Raising Nemo and Other Saltwater Pets
by Edward X. Young

originally published in Pet Care News, November Issue 2003

Many fans of the film are now finding clown fish of their own. But before they buy, they should first explore the work and cost it takes to keep saltwater pets.  No one should see the movie and rush out to get a “Nemo” on an impulse buy.

“Being a caretaker of saltwater aquarium specimens carries an obligation that needs to be taken seriously,” said Tammy Landry, proprietor of the Fish Bowl, of Milford, New Hampshire. “Aquarists should look for net-caught fish -- or fish taken from the sea without the use of chemicals or other destructive methods.”

Unfortunately, in the wake of the recent surge in popularity, some disreputable dealers use poisons to catch large numbers of saltwater specimens to fill the many new tanks being purchased today.  Unscrupulous reef divers squirt cyanide into the water to stun fish that are then easily scooped up after they float to the surface.

After a few days, a fish caught this way usually appears to recover and is afterwards sold to a pet store.  But after a month or two, the traces of cyanide in the fish's system often attack its liver, eat away at its digestive tract, and corrode its respiratory system, until the animal dies. Not only does cyanide irreversibly poison the fish, it also kills other marine life and contributes to the destruction of coral reefs and marine ecosystems.

Prospective buyers of saltwater fish can avoid tragic outcomes and help protect the environment buy always asking pet store owners if they know how and where their specimens were obtained.

A responsible fish owner should also be sure to spend the time and money needed to prepare a healthy environment before bringing little “Nemo” home.  Basic starter equipment for a saltwater aquarium costs between $500 and $700.  After everything is set up, it takes at least six to eight weeks for the saltwater to go through a “cycle” to establish an artificial ecosystem that approximates the fish’s natural environment.

“The best tip I can offer is read, read, read,” said Landry, who carries many informative books on saltwater aquariums in her store. “Because the hobby can be so complex, I always urge beginners to do plenty of research before they get their feet wet and buy their first ocean fish. Public libraries and the Internet also have a wealth of free information.”

It may sound daunting.  But first-time aquarists can find comfort in the words of Paul Sartoris, of Union County Aquarium & Pet Supply, of Schenectady, New York.

“Thirty years ago, I owned two-hundred freshwater aquariums and only one saltwater aquarium,” said Sartoris. “And that one saltwater tank took more work and maintenance than all my freshwater tanks combined. But in recent years, due to dramatic changes in technology, saltwater fish have become considerably easier to keep.”

So if you’re going to raise a “Nemo,” the first thing you need to do is buy a tank.

“Although you can keep saltwater fish in a ten-gallon aquarium, a tank that small requires an awful lot of maintenance,” said Sartoris. “For beginners, I would recommend a tank that can hold at least 30 to 55 gallons.”

After you buy your tank, you will need to line it with several inches of aragonite (calcium carbonate); and you should usually also purchase some live coral, which many reef fish need in order to thrive. An adequate filtration and a mechanical protein skimmer are needed to break down and remove toxic byproducts generated by fish waste. Water temperature is maintained and regulated by a submersible water heater and an aquarium thermometer. Live rock, which is usually cultivated from dead coral, keeps the water rich with good biological activity. Some species of fish and live coral require intense lighting. A master test kit is needed to regularly measure the salinity, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH levels of the water.

You should also keep a separate “hospital tank,” in which to quarantine sick fish that need to be removed from the main aquarium.

After you have set up your tank, you will have to carefully choose the species you want to buy. You should not buy a fish that will eventually grow larger than your tank. If you keep different species together, you should make sure you do not add an aggressive fish that is likely to devour his aquarium mates.  Some fish also present feeding challenges, such as only eating live food.

Amphiprion percula, the orange and white striped clown fish, currently tops the popularity charts, because of Finding Nemo. But members of the reef-dwelling damsel fish family are frequently recommended as the ideal saltwater species for beginners, because they stay small and are very hearty. The royal gramma is durable and distinctively colorful, with the front half of body a deep purple and its back half a bright yellow. Thanks to new aquarium technology, chromides, which come in a wide variety of colors, and the black and white-striped dottybacks have become easy to breed in captivity and are very forgiving of the mistakes of novice aquarists.

Many people prefer saltwater fish to freshwater species, because ocean fish are generally much more colorful.

“Saltwater aquarium maintenance is not so hard,” said Mount Airy, North Carolina, resident, William J. Watkins Jr., whose living room wall is lined with saltwater fish tanks. “It’s similar to the work you might put into your flower garden. I like ocean fish, because they are so astoundingly beautiful that whenever I buy a new specimen, I feel like I have invested in a living work of art.”