Aquarist Job Description

Aquarist Job Description

4.6
176 votes for Aquarist
Aquarist provides daily care of animal exhibits including diet preparation, feeding, general care and maintenance of aquatic displays in accordance with established protocols.

Aquarist Duties & Responsibilities

To write an effective aquarist job description, begin by listing detailed duties, responsibilities and expectations. We have included aquarist job description templates that you can modify and use.

Sample responsibilities for this position include:

Basic food preparation and feeding animals in specific aquarium areas
Conducts basic food preparation and feeds animals in specific aquarium areas
Participate in daily food preparation and animal husbandry abiding by departmental fish preparation guidelines and USDA requirements
Assist the Curator with staff supervision and development
Perform routine animal care, cleaning and maintenance of aquarium displays requiring SCUBA diving
Work with Aquarist staff and Curator to learn all Aquarium department
Develop a clear understanding on maintaining healthy fish and invertebrate
Maintain animal life support systems, plumbing, pumps, filters foam fractionators, heaters, and other aquarium components
Answer guest questions concerning aquarium animals
Elementary aquarium husbandry techniques including taxonomy, record keeping, aquarium filtration, aquarium theory and emergency procedures

Aquarist Qualifications

Qualifications for a job description may include education, certification, and experience.

Licensing or Certifications for Aquarist

List any licenses or certifications required by the position: SCUBA, CPR, AED, AAUS

Education for Aquarist

Typically a job would require a certain level of education.

Employers hiring for the aquarist job most commonly would prefer for their future employee to have a relevant degree such as Bachelor's and Collage Degree in Marine Biology, Biology, Science, Life Sciences, Zoology, Marine Science, Animal Care, Education, Life Science, Aquaculture

Skills for Aquarist

Desired skills for aquarist include:

Safe animal handling practices and maintaining a safe working environment
Assist in all emergency procedures as
Aquatic animal husbandry
Both marine and freshwater systems
Nitrification cycle as it pertains to aquarium systems
Ecology
General fish and invertebrate biology
Marine biology
Nutrition
Food preparation

Desired experience for aquarist includes:

Broad knowledge of marine life, ideally studying towards or completed a bachelor’s degree in marine science or related field
Age 18 or older with Associates’ Degree or working toward a degree in Biology
Actively learn disease prevention and treatment through structured job
Certified by a recognized SCUBA certification agency as Open Water diver or equivalent
Minimum of six (6) months aquarist's experience in a public aquarium
Certified Scuba diver (must provide copy of dive certification)

Aquarist Examples

1

Aquarist Job Description

Job Description Example
Our growing company is looking to fill the role of aquarist. We appreciate you taking the time to review the list of qualifications and to apply for the position. If you don’t fill all of the qualifications, you may still be considered depending on your level of experience.
Responsibilities for aquarist
  • Involvement in basic animal transports
  • Assist with animal collection
  • Construct, erect, and install LSS components, lighting and display, and general aquarium equipment as needed
  • Estimate time and materials required for assigned tasks and keep records of work
  • Complete monthly preventive maintenance across the site combined with detailed record keeping of such works
  • Conduct scheduled inspections of all filtration areas, including pumps, motors, chillers and other filtration equipment
  • Perform repairs to pumps, motors and filtration equipment, repair as needed
  • Serve as primary call out contact for the LSS monitoring system during the work week
  • Animal diet preparation, feeding, observation and record keeping of over 5,000 animals
  • Detailed record keeping of animal health treatments and feeding logs
Qualifications for aquarist
  • Must have a valid state driver’s license and be able to obtain a company driver’s license
  • Must be able to complete provided CPR training/certification
  • Must be available to work varying shifts or hours based on park hours
  • Must have one year of employed experience in an institutional aquarium
  • Must be SCUBA Certified with a minimum of 20 logged dives
  • Must be able to positively interact with guests and co-workers of all ages, different ethnic/cultural backgrounds and/or language, and individuals with special needs
2

Aquarist Job Description

Job Description Example
Our company is growing rapidly and is looking to fill the role of aquarist. Please review the list of responsibilities and qualifications. While this is our ideal list, we will consider candidates that do not necessarily have all of the qualifications, but have sufficient experience and talent.
Responsibilities for aquarist
  • Water quality analysis of exhibits
  • Interact with guests during public animal feeds
  • Dive in exhibits for maintenance, cleaning and/or feeding dives
  • Weekend, evening and holiday hours are required
  • Feed presentations
  • This position requires intensive diving for feeding, maintenance, cleaning and guiding the adventure dive products
  • Maintain and prepare accurate daily records for aquarium systems and exhibit specimens
  • Performs basic water quality testing, chemical additions, salt water make-up, pH and temperature testing
  • Performs elementary aquarium husbandry techniques including taxonomy, record keeping, aquarium filtration, aquarium theory and emergency procedures
  • Addresses aquarium health related issues and provides veterinarian assistance
Qualifications for aquarist
  • Must pass a pre-employment placement physical
  • Bachelor degree in biology, zoology, marine science or related field and/or 2 years’ experience working in the aquarium industry
  • Ability to bending/Stoop
  • Bachelor's degree in marine science or similar degree preferred
  • You must have at least two years’ experience working in the aquarium industry
  • An understanding of HSE diving at work regulations is essential as you will be responsible for diving related animal welfare issues in the Curators absence
3

