Back when the movie Finding Nemo first came out I really did not pay much attention to the aquarium scene which takes place in a dentist office. Most children today that want pet fish will often say "I want Nemo!" however, a lot of adults probably know saltwater aquariums are pretty hard to maintain and parents often won't buy a Nemo but rather stray toward the freshwater fish.
Upon closer inspection of the Finding Nemo aquarium I realized not only is this the stereotypical childish aquarium setup but... it is a freshwater setup at that. Most people that splurge and maintain saltwater aquariums will not purchase gravel, fake plants, and cheesy looking decor... as they generally would buy live corals and sand. Also, I think a lot of office buildings today that have saltwater fish would more than likely hire a fish expert to come in and maintain the tank for them, and I highly doubt they'd use decor like in the movie Finding Nemo (if they do, they should be fired, heh). On a movie note though... I can see why they would use an aquarium like this in the movie because #1 it is a common beginners aquarium and it becomes relatable to most anyone that has ever kept fish, and #2 it is a drastic contrast to a clown fish that may naturally live in the gorgeous Great Barrier Reef.
Anyway, I just wanted to rant about this since my co-worker mentioned to me this week that her grand-kids wanted a Nemo... so, I gave her guppies (*update* she now has fancy goldfish as well).
*Important Update* You may also like to know that since Nemo aired their has been a drastic decrease in the clown fish population by 75% so, lets help save marine life rather than harm it.
*Important Update* You may also like to know that since Nemo aired their has been a drastic decrease in the clown fish population by 75% so, lets help save marine life rather than harm it.
I know! I too didn't think much of that scene until I recently started investigating saltwater aquariums. The last time I watched Finding Nemo, I totally thought to myself, "That's totally a freshwater setup! There's no way a saltwater aquarium would look like that!"
ReplyDeleteAlso, Gill is a Moorish idol, a notoriously hard fish to keep in captivity, requiring a very large tank. There's no way that setup would work in real life. The fish are completely incompatible with each other and many of them would end up dead if you put them together.
BUUTT...it's a movie, right? You have to suspend reality. Finding Nemo will always be one of my favs.