hey mom, can i get a saltwater fish that i have no clue how to raise?
 

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/co...2f08400a9.html
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'Nemo' spawns clown fish craze


By Susan Salisbury, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 11, 2003

Around here, they're asking for Nemo by name.

And Dory, too.

In what can be nothing else than a mounting wave of kid power, area pet shops say they're seeing an increase in sales of clown fish since the debut May 30 of Finding Nemo, the Disney/Pixar Studios animated tale of a fishnapping that had taken in $143.3 million nationwide as of last weekend. The bright-orange ocellaris clown fish, or false percula clown fish, is the species that most closely resembles Nemo.

The movie tells the story of a clown fish that has been captured by a diver and winds up in a dentist's office aquarium. Nemo plots his escape while his father and Dory, a blue tang given voice by Ellen DeGeneres, try to rescue him.

Michael Diaz, 19, manager at Jewels From The Sea, a fish and aquarium store in West Palm Beach, was prepared for the movie fans with a 5-gallon 'Nemo's World' tank complete with a light, filter, decorations and one clown fish.

"Most of the people asking for clown fish come in with little kids," Diaz said Tuesday. "We have the tanks set up with decorations to make it look like the Nemo movie's background. There's a little coral reef in it, too."

Diaz said the store has sold half a dozen of the $89.99 setups so far and estimates sales of clown fish have doubled to 100 a week, from 50. The 5-gallon tank is big enough for only one fish. Those who want more than one fish have to select a larger tank. The average clown fish sells for $15.

Trey Rawls, 5, and his sister Tiarra Lauderdale, 12, both of West Palm Beach, are among the lucky children. They already own a 30-gallon tank with two clown fish. Tuesday, they added a Dory-like blue tang to their aquarium.

"It's Nemo's friend," Trey said.

Tiarra said she finds her friends commenting, " 'Oh, you have Nemo.' They're jealous that I have an aquarium," she said.

The clown fish craze is spilling over into other species, particularly ones that are easier to take care of than a clown fish, which is a saltwater creature.

"Because the clown fish is a marine fish, it's a lot more labor and expense than some parents want to handle," said Sam Martin, manager at Splash Landing Pet Center in Jupiter. "They come in and buy freshwater fish. They can still call it Nemo anyway."

Martin recommends, at minimum, a 55-gallon aquarium, an investment of at least $200 for the would-be clown fish owner.

(Whoosh! The kid-power wave grows.)

At Mark's Ark west of Lake Worth, sales manager Marshall Stephens said sales of "Nemo fish" are definitely up, though he didn't have any specific numbers.

"We made it a point to have them," Stephens said. "We expected it."

Clown fish, which originate in the Indian Ocean, live among the sea anemones and are about 2 to 5 inches long, are big business for a St. Lucie County aquaculture business.

Kevin Gaines, president and chief operating officer at Oceans, Reefs & Aquariums, a hatchery based at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution in Fort Pierce, said the clown fish is the largest chunk of the company's business. It sells 26 species of marine fish to pet stores, and 10 of those are clown fish species.

"We think the peak will be in the next week or two. We've seen a 10 to 15 percent increase in that species alone," said Gaines, who declined to disclose how many fish the company sells.

The tank-raised fish are the only alternative to those caught in the wild, Gaines said, and unlike ocean-caught fish, are already acclimated to tank life and eating prepared food, which gives them a better survival rate.

The movie could perk up sales of aquarium fish, an industry that's competing with computer games and the Internet for potential hobbyists' time.

David Boozer, executive director of the Florida Tropical Fish Farm Association in Winter Haven, with 180 freshwater-only fish farmer members, said it is too early to tell what impact the movie will have on sales.

"If the movie makes people aware of the hobby of tropical fishkeeping, we will get some activity," Boozer said.

Lee Alvarado, spokeswoman for the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association in Greenwich, Conn., said that movies about pets often lead to increased sales, like the 1996 rerelease of Disney's 101 Dalmatians did. The downside was owners who ultimately neglected their dogs.

"The movie is bringing the joys of owning a fish to the surface. Kids have a tendency to see that and want that," Alvarado said. "(But) it's important to educate them about the responsibility of taking care of a pet."

Some moviegoers, such as Janelle Figueroa, 11, of West Palm Beach, say Nemo's story makes them never want to own an aquarium. She said she felt sad when Nemo was taken away unwillingly.

"I think the fish need to be free and not cooped up in a little tank where they will die," Figueroa said.

Katie Dion, 11, of West Palm Beach, loved the movie and has a beta fish in a freshwater tank at home, but says she will never buy a clown fish, because it would remind her of Nemo.

Her younger brother, Brock Dion, 10, takes it one step further:

"I'm never going to eat fish again," he said.
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so kids are now wanting the nemo fish, a saltwater fish, and its almost a given that a kid will not end up raising it, and there it goes down the drain
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well i got sorta mixed thoughts about this, first is, well just since this movie has come out now they know how the fish trade works.

and i'm sure its the best thing to happen for pet shops.

As a parent, I am prepared to "Just say No."

Callous as it may sound, better a fish that can be flushed, than a mammal that gets foisted on an already overburdened shelter.

As a saltwater reefer for 15+ years now i have no idea where i could begin to rip this thread apart. I will say that these parents have no idea what thay are getting into if they never had the experiance. and the shyster busniess owners who care nothing for the health and care of the fish when it involves making a few bucks.

remember the movie Paulie?

people went shit crazy buying conures.

people are fucking dumb.

