Welcome to the course, where your passion for aquatic life becomes your profession! This foundation level course is designed for beginners, offering an exciting journey into the world of ornamental aquatics. Imagine being surrounded by the beauty and tranquillity of aquatic life every day, and getting paid for it! This course not only equips you with essential skills for a career in an aquatics shop but also allows you to turn a hobby you love into a rewarding job. As a valuable member of the aquatics retail team, you'll bring joy to fellow enthusiasts while nurturing your own passion and become a commercially viable member of staff for your chosen aquatic shop.

In this course, you will learn about:

1. Essentials of Ornamental Aquatics: An introduction to the vibrant world of ornamental aquatics, its role in retail, and its importance to hobbyists.

2. Aquarium Setup and Care: Hands-on techniques for setting up and maintaining various types of aquariums.

3. The role of scientific / Latin names in the aquatics trade

4. Fish Health and Welfare - basic disease recognition and treatment

5. Water Quality: Understanding the crucial aspects of water quality to gain fundamental knowledge to prevent poor water quality and how to react accordingly. This also covers the testing of water.

6. Fish: Learning about commonly sold fish species, their specific needs and care requirements.

7. Water Filtration: Learn about the most commonly used filtration systems in aquatics including their pro's and con's.

8. Customer Interaction Sales and Support: Skills for excellent customer service, including advising on purchases and problem-solving. Becoming an economically valuable member of staff.

8. Retail Operations in Aquatic retail: Your everyday role as an aquatic shop assistant and how to stay being an asset to the company you are working for.

9. Assessment - you will take a multiple choice test and provide a written essay about

• How you as an individual have benefited from this course
• You background with ornamental fish - i.e. do you keep them as a hobby or are you looking to get into the hobby
• What you personally think your strengths are in the aquatics trade
• What are your weaknesses and how will you improve them
• What your aspirations / ambitions are for working in aquatic retail

The essay has no right or wrong answers - it will be used for you to show employers so they can gain a better understanding of your level of knowledge and experience.

The multiple choice test has a pass rate of -

• Fail - 0 - 50%
• Merit - 51% - 75%
• Distinction - 76%+