ultimatereef.com for all my reefing needs


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## Phoenix24 (Apr 6, 2013)

Agreed with the responses so far. A novice fishkeeper would never opt for a marine tank first, let alone a fish as difficult to keep as the Moorish idol. 

My advice would be to start with an easy freshwater tropical set up in a mid-sized tank (say 100-150L), and learn with fish that are hardier and less costly to set up a home for. Once proficient at freshwater fish, and with some money put aside perhaps, then you could move on to a marine set up. In which case I would go for a small reef in something like an aquanano 40, which is about 50L (or larger, but not smaller) with something 'easier' and smaller like clownfish (which are still going to be more sensitive than a freshwater set up). 

I've been keeping fish for 5 years now and I still don't consider myself experienced enough for a marine set up, let alone with the finances and commitment it takes to maintain even a small one.


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## dansav95 (May 18, 2014)

Thank you everyone for your responses, I will definitely take them into consideration. Can you guys suggest some options I have in terms of selection of fish for my standards, either salt or fresh water, just some suggestions as to what size tank and what fish/how many.


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## Jellypi3 (Jan 3, 2014)

It really depends on a number of items, mainly budget and space.

Tropical freshwater are simpler to keep than marines, and I do think they are interesting unlike some marine keepers. You can have a wonderful single species tank of malawi ciclids, or have a communial tank with some really colorful specimins, or a heavy planted tank, or biozone tanks that replicate where the fish are from.

If you are dead set on marines, I can not stress how important research is. I'd personally start with something roughly 100-150litres, not too small that evaporation becomes your enemy but not so large as to make water changes cumbersome.

But with any fish tank, time and patience is the key. You can't just set up a tank, throw in 15 fish and hope all is well. You need to add things slowly, research compatibilities, ensure you can keep up with maintenance (water changes etc) and prepare for up's and downs. Fish keeping isn't as easy as sticking a fish in a bowl.


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## Quinzell (Mar 14, 2011)

I started off with a marine tank, so I don't think its impossible to dive head first into marines but getting a moorish idol as your first marine fish would likely be a bad move but it sounds like you have decided against this already. Get to understand the basics first; nitrogen cycle, mixing saltwater, common problems, nutrition, etc. Start off with a fish like a damsel/clown that are pretty hardy. Even something like a firefish, some species of anthias, cardinals, gobies (some of these can be paired with shrimp) - there are lots of great beginner fish.

Live Aquaria is a good source of information about most fish.

The other thing to consider is where will you get your fish? Most fish are wild caught and fish like the MI struggle to make the transition to captivity. With seahorses, any that are wild caught (the majority) struggle to adapt and have a pretty poor success rate. There is a huge difference between captive bred and wild caught so if there is any way that you can source captive bred (and you need to be very clear about the origins of the fish as this term can be used very loosely), this is definitely the way to go.

You are in the US so in terms of costs, it could definitely be quite a bit cheaper for you to set up an aquarium. I would definitely recommend getting a tank with a sump and check out craigslist, and various other places to see if you can get one second hand.


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## Jellypi3 (Jan 3, 2014)

Deffo agree on the wild caught thing. It's the biggest downside to the hobby, the fish I have are all captive bred bar one, and I only buy aquacultured corals, I hate to think of all the fish that die from being caught


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