Moorish idol

This fish comes from the Animal Family Zanclidae, Genus Zanclus, bearing the Binomial name Zanclus cornutus. The genus name "Zanclus" originates from the Greek word "sickle" and this refers to the sickle-shape of their dorsal fin. The species name "cornutus" is Latin for "horn", which refers to the bumps over the adults’ eyes. The Moorish Idol is the only species of the family Zanclidae.

FEATURES
The Moorish Idol has two broad black bars on its body with a yellow saddle across its snout. This is the typical color pattern along with 2 large black bands which is separated by white-yellowish bands, deep, rounded and laterally compressed body, and a black tail. The Moorish Idol can grow up to 24cm in length. As for their long snout, they use it to feed on coralline algae and sponges located in cracks and crevices.
Usually, the main food source for Z. cornutus is on sponges or on algae, with its long snout scraping along the corals. In the aquarium, you can feed your Moorish Idol with vegetable matter like algae or small crustaceans and other meaty foods. They are usually not picky eaters so you won’t have trouble with that.

ENVIRONMENT
The Moorish Idol can be encountered in many environments including bays, lagoons, the back of reefs, reef fronts, external reefs, deep reefs of up to 182 m in depth and so on. They are usually in small groups and feeds on sponges, algae and other invertebrates. They have a very long larval life, the time when they travel over long distances.

The Moorish Idol has a widespread population in Indo-Pacific and some other tropical and temperate waters. In Australia they are well known from the central Western Australian coast up to the tropical north and south to southern New South Wales and can even be found in the shallows to depths of 180m.