Aquarist
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The Unity College account states that a professional aquarist is responsible for the caretaking of fish and underwater animals.[1] Managing aquariums, whether as a career or a pastime, defines the role of an aquarist, who typically looks after aquatic creatures such as fish and marine invertebrates.[2] Employment settings for some aquarists include public aquariums, nature reserves, zoos, and amusement parks, and they may also care for aquatic mammals.[2][3]
Quick Facts
- First aquarium invented by
- Jeanne Villepreux-Power (1830, according to Richard Owen)
- First public aquarium opened
- 1853 (fish house at London Zoo)
- Notable early aquarium book
- 1854, The Aquarium by Philip Henry Gosse
Facts from the source article.
Biology and range
The "fish house" was opened at the London Zoo in 1853, and major cities continued to open aquariums in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[4] The practice of keeping aquatic animals dates back to antiquity; for instance, the Sumerians maintained fish in ponds starting around 2500 BCE.[5] Jeanne Villepreux-Power studied argonauts in Messina, Italy, in 1830; Richard Owen later credited her with creating the first aquarium as a result of that work.[6] Robert Warrington built a 13-gallon tank filled with springwater and goldfish in 1849, and he published his observations on oxygen and lighting.[6]
What the specialist sources record
The Unity College account notes that an aquarist can work in a variety of settings, the most obvious being at an aquarium facility where aquatic animals are kept in captivity to educate the public.[1] According to the same source, some aquarists travel out into the field to gather or study specimens, which may require additional training such as deep-sea diving.[1] The growingintellect.org source states that an aquarist usually works for the aquatic section of a zoo or a public aquarium and is in charge of feeding the fish and preparing dietary adjustments.[7] That source also lists tasks including monitoring and treating fish diseases, ensuring life support systems function, and cleaning tanks.[7]
The Unity College account reports that according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2018, the average salary for an aquarist was just under $24,000 per year.[1]
References
- "Aquarist", Unity College. facts only, no text reused. unity.edu
- Wikipedia, "Aquarist" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "growingintellect.org How to become: An Aquarist"; "The Public Aquarium Side of Aquarium Keeping - What is an Aquarist?", Reef To Rainforest Media, LLC CORAL Magazine Microcosm Publishing, 2008-10-09; "Aquarist Career Series", PBS LearningMedia; "Archived copy", www.montereybayaquarium.org (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Aquarist" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "growingintellect.org How to become: An Aquarist"; "The Public Aquarium Side of Aquarium Keeping - What is an Aquarist?", Reef To Rainforest Media, LLC CORAL Magazine Microcosm Publishing, 2008-10-09; "Aquarist", Unity College; "Aquarist", Unity College; "The Public Aquarium Side of Aquarium Keeping - What is an Aquarist?", Reef To Rainforest Media, LLC CORAL Magazine Microcosm Publishing, 2008-10-09; "The Public Aquarium Side of Aquarium Keeping - What is an Aquarist?", Reef To Rainforest Media, LLC CORAL Magazine Microcosm Publishing, 2008-1 en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Aquarist" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Brunner, "The ocean at home : an illustrated history of the aquarium", Princeton Architectural Press, 2005; "The Fish House at ZSL London Zoo - the first public aquarium", Zoological Society of London (ZSL); Brunner, "The ocean at home : an illustrated history of the aquarium", Princeton Architectural Press, 2005; Muka, "Bursting the Aquarium Bubble", The Atlantic, 2019-04-25 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Aquarist" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "History of the Aquarium", www.petplace.com (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Aquarist" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Brunner, "The ocean at home : an illustrated history of the aquarium", Princeton Architectural Press, 2005 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "growingintellect.org How to become: An Aquarist". facts only, no text reused. growingintellect.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Aquarist (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Fishkeeping
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Aquarist (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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