Saw "Finding Dory" with the family today...

[mjr]

Spoiler: They find Dory.

[catcul]

If you find Dory, don't eat her. She's poisonous and she'll cut you, too.

[Aragarthiel]

I'm actually not that enthusiastic about seeing it. I didn't enjoy Finding Nemo very much to begin with. I mean, Dad isn't watching Kid, Kid does stupid thing that he knows is against the rules, Kid gets kidnapped while doing said stupid thing... I just never liked the premise of it. I might watch it with Little Ara when it comes out on DVD or something (she LOVES fishies), but I just don't feel the hype.

[dendawg]

I might watch it with Little Ara when it comes out on DVD or something (she LOVES fishies), but I just don't feel the hype.

This. It's an impressive technical achievement on Pixar's part, however, if you've watched the segment on how they took 2 years to animate the octopus properly. (It was on Entertainment Tonight IIRC)

Hopefully they'll keep advancing tech-wise. As-is, it still looks slightly more advanced than a PS4 game.

[EricKei]

I'm just waiting, in dread, for the horror stories from pet shop workers again, like what happened with the first movie. It's my understanding that at least one of the featured species isn't sold in stores, because it's endangered and can only be found in the wild. Could be even worse than last time, though I really hope not >_>

[Aragarthiel]

I'm just waiting, in dread, for the horror stories from pet shop workers again, like what happened with the first movie.

My mom's the fish expert at a pet store and she says she's already had to convince several people that NO, just because that fish is on Finding Nemo/Dory does NOT mean it's cheap/easy to take care of/kid-friendly. It's a saltwater fish, the entire setup is likely going to cost several hundred dollars and is going to require maintenance that your 5-year-old can't keep up with. No, they don't sell octopi. No, you can't put those fish together, they'll eat each other. No, you can't put that fish in that tank, it's way too small and it'll die.

Then again, those last two statements are pretty regular for her.

[mjr]

My mom's the fish expert at a pet store...

I know little to nothing about those fish, but I'd assume a Regal Blue Tang would be more expensive than a clownfish -- at least to purchase.

And the clownfish need anemone, or at least something simulating it, I'd think.

And I would think you'd need a decent sized tank for any of them, really. Isn't it something like a gallon for every inch of fish, at a minimum?

It's almost like the people who want to buy two betta fish, and put them in the same tank..."Oh, it'll be OK! They can be friends!" Then they freak out when the fish attack each other.

[Aragarthiel]

It's almost like the people who want to buy two betta fish, and put them in the same tank..."Oh, it'll be OK! They can be friends!" Then they freak out when the fish attack each other.

I actually asked my mom about that once. Apparently, a male and a female betta will really only deal with each other during mating season. Females will only behave if they're in a large group, and males require so much space that it's unlikely even an in-ground pool could hold two of them.

Saltwater tanks are going to be expensive no matter what, they require extra pumps and regulators and things, and they actually need A LOT more salt than anyone would expect. Jellyfish require even more expensive tanks, since they have to have the water pumped in a circle to stay alive.

The gallon/inch of fish is a good general rule, but there are some species that require more. Bettas AFAIK are the only ones that can handle less (they naturally live in mud puddles and rice paddies, so they don't need much water- I have one in a .25 gallon tank right now), and goldfish actually require more- more like 5 gallons/inch.

[mjr]

and males require so much space that it's unlikely even an in-ground pool could hold two of them.

WOW! I didn't realize this. So you couldn't even put two males in a big pool without them attacking each other? That's very interesting.

The gallon/inch of fish is a good general rule, but there are some species that require more. Bettas AFAIK are the only ones that can handle less (they naturally live in mud puddles and rice paddies, so they don't need much water-

Is this basically why I've basically seen them in jars in places that sell fish? Seems like they'd need some room to swim around.

I have one in a .25 gallon tank right now), and goldfish actually require more- more like 5 gallons/inch.

Then the tanks I've seen goldfish in are VERY small for the fish...

