Marks moorish idol and masked banner fish,all grown up now.

These pics are of two of many club collected fish in Marks five foot cube tank that are being looked after and fed very well, some of them look obese, lets hope fish can’t get type two diabetes,lol.

The masked banner is a fish close to my heart, because one of them, I collected for my first aquarium, set up back in 81 did well for nearly three years, this was inspired by my brothers tank we used to collect for a year or two before that.

The one I had back than didn’t get quite that big before the under gravel I was using collapsed but for the few years I had it, no way did it get as big as Marks and he has had his for just over one year of tank life.

It’s bigger than a large mans hand now from just over a fifty cent size when it was caught.

They are quite easy to keep and never a problem in fish or reef tanks, a top fish to have, just not many in the shops here normally as they are an Ausy endemic fish and fetch a good price over seas, normally to much for shop keepers here to pay and put on the normal one hundred to three hundred percent mark up sale price to you.

The idol, thought to be originally a hybrid of a tang and a chaetodon, is a very misunderstood fish in relation successfully keeping them.

The mixing of species has recently created a new species, so it may be the case that this fish is from tangs and chaetodons getting it on,lol.

The collection of any idols from a great deal of club collecting experience leads us to certain areas for the collection of them to help attain ease of success with them in the aquarium.

If they are collected from a pristine reef area, than you have next to no chance of them feeding and thriving on what aquarium keepers think they should or are told to feed them.

We know of many areas that attract new idles each year that are void of corals, making them more open to except foods that pristine reef life, teaches them not to except.

Those ones can be converted into accepting more basic foods and not need corals and sponges,etc to nibble on over the first few months of tank life.

Offering them Cunjivoe and de husked peas along with other average aquarium foods will keep body on them and let them adapt to marine aquarium life, unless the stress from the ocean to you has already done the all so common internal damage that will take them down over a week to a month or so.

Nitrate poisoning, apart from stress related digestive system damage from the continual adrenalin pumped into them while under stress, will give them a death that is very hard to lay blame as it takes a while, even if they are feeding, these bring on death through starvation.

Marks tank keeping skills should be commended, though he has an enormous bill and on going electricity bill for the technology he has in place for his beautiful tank.

It is always a pleasure to call in for a cuppa or to organise a rental vehicle, he has a vehicle rental business and the tank is the office display, wowing each and every customer.

Good on you Mark for excellent care of his marine fish and inverts!


Zanclus cornutus(idol) and Heniochus monoceros(banner)today 03-05-2011



The masked banner fish when caught.



The moorish idol when caught.

Man that looks good, one day ,maybe.
So that doesn't hurt the fish on human skin like that?
I suppose it mustn’t, if they are the ones in the tank.

The fish isn't harmed as long as it is treated carefully.
When handling the fish it is recommended that the hands are wet.
The fish is only resting on the hand, no squeezing or crushing and not out of the water any longer than needed.

Okay, fair enough ianqld.
You should have something somewhere on your forum about the fish not being harmed.
I would imagine others may think the same by being in some ones hand.
Good to know you guys are not rough with your catches, I real envy being able to get your own aquarium fish.
Do you see many sharks?
If I saw one that would scare the crap out of me!

Here is another concerned citizen on holding the fish.
I don’t like the practice either Trent.

I have seen this sought of thing on other forums, the curiosity got me here looking around on this forum a number of times now.
It’s good you raised this question, it bothers me as well.

I would like to know why the fish would not be harmed by this.
I admit I have never had reef critters in my aquarium, cichlids are my forte.
I want to set up a reef tank some time in the future, after lots of research on it.

I feel sad for the fish.

Look for this wording on the information thread link (Placing fish in hands for a photo).
https://southeastqueenslandm.aforumfree.com/t835-aandtsociety-collecting-diving-and-coast-line-information

It will explain this issue!