What fish am I looking for?

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Talia_Devane

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Apr 21, 2004
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My almost two year old son is getting a Finding Nemo birthday party this year. My Mother in Law has a 30 gallon tank that she has kept for years, so no worries about a throw away fish. I would like to find a tropical/freshwater fish that resembles Nemo the clownfish. He would be displayed for the party and then go to live with my MIL after it's all over.

What do you guys suggest?
 

blitzen25bm

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Jan 28, 2003
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your setting something up just for a birthday? i think peoples gonna try to steer you out of it. i wouldnt suggest it either because the kids unless they are 2, is going to figure out the fish isnt nemo. if you have to do this though take a look at tigerbarbs or albino tigetbarbs.
 

Talia_Devane

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Apr 21, 2004
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As I said this will not be a throw away fish. It will go into my Mother is Law's tank after the party. My son and his cousin spend a lot of time for their age watching the fish at her house.
 

Fishsmurf

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Nov 27, 2002
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Hi,

Without trying to sound to negative from the outset you are really going to struggle to find a freshwater fish that will give the impression of being a Nemo......

And depending on the size of the MIL's tank & what she already has in it re-housing could be a problem (compatatbility wise).

With-out getting to much into some of the Mbuna which will have the bright colouration (although not the right colours) the closest would be a Tiger Barb:



Sorry to be so down on you but it is hard to find a freshie that will match a saltie..... :)
 

TKOS

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Feb 6, 2003
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I would suggest posting exactly what is in your MIL's tank so we can know about compatibilty. If she has goldfish then I would suggest getting a goldfish. If she has a tropical fish tank (goldies are not tropical) the the barb might be a good choice but they are very aggressive fish when kept alone and need to be in schools.

If you are only going to have the 1 fish I would setup the bowl or tank in the following way. Get some water ready with dechlorinator and let the temp adjust to at least room temp. Put the fish with his fish store water into the bowl. Over the course of a few hours keep taking some of the fish store water out and replacing it with fresh water. Eventually the amount of fish store water should be negligable at best. Therefore I would also suggest doing this the day before.

As you can see this is a lot of work for 1 fish that won't be staying too long. Perhaps of your son is really into fish the best thing to do would be get him a fish tank for his birthday (without fish in it) and have fun over the course of the next few weeks setting it up for him. Then you all get to enjoy the beauty of the fish tank.

A plastic nemo in a big bowl might be your best bet for the party.
 

OrionGirl

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Aug 14, 2001
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I agree--a real fish, while a good guest of honor, won't really be feasible. There really are not many FW fish that look like a saltwater fish. No one is accusing you of bad intentions, it's just that not all fish belong in the same tank together. Just as a real clown fish wouldn't work in your MIL's tank, now will many other fish that may be remotely shaped or colored like Nemo. Sorry.

I've seen Nemo shaped plastic ice cubes--in a bowl of blue punch, they'd be fun.
 
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