# Jobs in Aquarium industry.



## C-kidder (Aug 2, 2014)

Hey everyone,
Looking into some insight from people who have spent some time working or who are currently still working in the industry. Any information help's but personal experiences and bluntly honest people tend to be the most helpful. I am in the middle of a employment swap since working in the paintball industry was far from what it was made up to be. Thing's that would be helpful to know would be typical rough wages, days/hours you worked and if you kept your passion for fish even when you had to deal with them everyday. I guess last question is how hard is it to get a job in a fish store, (usually there is 1 knowledgeable person each store but not always on shift or able to help)I know the good majority of the places I go to have pretty untrained staff that know little to nothing about the fish/plants and their accociated problems that they have in stock. Anything else you want to chime in with is extremely helpful as I am just trying to get as much information as possible.


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## Momobobo (Sep 28, 2010)

Typical rough wages: Wages are crap, minimum wage usually and you'll likely never surpass $14~15 even as a manager.
Days/hours you worked: Full time, 8 hours a day 5 days a week. 
If you kept your passion for fish even when you had to deal with them everyday: Well, i'm still here aren't I :bigsmile:
I guess last question is how hard is it to get a job in a fish store: Fairly easy, if you can find openings.

In terms of being untrained, if you go to LFS and not big box usually 3/4ths if not more employees are highly highly knowledgeable. J&L, IPU Burnaby when I worked, Fantasy Aquatics, and Aquarium West's are all stores I know have a full team of very experienced hobbyists (there are many others that I don't frequent). That being said, you'll have to deal with problems that untrained employees get you into (giving bad advice and the customer coming to complain to you) and with customers in general. I've given up on refusing to sell a customer a fish, they don't listen and will complain all day. I just give them fair warnings on fish like plecos, id sharks, etc and it deters most of them. Remember, as much we love the hobby and the life that goes with it, once you start working for a company you're working for a business that needs to pay rent. Many "untrained" employees know better, but could care less or are just trying to make some sales for the day.

This business is very hard to stay alive in for the owners. Brick and mortars stores of all types are struggling to stay afloat with online stores being very very hard to compete with. As an avid diver, LDS (local dive shops) are barely staying afloat (no pun intended) but at least they can sell training. LFS don't have that luxury.

My $0.02


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## C-kidder (Aug 2, 2014)

Thanks Momobobo!!

Pretty much a perfect answer in terms of what I was looking for, Unbiased and to the point.  
I need to find something where I can make a more liveable wage then 14-15. In this city that makes it pretty hard to live and afford this hobby plus paintball which is another very expensive hobby. Also going back to minimum wage as a trainee would be brutal and I couldn't afford to do that for very long. It sounds like a fairly long shot that probably wouldn't be worth the while but currently I am keeping my head open to new ideas. 

As for the stores… I choose not to bad mouth any store as they all do good for the community and mean well, but do not agree 100% that all those stores have full teams of experienced hobbyists. The ones that do have good staff are typically understaffed which you did answer in your post above saying stores are struggling to keep a float so that does make sense. Just a shame as somebody who never got to see the massive popularity it once had before I was ever interested in fish keeping.


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## April (Apr 21, 2010)

Go try the aquarium or fish farms or wholesaler but I'd say still
Minimum wage to start. I see a lot of ex store owners are working for a wholesaler in Surrey. 
It's
Not just fish stores a lot of
Brick and mortar stores are finding it tough. The world is changing . Big
Box
Stores have taken over and online . More
Buying
Power in massive buys for
All stores. 
Even corner stores are going the way of dinosaurs . Gas stations have taken over mill bread and junk food buys. 
The best job
Is to find a unique idea and start something. My sons friend started a gum removal company and has done very well. No one else was doing it.
Find a comidity . Luxuries if economy slows
More is first to slow down. 



Sent by tapatalk in north Burnaby


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## pandamom (Jul 16, 2013)

Are you interested in just the fish aquarium type jobs or are you interested in outdoors work, working with salmon, trout, etc. You mentioned paint-balling, so I'm assuming that you like the outdoors. There are jobs to be had, usually seasonally, but I know people who make a go of it, doing sampling and working in hatcheries and such. The skills and knowledge you learn in the aquarium hobby also gives you a leg up in those type of jobs too. I am a fish biologist and work full-time with salmon. There are technician jobs to be had for sure, like I say, most seasonally, but making decent wages from contract to contract. Also, if you are open to going to school, BCIT FWR program is a good one to get fish jobs. Good luck.


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## Rockman (May 19, 2013)

pandamom said:


> Are you interested in just the fish aquarium type jobs or are you interested in outdoors work, working with salmon, trout, etc. You mentioned paint-balling, so I'm assuming that you like the outdoors. There are jobs to be had, usually seasonally, but I know people who make a go of it, doing sampling and working in hatcheries and such. The skills and knowledge you learn in the aquarium hobby also gives you a leg up in those type of jobs too. I am a fish biologist and work full-time with salmon. There are technician jobs to be had for sure, like I say, most seasonally, but making decent wages from contract to contract. Also, if you are open to going to school, BCIT FWR program is a good one to get fish jobs. Good luck.


Indeed. I'm currently doing the salmon farming thing too (I'm a saltwater technician) until I can find something to do with my degree. It's not too bad. Don't know too much about the hatchery side but the saltwater operations guys at my company are all permanant employees. The pay is not all that bad either (starting is about 17 an hour where I work after factoring in camp pay... you get moved up fairly quickly too if you're smart). My employer has brought on a lot of new people lately; so it's worth looking around to see what's available.

Downside, the job isn't for everyone. Camp work is either something you love or you hate (I tend to like it... a full week off every other week is pretty decent). Working outdoors means you have to like all types of weather (including heavy wind and rain... if you're prone to seasickness you may not have a nice time). Most of your fishkeeping skills aren't actually all that applicable (at least to my job... knots, boat experience, forklift training, first aid, etc are probably more useful skills... still, if you sell yourself the right way it would probably work in your favour). Also, with the current state of the job market my employer is hiring mainly bachelor's degrees and above; so you'll probably want to have an angle you can work in your application.


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Most salmon farming jobs will also require relocating to the Island or up the Sunshine Coast. I know cause I worked near Powell River for 4 years on a salmon farm (fw - rearing 3+ million fry/smolts a year). I still came down to the city on my days off, but eventually moved off the farm and into a place by the ocean. It was an interesting time, but pay was not great back then. $15/hour and I have a B.Agr.Sc. degree in Aquaculture, a B.Ag.Business & a M.Sc. Aquacultural Engineering. Probably should have looked for work at a bigger company with higher pay/benefits now that I think about it. Most of those jobs are up mid-Island and north or out of Tofino. Worked on 3 of those ocean farms while doing my Master's thesis field work and they were a lot of fun actually.


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