Moorish Idol (Zanclus canescens)
One of the most admired fish and very popular kind of species, especially among hobbyist and children, and that is because they appear in one of the most popular movies ever, “Finding Nemo”; where a Moorish Idol called Gill is part of the main cast. They’re a very good-looking fish which have a coloration composed of black and white stripes, with some yellow stains that cover a major part of their body and a little zone of their faces, and with the final addition of a disk-like appearance they are one of the most beautiful fish that you will ever see.
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This fish is native to Hawaii/Australia, and can also be found in some places of Africa, the Red Sea, and Central America. They are a typical inhabitant of the coral reefs and eat sponge and other invertebrates of small size that live in the same place. They are usually found in small groups, generally of two or three specimens, but in specific cases, there can be bigger groups, even schools of up to 100 Moorish Idols.
The Moorish Idol is a fish with a lot of personality. They are very social and can be great partners with other selected species that have similar characteristics, such as the Chromis and Dotty backs.
The behavior patterns demonstrated by the Moorish Idol towards other fish of the same species are a bit peculiar. Sometimes, they can be very social, and they won’t show too much problem with hanging out with other groups of 4-6 fish, but it is known that two specimens of advanced age and same sex can have a very difficult relationship and may become aggressive towards each other over time. Sometimes, while in groups, one of them will become dominant among the rest of the fish and will start attacking the others. Moorish Idols will choose one partner to mate during their whole life, and the male will protect her at all costs during their time together.
Despite they don’t really bear each other when adults, they actually have an excellent communication at young ages; in the wild, the biggest groups of Moorish Idols are juveniles and will only leave the group when they have found a partner and will start mating, until then, they will rarely leave each other’s side. In rare occasions, groups of up to three of them can be seen, with, of course, one of them being dominant among the other three.
They have a fascinating body shape; it resembles a triangle with a long face which ends in a tiny mouth. Although the fins of a Moorish Idols aren’t really big, the first body feature you will notice about them is their dorsal fin, which is very elongated, giving it the appearance of a whip. There is no visible difference between the males and females.
One of the main characteristics of this fish that you should take into account is that they are very picky eaters; they would rather starve to death than eat something they don’t like, being this the main reason why they are so hard to keep in captivity.
This fish is one of the hardest challenges that fish enthusiasts might encounter during their life. If you’re lucky, you will have a spectacular addition to your aquarium for a while. Most of their activity happens in the day hours, and they like to spend the nights somewhere in the bottom of the aquarium.
Nutrition
As we’ve already mentioned, this is one of the hardest fish to maintain in an aquarium. One of the most common things seen about this fish is their picky habits of eating, which also makes one of the most common deaths for them in captivity. However, if you keep them as starting from a young age, they will probably get used to the new environment over time and may accept the food you give them; however, you don’t really know how they will behave the next time you try to feed them.
We know that this is a very interesting fish that you might want in your aquarium, but you need to be sure that the specimen you’re going to buy accepts food. Most of the time, shops will try to sell you the fish quickly jut to gain more money without caring about the animal’s needs, but before taking home a Moorish Idol, it’s better to see with your own eyes that the one you have chosen eats.
They are usually fed with shrimp, squid and other foods traditionally given to carnivore fish, with, of course, some vegetables as compliments. Again, make sure that the caretaker of the shop has proven that your new fish eats; you don’t want to bring a new fish to your house so that it can spend the last time of its live dying of stress and hunger.
You can experiment with the fish to see what it likes to eat, this way things will be easier for both of you. The Moorish Idol can become easily environment stressed, and their behavior is very unpredictable, but if you want to help your fish to overcome the stress, here’s something you can do: you can introduce to the aquarium a live rock which contains coralline algae and sponge; these rocks are known to trigger the fish’s hunger over time.
Moorish Idol Care
As already told, having a Moorish Idol is a challenging task. First of all, when trying to buy a new one, you should make sure that the one you’ve picked eats and choose to witness it yourself so you can be sure that is true; otherwise, the fish might become picky and will starve itself to death. Although they can be social, it’s better to keep only one of them in the aquarium, with some of the possible roommates we mentioned before (Chromis, Dotty backs, and other similar non-aggressive fish).
