Investigate how to breed different species in captivity to populate exhibits.
Create and maintain an aquarium exhibit that delights visitors.
Prepare food and vitamins for fishes and other aquarium animals.
Stimulate animals by creating species-specific toys and challenges.
Overview
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A summer day at the beach can be very relaxing. The sand is warm and the waves lap gently on the shore. But beneath the water's surface is a world that is teeming with rich plant and animal life. For many of us, it isn't possible to experience this world firsthand. But at a public aquarium, we can take a peek and examine close up the beautiful fish and coral. An aquarist cares for the animal and plant life that you see in those aquarium displays. Aquarists make sure that all of the animals and plants in their displays are well fed and free of disease.
Career Aquarist
Watch this cool video and learn about this awesome career. Leslee Matsushige is an aquarist and an assistant curator at Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She is an expert at maintaining exhibits of sea horses and sea dragons.
Do You Have the Skills and Characteristics of an Aquarist?
Monitoring:?Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Service Orientation:?Actively looking for ways to help people.
Coordination:?Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Judgment and Decision Making:?Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Active Listening:?Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
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