|
A (rather long
and very frank) word about "Nemo" Aquariums
(It's worth it - please read the whole thing)
Without a doubt, the Pixar
movie Nemo was a hit and the public interest
generated in coral reefs was a great thing. However,
many well-intentioned parents have been coerced by their
pleading children into getting them a "Nemo" aquarium as a
result.
While aquariums are a fantastic way
for children to learn about aquatic life, a "Nemo" themed
aquarium is not a realistic goal. This information is
not intended to bash the movie Nemo, rather, it is
here for educational purposes. Nemo was a great,
original and imaginative fantasy film, but we must remember
that it was fantasy.
Here's why:
Let's start with an introduction to the characters
found in the aquarium in the movie and learn a little about
them.
"Nemo" - Ocellaris Clownfish - The Ocellaris
Clownfish is a relatively hardy little fish. If put
into the aquarium when small, two clownfish will often form
a pair. Ocellaris Clownfish are relatively
non-aggressive, but occupy a space in an aquarium about the
size of a large beach ball. This beach ball would be
about 30 gallons worth of water. That is 30 gallons
for themselves alone.
"Dory" - Blue Hippo Tang -
The Blue Hippo Tang gets very large (easily reaching a foot
in length) and requires a 6' long aquarium to develop
properly. Dory technically wasn't a tank mate in the
dentists' office, but in real life most people want to put
her in with a Nemo themed aquarium since she was a main
character in the movie.
"Bubbles" - Yellow Tang
- The Yellow Tang is a fairly robust fish that adapts
well to aquarium life. However, once settled into its
new home, it usually becomes aggressive to anything that is
added to the aquarium. Like most tangs, the Yellow
Tang requires a 6' aquarium to be happy.
"Jacques" - Cleaner Shrimp - Cleaner Shrimp
are delicate critters that need very high water quality.
This means very good filtration and very regular water
changes. They also require an aquarium that has had
several months to mature prior to them being added.
"Bloat"- Porcupine Puffer Fish - Porcupine Puffer
fish love to eat shrimp. Porcupine Puffers typically
require a 75 gallon tank as a bare minimum with a ton of
filtration to keep up with the amount of poop they produce.
"Gurgle" - Royal Gramma -
The Royal Gramma is a type of basslet fish. It can
make a good aquarium inhabitant for a peaceful aquarium.
"Deb" - Striped Damselfish -
Damselfish should have been called something different.
The word "damsel" implies docility, and the damselfish is
anything but docile. They may be cute, but most
damselfish become aggressive to the point of killing other
tank mates.
"Peach" - Starfish - While
it is unclear exactly what type of starfish Peach was
supposed to be, she most resembled a Chocolate Chip
Starfish. Chocolate Chip Starfish are a carnivorous
invertebrate and require good water quality.
"Gill "- Moorish Idol - The Moorish Idol
is an extremely hard fish to keep in captivity. Most
of these fish that are taken out of the wild starve to death
because they either will not eat, or their diets are missing
key components that they need to survive. They require
aquariums over 100 gallons and may eat invertebrates
like shrimp.
Ritteri Anemone - Also not
part of the dentist office aquarium in the Nemo film, it is
common in real life for people to want to put anemones in
their Nemo themed aquaria. The amazing CGI graphics at
the beginning of the Nemo film have stirred a fascination
for these creatures. They require a mature aquarium (6
months or older), very strong lighting that cannot be
obtained in a standard starter aquarium kit, and they need
very high water quality.
What would happen if these things were all put together
in the aquarium in the dentists' office:
Equipment problems:
Aquarium Size: The
aquarium in the dentists' office in the film is probably no
larger than 20-30 gallons, which would have meant that these
creatures would have been practically stacked right on top
of one another. The aquarium was far too small, giving
people the impression that they can keep a number of fish
together that require far more room.
Filtration: There is a
small hang on the back filter that would have come as part
of an aquarium kit, intended for a lightly-stocked
freshwater aquarium. There is no way that so many fish
could live in such a small water volume with so little
filtration.
On the aquarium in the movie there
was no protein skimmer which is a critical part of saltwater
filtration. Without it, having an anemone would be
next to impossible and shrimp and starfish would be very
problematic.
Lighting: The light on
the aquarium was a standard output light that is common on
most starter kit aquaria. While these are fine for
freshwater or fish only saltwater aquaria, they do not
provide the amount of light required for anemones to
survive.