Aquarist Job Description

Job Description Example
Our growing company is hiring for an aquarist. We appreciate you taking the time to review the list of qualifications and to apply for the position. If you don’t fill all of the qualifications, you may still be considered depending on your level of experience.
Responsibilities for aquarist
  • Assists with animal collection
  • Assists with minor repairs to aquarium filtration systems
  • Answers guest questions concerning aquarium animals
  • Perform daily water quality for all animal pools in park for internal and USDA review
  • Performing educational shows in front of large audiences over a microphone
  • Learn opening and closing procedures for department and be able to perform these duties under little or no supervision
  • Work with Aquarist staff and management to learn all Aquarium department responsibilities and form a cohesive and efficient team environment
  • Develop a clear understanding on maintaining healthy fish and invertebrate species and visually appealing displays in key areas including the park’s sixteen jewel exhibits, coral reef habitat, stingray touch pool, quarantine and holding facilities, and shark channel
  • Actively learn disease prevention and treatment through structured job shadowing and assigned reading
  • Function as a professional departmental representative during Educational and VIP tours
Qualifications for aquarist
  • Expected to adhere to the highest animal welfare values and lead by example at all times
  • Must be SCUBA certified and be able to pass dive physical
  • Must be able to pass qualifying swim test and annual swim test competency exam
  • Must be able to swim and work in/around water
  • Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Marine Science or related field preferred
  • Possession of a valid state driver’s license preferred
4

Aquarist Job Description

Job Description Example
Our company is growing rapidly and is looking for an aquarist. Thank you in advance for taking a look at the list of responsibilities and qualifications. We look forward to reviewing your resume.
Responsibilities for aquarist
  • Assist Aquarists and management in animal acquisitions, transports, and collections when needed
  • Exhibit maintenance and husbandry
  • Hygienic preparation of fish diets
  • Feeding of fish
  • Maintenance of aquarium life support systems
  • Maintenance of interior décor of the exhibition tanks at BAA
  • To dive when scheduled or as required
  • Supervise Dives
  • Carry out Engineering and/or husbandry checks
  • Water chemistry analysis and analysis results to go in diary and on computer
Qualifications for aquarist
  • Prepare fish and marine life diets
  • Perform basic laboratory duties as assigned including slide preparation
  • Must possess prior experience with aquarium systems and tropical fish
  • Must possess mechanical aptitude and have the knowledge to use basic power and hand tools
  • Must be able to work with chemicals and follow SDS and have knowledge of basic chemistry
  • Must be physical able to sit, stand ,walk ,duck ,crawl climb stairs and ladders, work at heights with fall protection, swim, and pass an annual physical exam and stress test
5

Aquarist Job Description

Job Description Example
Our company is looking to fill the role of aquarist. Please review the list of responsibilities and qualifications. While this is our ideal list, we will consider candidates that do not necessarily have all of the qualifications, but have sufficient experience and talent.
Responsibilities for aquarist
  • To develop a working relationship with hatcheries and commercial fisherman to provide needed fish species
  • To convert wild caught fish to an aquarium setting and prepared diet
  • To ship pre-measured antibiotics and extremely hazardous chemicals to stores with disease outbreaks
  • To perform biopsies on incoming and outgoing fish
  • To maintain records of animals that have been processed through the quarantine facility
  • To take in fish from outer stores that needs more intensive medical treatments
  • Maintain all reporting on portal, water quality, census, etc
  • This position requires intensive diving for feeding, maintenance and cleaning
  • This position requires intensive diving for feeding, cleaning and animal husbandry
  • Guiding groups for snorkelling and other activities
Qualifications for aquarist
  • Must possess a valid driver license and be able to operate vehicles (including but not limited to forklifts, golf carts, cars, trucks)
  • Must be available to work weekends, holidays and evenings as assigned
  • Must be able to use Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel
  • Minimum of 6 months of recent dive experience in a public aquarium setting with a minimum of 10 dives completed in a large volume display of 70,0000 gallons or more
  • Bachelor degree in Biology preferred or equivalent experience
  • Advanced knowledge of life support, food preparation, veterinary/quarantine, and of fish and invertebrates is required

Related Job Descriptions

Resume Builder

Create a Resume in Minutes with Professional Resume Templates