Facility

Loveland Living Planet Aquarium

Closing Date

[jobclosingdate]

Description

The Freshwater Aquarist is responsible for providing the highest possible quality of care to the animals in his/her assigned area.  This responsibility includes the set-up, maintenance and care of holding enclosures and systems, preparing and dispensing food, disease recognition and treatment, life support system construction and operation, and species identification.  The individual will maintain current knowledge on husbandry and natural history of all fish, invertebrates, amphibians, and reptiles in their area of responsibility. 

Education and Pre-requisites

Qualifications: 

A college degree (A.A, A.S. B.A. or B.S.) is required with an emphasis on biology or science course work, or equivalent hands on work experience/knowledge may be considered 
1 year of experience caring for animals in a public aquarium or zoological facility, or related experience  
Demonstrates competency in plumbing skills (comfortable plumbing PVC pipe over 1”) 
Possess a valid driver’s license  
 

Critical Skills/Competencies: 

Knowledge of disease identification and treatment 
Knowledge of biological processes as they pertain to water chemistry, physiology, animal health and psychological well being 
Ability to identify all animals in assigned systems 
Possesses familiarity with the natural history of all animals in their section, including a good understanding of the requirements of individual species in captivity 
Attention to detail 
Excellent oral and written communication skills 
Open Water SCUBA Certification strongly preferred  

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Daily care and maintenance of reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates
Determining an individual animal’s nutritional needs, securing, culturing, preparing and feeding the animals assigned to them 
Act as a resource to Interns and Volunteers 
Train, develop and oversee the work of volunteers and interns assigned to work in the individual’s area of responsibility 
Participate in specimen transports, water quality testing, diagnosis and treatment of fish and terrestrial animal diseases  
Maintain proper water quality and environmental parameters to ensure the health of all organisms
Ensure proper lighting requirements are achieved and maintained 
Make daily observations of animals for health and behavioral assessment and amend or report issues as they arise 
Maintain all established records in accordance with established practice and policy (acquisition, disposition, tank records, water quality records, etc.) 
Adhere to all safety protocols (fire, diving, etc.) 
Maintain all husbandry areas, as well as supplies and equipment
Other duties as assigned
   

Physical Demands of the Job: 

Ability to lift and carry up to 50 lbs. 
Ability to swim 
Ability to perform SCUBA related tasks 
Ability to stand for long periods of time 
Ability to walk up and down ladders 
Ability to work with various cleaning chemicals 
Ability to work with venomous and/or dangerous animals 
Ability to operate hand power tools  
Availability and willingness to work long hours, weekends and holidays 
 

Special Working Conditions: 

Hot and cold environments 
Outdoor and indoor environments in varying weather conditions 
Elevated platforms 
Animal habitats 
Uneven surfaces 
Confined spaces 
Underwater environments 
Noisy workspaces 

Compensation and benefits

15.14/hour

Application instructions

Apply here: https://recruiting2.ultipro.com/LOV1003LOVE/JobBoard/7e157ff7-c269-41d4-8df6-d1b79c519d18/Opportunity/OpportunityDetail?opportunityId=02607369-e547-48c6-a3ca-6e7eb0ae785a