I would hope that as a collective community, we are not just realizing this...

Yeah, kids aren't really capable of raising crap. I'm suprised people would think otherwise.

I did okay with a 10 gallon fresh water tank as a kid. Not "well", you understand, but "okay". I've long been curious about salt water fish, but couldn't really try it back then. Has it gotten any easier to do since the 1970s?

Yeah, fish take just as much care as any other animal

Sure you don't take it on walks, but now tempurate and water type is the concern. They're cool, but you gotta KNOW all about it if you are going to achieve your money's worth and more importantly the value of the added family member. I hope those families that get them, end up learning all they can, so that they don't neglect the fish. Fish are cool, but I suggest a big tank, even if for only one fish... room is room, so give 'em room. How would you like to be stuck in a trailer your entire life? You'd choose the mansion any day, even there were others in it as well. Nice to see some children are seeing the another effect. That the trading can be crazy. I hope things work out... I HOPE!!!

When Disney starts making movies about the poor suffering vegetables a lot of people are gonna starve to death. I blame Disney for PETA.

heheheehe, no, we realized it long ago. :)

Yeah - Disney did the same thing to dalmations a few years ago. I wonder how many of them got euthanized before the movie went to video?

I remember hearing about this a while back, From what i understand Dalmations are a "diffrent" kind of dog compared to others? And the owners who just had to have them got tired of the habbits of the dog and ended up having a fire sale to get rid of them. :confused:

Same thing happens to rabbits every spring. Rabbits are actually considered 'exotic pets' in the veterinary world, so any visit will automatically cost you more if you can find a vet who knows about rabbits. But rabbits love to chew, and when they get them big chompers around something nice, like that delicious cherry coffee table, they're gonna get left by the side of the road. Tragic, just like this fish story. People just have no god damned idea. Get a cat or dog you morons! Stick with the easy stuff!

I remember people wanting a rare type of owl after watching "Harry Potter".

talk about a high maintenance pet.

What does an owl require??

Ugh. Some people are stupid.

I currently have a 30 gallon saltwater aquarium and can honestly say, a child is not going to be able to care for a marine fish. Before I got involved in the hobby, I did a lot of reading about the subject. You have to understand pH levels, salinity, temprature, ammonia/nitrite/nitrate cycles, among many other things if you keep more than just fish, such as corals and stuff. Not to mention, the movie itself does not depict the actual business of marine aquariums. I believe I read somewhere that in the movie, Nemo is flushed and he is returned to the ocean. Yeah.. right... We all know what happens there. Again, Disney is portraying humans as the "bad guy" by keeping aquariums. If you actually got to know the avid aquarist, you'd see that they actually care for their fish very well and care about the natural habitat. Like ToiletDuck said, there's so many places to start ripping apart this movie and what it does to people's perception of the aquarium hobby. If you have small children at home and have questions about saltwater aquariums, or fish-keeping in general, please feel free to ask. I am more than willing to answer questions if you want to know more. There's many other people on the boards with more experience than I in this hobby that may be willing to help as well.

Martin recommends, at minimum, a 55-gallon aquarium, an investment of at least $200 for the would-be clown fish owner.
I'm not sure if they simply forget a zero at the end of that number or what, but $200 for an aquarium setup seems a bit low. It may be $200 for the tank alone, yes, but you have to buy the stand, light hood, cover, substrate, live rocks, filter, food to name a few of the items. Just to get the tank started! I think $2000 is closer to what you would end up spending, actually. For $2000, you can get one hell of a setup on a 55-gallon tank though.

I can't say that keeping fish is Evil - but I have to say that I jump back and fourth between feelings on the subject. I think keeping a goldfish in a bowl is horrible - what a boring and meaningless life - All for the entertainment or "look" of a selfish human. That'd be like keeping a cat in one rooom with no friends.

bigger aquarium - With some plant life and nice atmosphere - and some friends - while I'm still back and fourth between good and bad on this one - I think It's probably okay.

Maybe I'm just weird.:hmm:

let's go over the whole pets from Hollywood...

Lassie - Collie
Rin Tin Tin - German Shepard
101 Dalmations - Dalmation
Paulie - Conure
Baretta - Cockatoo
Benji - Mixed Terrier
Frasier - Jack Russell
Beast Master - Ferrets

The ASPCA has plenty of other animals besides these trendy ones. Pick one that has a personality not one that reminds you of an animal actor.

ive got my plan for fame all worked out... im gonna start breeding leopard geckos... and right before their ready to sell im gonna make a movie that has geckos in it and everyone will want one and ill be rich....MWAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHA


as for the fish... ive taken care of freshwater fish... like a lil school of neon tetras and i currently have a beta fish(but ariekitten is breeding him right now) i would never take on a saltwater tank... just waaaaaay too much work... keeping the salinity right and all that stuff...

On the whole, you are absolutly correct. Parents should be prepared to take over the work of any pets they allow brought into the house.

Having said that, my 11, and 8 year old kids have been doing a great job of looking after a hampster since Nov. They have read all the books they could get their hands on, and do all the cage cleaning, feeding, water freshening etc. So it can happen that kids can do a good job depending on the kids and the pet.

Yeah, some poor sap is gonna fill his tank with acros and wonder why they all die, Thinking his shoplights he has over the tank shold be fine.,