First Saltwater tank- Suggestions and Comments, please!

[catherine2402]

Hi!!
I have finally decided to get a saltwater tank. I currently have (2) 30 gal and (1) 10 gal freshwater tanks that I have had for about 3 years now. When I started that whole ordeal I reseached everything, so of course i'm doing the same for this. Plus...these tanks are more tempermental and take a whole lot more time and attention. Lots of TLC!!
For starters, my foster sister is OBSESSED with Finding Nemo right now and has been for the past 2 months. She watches it at LEAST once a day and knows all of the character's names(she's 21 months old). Nemo is her favorite of course....Bruce is probably her second.
The only tank I have right now that is available is a 30 gal, but my grandpa has either a 75 or 120 gal tank(I cant remember which for the life of me) that he hasnt used in years. Its still in perfect condition and he'd let me have it in a heartbeat.
My question for everyone is, it possible to have the same fish that are in the dentist's office tank in the movie + Dory and Nemo? Are they compatable? Sure, I could go my local fish store and ask, but they'll sell me anything and tell me it'll work. I want advice from experienced fish enthusiasts who aren't trying to sell me anything. Be honest, please! This is mostly for my sister and I want it to be ready by her birthday in December.
The fish are as follows:
Blue Tang
Yellow Tang
Moorish Idol
True Percula Clownfish
Porcupine Fish
Pacific Cleaner Shrimp
Royal Gramma
Ochre Sea Star
Also, what other fish/inverts are essential to this ecosystem? Obviously, i will probably need an anemone for the clown fish.
Any tips on what order to add them in to avoid aggressiveness?
Any other tips or advice is more than welcome!
Thanks!
Catherine

 

[btldreef]

Welcome to the hobby and the obsession!
Realistically, the dentist's tank from Finding Nemo probably won't work. Here's some reasons:
Morish Idols do poor in captivity. They're not a beginner fish by any means. The puffer and angel could potentially nip at his long dorsal fin.
Puffer in reality grow VERY large and need very large tanks as a result. They're also not usually good with crustaceans so in reality, Jacque would become food and Peach might as well.
Sea stars need established tanks.
Nemo is actually an Ocellaris clownfish NOT a Percula. Although the two are very similar.
Dory doesn't belong in a tank that is less than 6 ft long. Tangs are open water swimmers. Blue Hippo Tangs grow quite large and need a lot of swimming room. A 75 does not provide what a Hippo Tang needs and a 125 is pushing it. In reality, a 125 would work for one tang, but not the two. The Yellow Tang would fair better than the Hippo Tang would.
I'm actually in the very early stages of setting up a "Nemo" themed tank in my baby's nursery. I've decided on a 75 or 90G with the following:
2 Ocellaris clownfish (although I'm going with a mutation, they're ORA Black Ice Snowflakes instead of the standard clownfish because I have those in a separate tank)
1 Royal Gramma
2 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
1 Blue Hippo Tang (I plan on starting with one that is very young, which is a risk. Hippo tangs under 3" usually do not survive in captivity. IF it does survive, as it grows out, it will go in one of my larger tanks. I may even take one that I already have in another tank and put it in this one for some time, and once it's large, it will go back in the 180).
Anemone for clowns
starfish
hermits
2 emerald crabs (look similar to the ones that go "hey, hey" in the movie when Nemo pops up out of the pipe)
1 LemonPeel Angelfish OR a Bannerfish (Heniochus acuminatus) The Bannerfish looks very similar to the Morish Idol, but has a much better survival rate
Realistically, to get this tank up and running with all these fish by December, is asking for a tank to crash. You certainly could have the tank cycled and have the first few fish (maybe the clowns and the gramma) in by then, but it won't be completely up and filled by then.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Welcome to the boards
Glad to see that you have decided to seek out the advice and knowledge of experienced saltwater fish enthusiasts. That was step number one. The next step is to go to the New Hobbyist section of the forum and start reading all of the articles that you can on setting up a new tank and cycling. You will have many questions about lighting, powerheads, filtration and water changes before you are even ready to set up your tank.
The third step is to start reading a really good book, such as The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Bob Fenner. That's a really good starter book, even though it is a little out dated. There are also several other good books, and I'm sure that once you have gotten the general jist of saltwater aquariums you will be more prepared to take on the task. The more research you do now, the more money and time and heartache/brainache you will save yourself in the short and long run. Keeping a saltwater tank isn't as simple as throwing in some salt and putting in fish. It requires research, patience and care.
As already discussed, your potential fish list needs to be modified. Which, I will leave up to others. One word of caution, however, is that you will probably not have any success with anemones in the long run. Wild caught anemones have very low survival rates. Also, even though you may provide an anemone for the clownfish to host, there is no guarantee that it will at all. Anemones require excellent water quality, strong lighting, moderate flow rates and frequent feedings. It's not something, in my opinion, that a beginner should take on. Once you get the hang of keeping fish alive, move on to beginner corals like xenia and zoas and work your way into anemones. Eventually you will get there.
If you have the money and the space, go ahead and set up the largest tank possible. Instead of promising your sis an entire tank and contents for Christmas, do one little step at a time and make it special in some other unique way.