New favorite fish?

When we got a Moorish Idol 7 months ago, it was largely because Deanna had always wanted one. I was a bit leery because of their reputation for being hard to get to eat but agreed to get one - if we could get one that was a proven eater. What the heck - what's one more "reef safe with caution" fish in the basement tank (SPS dominant for this reason and other RSWC inhabitants include 4 angels - flame, regal, blueface & goldflake).

We worked with Tim at Iowa Seascapes (big shout out to Seascapes!) and he was great at getting us one - it took several weeks but we finally got the call that he had gotten 2 in from HI and both were eating. After some quick (probably too quick!) research I concluded 2 would be a good idea. We decided not to quarantine them due to their reputation of not eating so into the display they went. At first, it seemed like a great idea as the pair were inseparable for the first 4 days but then we noticed one of them was missing its banner and was a bit ragged looking on the dorsal fin. We immediately suspected one of its tank mates (although this tank has a remarkable lack of aggression given its tank mates). About 2 days later we found out that the truth as the two MI's were going it at like a couple of MMA fighters and one was definitely getting the worse end of the deal. We ended up netting him at night and put him in the sump to heal (he is doing fine in another GIRS members tank to this day). We fed clam in the half shell for the first couple of weeks - the MI's seemed to really like them - as did the other inhabitants but they were not fussy from the beginning and now eat Nori, NLS pellets and club DIY food like the rest of the tank.

Anyway, fast forward 6+ months and results have been fun to watch. He has doubled in size and is now large enough that he really only has to yield to the 9" sailfin when the nori hits the clip. He has also climbed in my "favorite fish" category - kind of a toss up between him and some of the others....

Here is a current pic - his banner is actually about 3" long but he just turned before this pic so not streaming out behind him:

 

Thanks guys. The real win is to have a spouse who not only tolerates the hobby but actively participates

 

Stop by anytime - and bring your son along - as I recall he is quite the budding marine biologist.