is this a job

[dwarf-puffers]

is there a job just studin tropical fish if so what is it called

 

[Ferris]

Damn lucky!

 

[StingrayKid]

Ichthologist.(Spelling?). You really dont just stare at a fishtank all day, but its almost like a marine biologist, but you specialize in fish.

 

[Ferris]

Now that is a job to really get into, I'm guessing some serious study time is needed fiirst though right?

 

[BettaUK]

Hi dwarf-puffers, You can do a degree in fish biology with a comapny called J.C Biology they also do degree's in Animal behaviour and Ornathology.

They have a website at http/www.jcbiology.com/

HTH

Lawrence

 

[Dorkhedeos]

i dont think it will be a good job though. if you watch tropical fish all day, you will lose interest of your fish very quickly. after that, what will you do for fun?

 

[Synirr]

i dont think it will be a good job though. if you watch tropical fish all day, you will lose interest of your fish very quickly. after that, what will you do for fun?

Pffft, I'm studying to be a geneticist and I haven't lost interest in it yet
When you really really love something, it doesn't matter how much you do it; you'll never get burned out!

 

[colegamby]

im about to go to college in the fall and i think im going to study marine biology. i think that would be the perfect job.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

well, it depends. if you study all these amazing fish, and all you have at home are common fish, wouldnt you be kinda depressed?

 

[colegamby]

well i plan on living somewhere on the beach and scuba diving and such so i would probably have a nice marine tank and get my fill of awesome fish scuba diving.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Hi, all would-be ichtyologists (did I get that right?). The best course for anyone who wants to do research on fish in the UK is probably the university /college route; a degree handed out by a private company might not be recognised by employers.

So you are looking at 3 years doing an undergraduate course; then (if your exam results are good and your department thinks you have aptitude) probably about 5 years of postgraduate study (=training on the job), ending in your presenting your own first independent piece of research (=the doctorate).

The main problem IME is finding the money to stay alive during the training period (you are not allowed to eat the research material! ) It gets easier at postgraduate level though, because you can get funded.

I wouldn't worry about getting bored with fish; I'd have thought you'd find them more interesting when you knew more about them. I've been doing research myself for the last 20 yrs (though not on fish) and it's still fun most of the time. You might end up researching some very dull-looking species anyway - and then your own tank would come across as an exotic garden of delights.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

professor of ichthyology.

just like everyone else has said, the easiest way to find a job studying fish is to go to school and get good grades. if your high school offers it, go on ahead and take courses in biology or ecology. a little bit of chemistry would be a good idea too (as you can see, there's a lot of it in the aquarium!) of course, the downside of studying any life science is that eventually you have to start dissecting some of your favorite animals...

you could always just save lots of money and study up on business, then open your own LFS. its a bit riskier and more expensive than academics, but i imagine there's less paperwork.

i still vote for ichthyologist because universities can afford some really big tanks and you can get undergraduate research assistants to do all the water changes