Required skills

adjust water quality and conditions to suit aquascape and species requirements

administer appropriate and authorised aquatic animal treatments

apply organisation policies procedures and requirements

complete relevant workrelated documents

employ safe and environmentally responsible organisational systems and procedures when working with and handling aquatic animals

maintain the highest standards of hygiene and infection control at all times to reduce the risk of infection and crossinfection

recognise behaviours and conditions that could be indicative of possible aquatic animal health problems

literacy skills to read and follow organisation policies and procedures including OHS and waste management procedures and other organisational policies and procedures follow sequenced written instructions including treatment instructions record accurately and legibly information collected and select and apply procedures to a range of defined tasks

oral communication skillslanguage to fulfil the job role as specified by the organisation including questioning techniques active listening asking for clarification and consulting with supervisors

numeracy skills to estimate calculate and record routine workplace measures and treatment doses

interpersonal skills to work with others and relate to people from a range of cultural social and religious backgrounds and with a range of physical and mental abilities

problemsolving skills to use available resources and prioritise daily tasks

use safe manual handling techniques andor equipment

use safe waste handling and disposal procedures

Required knowledge

appropriate and authorised aquatic animal treatments

basic aquatic animal biology

broad categories of parasitic infestations andor viral fungal and bacterial diseases

general maintenance and cleaning of aquaria

normal and abnormal behaviour of aquatic species

organisation policies procedures and requirements including OHS and emergency procedures

preventative medicine programs for internal and external parasites

principles of animal welfare and ethics

relevant OHS and animal welfare legislative requirements and codes of practice including environmental regulations

relevant recordkeeping systems

safe aquatic animal handling techniques and procedures

safe work practices

signs of common aquatic animal diseases and parasitic infestations and their transmission between aquatic animals

water quality adjustment procedures including water chemistry

water sampling testing and analysis procedures and techniques

working knowledge of ideal water conditions and quality for a range of aquatic animals including Ph nitrate nitrite ammonia salinity calcium and hardness

working knowledge of chemicals used to correct water conditions and the water quality of aquascapes

workplace hygiene standards disinfectants cleaning agents cleaning techniques and cleaning equipment and materials

zoonotic diseases

The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria required skills and knowledge range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

The evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to workplace operations and satisfy all of the requirements of the performance criteria required skills and knowledge and the range statement of this unit Assessors should ensure that candidates can

monitor and maintain effective aquatic animal healthmanagement practices in accordance with organisational policies and procedures

comply with relevant legislation regulations and codes of practice including animal welfare and OHS

identify aquatic animals showing signs of poor health injuries or abnormal behaviour

administer authorised aquatic animal treatments and implement preventative medicine programs

collect and test water samples and adjust water quality to suit the aquascape and species requirements as required

maintain records and required documentation

The skills and knowledge required to maintain aquascapes and aquatic animals must be transferable to a range of work environments and contexts and include the ability to deal with unplanned events

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment of this unit is to be practical in nature and will most appropriately be assessed in an aquaria services workplace or in a situation that reproduces normal work conditions

There must be access to a range of aquatic animal breeds and species as well as the appropriate equipment andor resources to enable one to demonstrate competence

Method of assessment

To ensure consistency in ones performance competency should be demonstrated to industry defined standards on more than one occasion over a period of time in order to cover a variety of circumstances and where possible over a number of assessment activities

The assessment strategy must include practical skills assessment Suggested strategies for this unit are

written andor oral assessment of candidates required knowledge

observed documented and firsthand testimonial evidence of candidates application of practical tasks

simulation exercises that reproduce normal work conditions

thirdparty evidence

workplace documentation

portfolio

This unit may be assessed in a holistic way with other units of competency relevant to the industry sector workplace and job role

Guidance information for assessment

Assessment methods should reflect workplace demands eg literacy and numeracy demands and the needs of particular target groups eg people with disabilities Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people women people with a language background other than English youth and people from low socioeconomic backgrounds

OHS risks when handling animals may include:

Disease agents may include:

Zoonotic diseases may include:

Signs of unhealthy or injured animals may include:

Signs of abnormal behaviour may include:

Water sampling tests and analysis may include:

Water quality adjustment may involve:

Parasitic infestations may include:

Viral, fungal and bacterial diseases may include:

Aquatic animal treatments may be administered via:

Preventative medicine programs may include: