NEMO’S HERE

MAT-SU — Erik Foote doesn’t need a travel agent or subscription to National Geographic to visit breathtaking coral reefs.

He’s already there every day when he opens up D.C’s Saltwater Aquatics, which opened about a month ago on Bogard Road near its intersection with Seldon Road.

The saltwater aquarium store is more than a business for the Michigan native who moved to the Mat-Su Valley about three years ago. It’s a way to feed his passion for all things saltwater.

After about a decade of cultivating his hobby at home, Foote said he specializes in finding the more exotic saltwater fish and corals, which is showcased in a large 650-gallon coral reef that dominates the store. The 12-foot aquarium is on a pedestal that allows for 360 degree viewing and includes dozens of exotic corals and fish to make a vibrant reef.

“It’s just really cool,” Foote said. “It’s a unique way for us to give the community corals they can’t find normally. We try to stay on the more exotic side.”

There are the typical corals that have tendrils that sway in the current, and some other colorful and unique species as well. There’s bubble coral, many mushroom corals and several varieties of “brain” coral. The meaty brain especially resembles its namesake.

“Everybody loves this thing,” Foote said. “We had a guy come in and it took him an hour to go around and look at everything in there. There’s probably — I wouldn’t even want to guess how many species.”

The other show-stopper in the shop is a small Cortez stingray from Mexico.

“He’s just a baby,” Foote said, “probably about 4 inches around, but they’ll grow to be about 11 inches in diameter. We hand feed him, things like squid and big krill, meaty foods like that. … He’s pretty cool. A lot of people, once they know we have him, they go crazy for the ray.”

One question Foote is asked frequently is if maintaining a saltwater aquarium is more work than a freshwater one. The answer surprises most, he said.

“The freshwater ones seem to be a little bit more maintenance,” he said. “That does surprise people a lot. They think saltwater is tons of work, but it’s not, because you have the hermit crabs, the snails, different types of fish to take care of your algae.”

Once a saltwater tank is set up, “basically, all you do is test your water and make sure you add fresh water to account for your evaporation,” he said. “Then just feed your fish and sit back and enjoy it.”

A basic saltwater tank costs about $800 to $1,000 to set up, including fish and coral. You can mix your own saltwater solution or buy saltwater from Foote, who mixes it using a five-stage filtration system.

Another difference from freshwater aquariums is that nearly everything in a saltwater tank is considered alive, Foote said, including the sand and gravel. Coral typically will filter feed, and the fish will eat a variety of things, including small shrimp, different types of seaweed and plankton.

“If you can’t get your hands on some of the types of seaweed they eat in the ocean, you can feed them spinach, kale, leafy lettuces,” he said.

Saltwater aquariums have been popular for decades, but have seen an upswing in interest since the Disney movie “Finding Nemo” came out in 2003, Foote said. “Finding Nemo” features a colorful orange-and-white clownfish searching for his son. Along with the clownfish, one of the main characters is Dory, a blue hippo tang.

Foote carries several varieties of clownfish and tangs, along with cardinals and triggerfish.

“The movie got a lot of people into saltwater,” he said. “I hear, ‘I want a Dory fish’ a lot.”

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.

IF YOU GO

What: D.C’s Saltwater Aquatics.

Where: 3020 Lazy Eight Court, Wasilla.

Contact: 376-8920.

Website: dcssaltwateraquatics.com.