[EricKei]

Especially if those "goldfish tanks" are just goldfish bowls. Many people with those don't use filters, or clean them very often, etc. Parents know the kid will get tired of them sooner or later, and are prepared to send the poor bugger "off to the ocean" via the nearest conduit...*flush*

[Kanalah]

I remember reading somewhere that blue tangs are near impossible to breed in captivity and require a tank the size of a couch for one fish.

[Valentinian]

I actually asked my mom about that once. Apparently, a male and a female betta will really only deal with each other during mating season. Females will only behave if they're in a large group, and males require so much space that it's unlikely even an in-ground pool could hold two of them.

Ehhhh, not exactly. If you have a large tank with a lot of plants in it, you can have a betta sorority (several females together) or a mixed-gender group or even two males together, but you have to actually know what you're doing. The vast majority of people don't, so the 'one betta to a tank' rule is the best one to tell people in a pet store.

My friend and I used to breed bettas. We had a lot of them - over a hundred at one point! - we did our research, and learned more through keeping them. Sororities work best if they either grow up together, or are all introduced into the tank at the same time. If you have an established sorority and try to add another betta, the original group are quite likely to gang up on the newbie. Same with putting males and females together, or two males in the same tank; if they grew up together and they have a lot of cover to hide from each other if they so choose and it's not just one male and one female*, it can work, but you have to pay attention to them and separate them at the first sign that one's being harassed.

(*One male with one female = he's going to chase her around the tank flirting with her, if she's not interested he'll escalate to attacking her, and if she is interested they'll mate and then he'll attack her to drive her away from the eggs. One male with two or three females who get along with each other = he'll spend a lot of time flirting but he's less likely to fixate on one to the point of hurting her, and when one wants to hide from him the others will be a convenient distraction.)

The other thing to remember with bettas is that they're really individual. We had a 3' tank that had about eight female bettas in it; they were really chill and would happily hang out together. We had 4' community tank that had a lot of assorted tropical fish and three female bettas in it; one of the bettas ruled the tank with an iron fin, wouldn't let the other bettas swim above her, and could make the 6" long clown barb swim the other way. We had a male betta who couldn't stand being in a small tank and lived happily in an 18" tank all by himself because he'd try to kill anything we put in with him; we had another who moped when he was in a big tank, acted a lot happier when we put him in a tiny tank next to other male bettas, and ended up sharing a fairly small tank with another peaceful male. We had bettas of both sexes who never showed any interest in breeding, and others who would flirt with anything that was about the right size and shape; we had one female betta we used to sex juveniles before they started developing longer fins and colours, because if we put her in a jar next to a female betta she ignored them, but if we put her next to a male she started doing the come-hither thing. We couldn't tell the difference, but she sure as heck could.

*ahem* Er. Yeah. Bettas are fun.

On the original subject: a lot of responsible aquarium shops are either refusing to stock the types of fish that appear in Finding Dory until the hype calms down, or posting 'these are actual beginner fish that look a lot like the ones in the movie' lists. And yes, blue tangs need a lot of swimming room, way more than even most fish enthusiasts are going to have.

[EricKei]

I remember reading somewhere that blue tangs are near impossible to breed in captivity and require a tank the size of a couch for one fish.

Exactly what I'm worried about -- I can see people buying them (or harvesting them), dropping them into golfish bowls, and then being done with it. Hopefully, they'll at least use the right type of water...

[Ghel]

I was looking at Dory (and friends) toys last weekend, and I noticed something about all the Hank the octopus toys. Then I went back and watched the trailers and making of videos, and they were all the same. Hank only has 7 arms! I hope this is something that's explained in the movie, because otherwise it's a huge and obvious mistake. Especially after it took them nearly two years to figure out how to animate him.

[Ironclad Alibi]

I was looking at Dory (and friends) toys last weekend, and I noticed something about all the Hank the octopus toys. Then I went back and watched the trailers and making of videos, and they were all the same. Hank only has 7 arms! I hope this is something that's explained in the movie, because otherwise it's a huge and obvious mistake. Especially after it took them nearly two years to figure out how to animate him.

Wouldn't that make Hank a septopus?