Finding Nemo was a wonderful animated tale that brought our lovable saltwater fish to the masses, and it also brought many people into the hobby hoping to bring a “Nemo” home for their little frags to raise and admire. LiveAquaria is helping to minimize the potential “Dory effect” from the upcoming film Finding Dory by offering parents a better option to bring a colorful fish into their home and set themselves up for long-term success in the hobby.
We all know how tough it can be to maintain even a simple saltwater aquarium, so its no wonder that many people succumbed to the the Nemo effect — buying a clowfish and hoping to make it work — and most probably didn’t last in the hobby. With the upcoming sequel focusing this time on Nemo’s sidekick a Blue Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus) named Dory, the Tang police are sweating in their boots.
Although you can get a teeny-tiny, cutsie-wootsie Blue Tang, they can get really big and like a lot of space — like over 180 gallons of space! So what is LiveAquaria proposing?
First, instead of jumping into saltwater, start with freshwater. There are still basic husbandry skills you need to cultivate to succeed, but you don’t have to worry about adding salinity to the parameters you monitor. Also its less you need to invest in as salt adds to the overall costs.
Second, they recommend a fish that is colorful but better suited for a smaller aquarium with an easy care level, the Boesemani rainbow (Melanotaenia boesemani). These fish are recommended for a 30 gallon aquarium that is a nice size for children and beginning hobbyists to enjoy.
Once you “test the waters” a bit, you can decide on whether or not to jump in fins first into a saltwater setup. Great job team LiveAquaria!