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A 150-gallon tank or larger should be enough for a single Moorish Idol, and you need to make sure the aquarium you have chosen completes the following conditions so your Moorish Idol can adapt more easily to the new environment:
The pH levels of the water can vary from 8.1 to 8.4.
The temperature should be between 78 and 80°F.
The hardness should be between 8 and 12 dGH.
Health
One of the most common health problems in Moorish Idols is ammonia burns. This can be easily detected by the fish’s appearance; it will look very odd to what it is supposed to look like; so, if you notice the following characteristics, then the Moorish Idol might have health problems:
The colors of their skin look like they are “disappearing” or are washing away from it.
The fish’s tail and fins might appear ragged due to the burns.
Their eyes will be affected as well, as you will notice something strange about them depending on the specimen.
Sometimes, the problem is not necessary due to ammonia burns, but can be caused by lousy care, which includes many factors such as bad water, temperature levels, and many others. Remember that fish are a very delicate animal that requires specific water conditions to survive with no problems in captivity, and when we talk about the Moorish Idols, things become even more complicated since they are one of the hardest fish to keep as pets. Make sure you are doing everything you can to help the new fish adjust to their new home since when they first move, they can become environment stressed, but if you are lucky, after a while, they might become comfortable with the new aquarium and eventually will start showing their normal behavior.
The rest of the health conditions are the same for other fish, but we recommend (as with any other kind of animal) to consult an expert if you notice something wrong with your new animal and don’t know how to handle the situation.
Moorish Idol Breeding
Moorish Idols are pelagic, just like other fish similar to them, such as the surgeonfish. They’re spawners. The female will release the eggs as she swims and the male will do the same process, but instead, he will fertilize them. Then, the fertilized eggs will float to the surface where they will join the plankton until they’re ready to hatch; they also feed in the same place until they are prepared to start their lives as young fish.
Conclusion
Overall, this is a challenging fish to deal with, especially when it comes to their feeding habits. They rather starve to death than eating something that doesn’t look appealing to them, as already recommended, make sure that the specimen you’re going to buy eats.
You should also make sure that you can do everything that’s in your power to make the fish’s environment more bearable so they can quickly adapt to their new home. As fish can get easily hurt and stressed, everything in their aquarium should have the proper conditions for them to survive as if they were in their natural environment.
The Moorish Idol is an omnivorous fish, meaning that they can eat foods such as shrimp and other meats and some vegetables as an addition, but all of this depends on what the fish likes to eat.
Their social skills are very unpredictable, but they’re usually social towards other fish with similar characteristics. If you’re going to buy two of them, then you should be sure that the pair you’ve picked is mated, so you don’t have any problems with them over time. They don’t have too many problems getting along with other fish of different species, and most of the time the rest of the aquarium will be ignored.
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It’s easy to start noticing when something is wrong with a Moorish Idol. The most common cause of death of this fish is starvation, and this can be avoided by following the previous recommendations we mentioned earlier in the text. The fish should be fed at least twice a day.
Remember, two Moorish Idols of old age won’t get along too much and will probably fight with each other, so it’s better to get a single one or a mated pair; this will make things easier for you and for the fish to get along with the rest of the aquarium.
Before buying a Moorish Idol, make sure you have everything to fulfill their necessities and enough time to keep an eye on them once in a while. Something you can do to make sure that your fish isn’t sick and that you will have no further problems with it during your time together, is keeping them isolated from the rest of the fish of the aquarium for some time (not longer than two weeks) and giving special attention to them; this way you can see how they react to the tank’s water conditions, what they like to eat and how they behave in the new environment. This process should be done to every new fish you get for your aquarium, but in this case is a bit different and you should pay close attention to it since the fish is known by their pickiness. Then, if the fish likes it there, you have a spectacular new addition to your aquarium that will last for a while.
