Is There Any Certian Subjects U Have To Do

[jakeroberts]

hi i am in highschool and i was just wondering if there was any certian subjects u have to do to be able to work in a fish store

regards jake roberts

 

[helterskelter]

well enjoy the hobby is the most important thing.

Knowing what fish will mix and more importantly what fish will not mix!!!!
Understanding water, GH, pH, ammonia cycle.

Read anything you can get and try to breed some fish and enjoy it all.

I've studies 2 years in fish farming and science and their is loads of stuff to understand but it's hard work and worth doing if that what u want to do.

 

[andywg]

To work in an lfs you just have to set your sights extremely low in life as the pay is pretty dire compared to most careers.

Knowledge of fish is a bonus, but by no means a pre-requisite.

 

[QuotheRaven]

Working at a aquarium In Australia seems hard to get to but a pet shop is far easier as usually they have no real knowledge while I have found many aquariums ( In Victoria) have employees that know what they are doing...

 

[fishlette]

To work in an lfs you just have to set your sights extremely low in life as the pay is pretty dire compared to most careers.

Knowledge of fish is a bonus, but by no means a pre-requisite.

it might be low pay where you live but i work at an lfs in the same town that jake is from and i earn more for four days work a week than i used to earn as a manager working 40 hours a week. pay in australia is quite good. and after working hard to get a job i can categorically say that especially where we live, fish knowledge is a pre requisite for a job anywhere in brisbane. oh unless you want to work at pet city but no one wants to work there lol

dont be discouraged jake and dont set your sights low. reach for the stars and do what makes you happy

 

[catxx]

i think a general interest in fish welfare and a knowledge of care for at least some kinds of fish (cichlid, coldwater etc) would be ideal. but i wouldn't count working in an LFS a lifelong career, unless you have your own store and a sideline earning lots of money to pay for the store! maybe if you're good with DIY you could look into the construction of custom fish tanks? there are a lot of people out there with too much money wanting fish tanks built into walls..enormous biotope tanks...show tanks in stores...etc etc...

at school look into science based subjects, chemistry and biology, maybe even look into going into marine biology or similar? there's lots of better fish-based careers doing research and surveys on wild fish, that may be more rewarding (not necessarily better paid though!) than working in an LFS getting increasingly frustrated at hardheaded people determined to buy 3 goldfish and a 1 gallon goldfish bowl....

 

[Doggfather]

Working at a aquarium In Australia seems hard to get to but a pet shop is far easier as usually they have no real knowledge while I have found many aquariums ( In Victoria) have employees that know what they are doing...

Back many years ago, i got my job at a lfs by doing a weeks work experience there. I don't know if school kids still have to do that, it might not be compulsory anymore. Anywho, back to the point, the whole idea behind work experience is that you get a 'feel' of what it's like to work in a given field and in exchange, your employer gets cheap labour for a week or two. For my first week there i didn't even serve any customers, all i would do was water changes, clean the floors, wipe down cover glass, move big bags of gravel around, etc, etc.The kind of things nobody wants to do but have to be done. As boring as it sounds, it was a foot in the door and i needless to say, i ended up getting a part time job there.

Harking back to your question, theres no prerequisite subjects needed for a job at a lfs, however, a basic understanding in biology and chemistry might be useful, just to know how things work and why. You might know a fish needs an ideal pH of 6.8 say, but knowing what exactly a pH is might help you answer some of the tricker questions you get, as well as deepen your own understanding of the hobby. From my experience alone, 99% of people who visit an aquarium have no clue about anything fish related, so patience is another big plus! As you'll no doubt have to explain basic concepts like water changes over and over and over and over again.