Weekend Reflection #1

 5-15-22



This week I learned about the role an aquarist plays around the aquarium and some of the basic upkeep and care for all the animals. I learned what the different species eat and how to prepare their food, the water filtration system and how the saltwater is made and stored, and all the maintenance that goes into things around the aquarium. For the most part, I enjoyed everything I was doing. It is a little bit more work than I expected but it’s a good time being around animals all day. I prefer the days when the aquarium was closed because the tasks weren’t as repetitive and there was something new to do every day. When the aquarium was open, it was a long day since I was doing the same thing the whole time. I’m honestly not sure what I was expecting going into this because I knew so little about how an aquarium is run, but there weren’t any huge surprises. There is a lot more that goes into it than I would’ve thought. Just the water system within itself is pretty complicated and unlike what I imagined. When I thought of this job my mind went to feeding and cleaning. It was a little surprising to see that’s just a little piece of it. I spent a lot of time this week shadowing people and getting my bearings. There was a lot of learning but now that I have more background, next week I will be able to do things more independently and have a more solid and in-depth understanding of animals and other systems surrounding the marine life. One of my goals at the beginning was to see if being an aquarist was a possible career interest and this week made me realize I don’t. While this is a really cool opportunity and gives me background and more experience for my major in college, I don’t love seeing all these animals in the environments that they’re in. While they’re healthy and being cared for well, it doesn’t compare to their natural habitats, and they don’t get the same quality of life. On the plus side, aquariums can bring awareness to people and the threats our oceans are facing, but I think a lot more people just come to see the exotic species. I think they would make a bigger impact by just leaving them in the oceans. 

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