Gravel: The gravel in
the aquarium is regular colored gravel used in many
freshwater aquariums. Saltwater aquariums require an
aragonite based substrate (gravel) that helps to keep the
water at a high pH. Without something to bring up the
pH and keep it stable through a process known as buffering,
the waste from the fish would have caused the pH to drop and
a chain-reaction of death to occur if no intervention was
made.
The first to die would be the
anemone and the shrimp. As they decayed, they would
produce ammonia and further drop the pH. If the
lowered pH didn't kill the remaining fish in the aquarium,
they would have suffocated due to ammonia damage to their
gills. (Harsh, but true. Wouldn't you rather read it
than learn about it through personal experience? It's
a really common occurrence when an aquarium is purchased and
filled with creatures impulsively.)
Compatibility of Species
Problems:
If the movie were to be
played out in reality, if Bubbles (Yellow Tang) and Deb
(Damselfish) were already in the aquarium and Nemo
(Clownfish) were suddenly dropped in one day, things would
not have gone well. Bubbles and Deb would have chased
Nemo until he either jumped out of the aquarium or was
pinned into a corner and was not allowed to move. If
he didn't die from exhaustion, injury, or fright, he likely
would have succumbed to disease because of a weakened immune
system as a result of the stress.
Jacques (Cleaner Shrimp) would have
long since been lunch for either Bloat (Puffer Fish) or Gill
(Moorish Idol). Gurgle (Royal Gramma) would probably
have been far too large for Gill to eat, but would have been
the perfect meal ticket for Bloat.
Peach (Starfish) would probably
have starved from having nothing to eat - flake food won't
cut it for this creature. Alternatively, if she were
routinely fed frozen fish, the water quality would have been
so poor in an aquarium due to under-filtration that she and
her tank mates (especially Jacques and the anemone) likely
wouldn't have made it.
So, what if your child still
demands to have a "Nemo" aquarium?
That depends on a lot of factors,
but here are some options:
1. Walk the child into an
aquarium store and go straight to the freshwater section and
try to locate the Mollies and Platys. They are
often bright orange in coloration. Many children,
especially very young ones, cannot differentiate between a
molly and a clownfish. If that doesn't work, you could
try pointing out an albino tiger barb, which has orange-ish
coloration and has stripes. (Note: tiger barbs are
aggressive, so you won't be able to throw just any old fish
in with them as a tank mate.)
2. Go to your local
aquarium store without your child present and discuss what
kind of tank size fits both your home and your pocketbook.
There are some smaller (30
gallon range) aquariums that are acceptable for
saltwater setups. You could put clownfish in something
that small, but remember that is all that can go in there
because of the space that they will defend against other
fish.
The next recommended size
aquarium is a 75 gallon aquarium. It is a little
more than double the volume of the 30 gallon, but it is 4
feet long and could house a few of the Nemo critters
together. One could put in a pair of Nemos
(Clownfish), a pair of Gurgles (Royal Grammas).
Provided that the right lighting and filtration were present
one could put in an anemone, some corals, and a couple
of Jacques (Cleaner Shrimp). This aquarium would be
large enough for a few more fish that were not featured in
the movie. Remember that it is important to get them
in the right order so that there are fewer compatibility
problems.
An alternative 75 gallon setup
could house Bloat (Porcupine Puffer) and Peach
(Chocolate Chip Starfish). There are a couple of other
fish that can be added into this mix, but it should really
only be a 1-2 fish aquarium because of the size that they
will get when fully grown. Remember that these types
of aquariums need extra filtration and more frequent water
changes are recommended.
The next step up is the 150
gallon, 6' aquarium. Provided that the appropriate
lighting and filtration were present, one could have a pair
of Nemos (Clownfish), a pair of Gurgles (Royal Grammas), a
few of Jacques (Cleaner Shrimp), an anemone, Dory (Blue
Hippo Tang), and Bubbles (Yellow Tang). There could be
several other fish that were not featured in the movie, but
you should consult with your local fish store to make sure
that they will all get along.
Naturally, aquariums can easily
exceed 150 gallons and the setups can house some very big
fish, but that is a discussion for a different article.
Once you have figured out what
suits your home and your budget, bring the child with you to
the aquarium store and explain what you will be getting.
Remember to emphasize to the child that setting up the
aquarium is a process and that not everything will appear
overnight.
Having an aquarium in the home can
be an amazing way to teach a child about biology, chemistry,
and math. It also serves as a motivational topic
for them to write about in English class, which helps them
develop critical writing skills like: expository writing
(explains something to the audience using reason and logic),
narrative writing (writing about something that has happened
or will happen), persuasive writing (which argues a point),
and fictional writing - like telling the imaginative and
captivating story of Finding
Nemo.
|
