- ACMCAS305A - Maintain aquascapes and aquatic animals
Unit of Competency Mapping – Information for Teachers/Assessors – Information for Learners
ACMCAS305A Mapping and Delivery Guide
Maintain aquascapes and aquatic animals
Version 1.0
Issue Date: March 2024
Qualification | - |
Unit of Competency | ACMCAS305A - Maintain aquascapes and aquatic animals |
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Description | This unit of competency covers the process of monitoring illness and/or abnormal behaviour in aquatic animals, collecting and analysing water samples and administering treatments.Licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements may apply to this unit in relation to the protection of reptiles and amphibians. Therefore, it will be necessary to check with the relevant state or territory regulators for current licensing, legislative or regulatory requirements before undertaking this unit. | ||
Employability Skills | This unit contains employability skills. | ||
Learning Outcomes and Application | This unit is applicable to those working in the companion animal industry sector. It relates to the maintenance of aquascapes and aquatic animals, including fish, amphibians and some reptiles.In addition to legal and ethical responsibilities, all units of competency in the ACM10 Animal Care and Management Training Package have the requirement for animals to be handled gently and calmly. The individual is required to exhibit appropriate care for animals so that stress and discomfort is minimised. | ||
Duration and Setting | X weeks, nominally xx hours, delivered in a classroom/online/blended learning setting. |
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Prerequisites/co-requisites | |||
Competency Field |
Development and validation strategy and guide for assessors and learners | Student Learning Resources | Handouts Activities |
Slides PPT |
Assessment 1 | Assessment 2 | Assessment 3 | Assessment 4 | |
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Elements of Competency | Performance Criteria | |||||||
Element: Follow effective personal health management practices |
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Element: Identify unhealthy aquatic animals |
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Element: Sample, analyse and adjust aquascape water quality |
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Element: Administer aquatic animal treatments |
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Evidence Required
List the assessment methods to be used and the context and resources required for assessment. Copy and paste the relevant sections from the evidence guide below and then re-write these in plain English.
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 health-management 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 and/or resources to enable one to demonstrate competence. |
Method of assessment | To ensure consistency in one's 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 and/or oral assessment of candidate's required knowledge observed, documented and first-hand testimonial evidence of candidate's application of practical tasks simulation exercises that reproduce normal work conditions third-party 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 (e.g. literacy and numeracy demands) and the needs of particular target groups (e.g. 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). |
Submission Requirements
List each assessment task's title, type (eg project, observation/demonstration, essay, assignment, checklist) and due date here
Assessment task 1: [title] Due date:
(add new lines for each of the assessment tasks)
Assessment Tasks
Copy and paste from the following data to produce each assessment task. Write these in plain English and spell out how, when and where the task is to be carried out, under what conditions, and what resources are needed. Include guidelines about how well the candidate has to perform a task for it to be judged satisfactory.
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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 work-related 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 cross-infection 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 skills/language 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 problem-solving skills to use available resources and prioritise daily tasks use safe manual handling techniques and/or 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 and/or 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 range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included. | |
OHS risks when handling animals may include: | animal bites, envenomation, kicks, scratches and crush injuries biological hazardous waste and sharps disposal handling of chemicals and medicines gas leakage inhalation of aerosol particles intraocular contamination manual handling, including carrying, lifting and shifting needle pricks and cuts from other sharps release of infective agents (animal and human) slippery or uneven work surfaces zoonoses. |
Disease agents may include: | infectious disease agents: bacteria fungi internal and external parasites virus non-infectious disease agents: allergies chemical toxicities metabolic neoplastic nutritional physical trauma. |
Zoonotic diseases may include: | bacterial and endo-parasites (e.g. protozoa) different types of salmonella infections. |
Signs of unhealthy or injured animals may include: | abnormal faeces colour, texture quantity blisters or other skin lesions, dead or peeling skin clamping of fins and tail with presence of blood streaks difficulty breathing difficulty in sloughing old skins irregular colouration on shell loss of righting behaviour one or both eyes protruding presence of parasites on skin surface or trailing from body cavities swelling wounds. |
Signs of abnormal behaviour may include: | aggression or docility (depending on animal) inappetence lethargy. |
Water sampling tests and analysis may include: | ammonia calcium hardness pH salinity temperature. |
Water quality adjustment may involve: | correcting chemical imbalances partial water change raising or lowering of pH or hardness. |
Parasitic infestations may include: | anchor worm fish lice flukes parasitic protozoa. |
Viral, fungal and bacterial diseases may include: | body fungus dropsy fin and tail rot mouth fungus. |
Aquatic animal treatments may be administered via: | dips and bathes food and water preparations liquids pastes soluble powers tablet topical applications. |
Preventative medicine programs may include: | anti-parasitic water treatments food preparations. |
Copy and paste from the following performance criteria to create an observation checklist for each task. When you have finished writing your assessment tool every one of these must have been addressed, preferably several times in a variety of contexts. To ensure this occurs download the assessment matrix for the unit; enter each assessment task as a column header and place check marks against each performance criteria that task addresses.
Observation Checklist
Tasks to be observed according to workplace/college/TAFE policy and procedures, relevant legislation and Codes of Practice | Yes | No | Comments/feedback |
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Personal hygiene and cleanliness standards are maintained in accordance with occupational health and safety (OHS) and organisational policies and procedures. | |||
Disease agents and their impact on aquatic animals are identified. | |||
Work practices are implemented to protect oneself from, and minimise spread of, zoonotic diseases. | |||
Unhealthy aquatic animals are identified and information is recorded in accordance with organisational policies and procedures. | |||
Injured aquatic animals are recognised and reported to supervisors. | |||
Aquatic animal abnormal behaviour and condition are recognised and reported to supervisors. | |||
Records for unhealthy aquatic animals are maintained in accordance with organisational policies and procedures. | |||
Water samples are collected using correct equipment, in accordance with organisational policies and procedures. | |||
Samples are tested using appropriate equipment in accordance with manufacturers' directions. | |||
Sampling results are recorded in accordance with organisational policies and procedures. | |||
Water quality is adjusted to better suit the requirements of the aquascape and species. | |||
Optimum water quality records for the aquascape and species are maintained in accordance with industry requirements. | |||
Broad categories of parasitic infestations and/or viral, fungal and bacterial diseases are identified. | |||
Appropriate and authorised aquatic animal treatments are administered in accordance with organisational policies and procedures. | |||
Preventative medicine programs for internal and external parasites are implemented in accordance with organisational policies and procedures. | |||
Treatments and medicines are correctly stored in accordance with organisational policies and procedures and legislative requirements. | |||
Records for treatments and medicine programs are maintained in accordance with organisational policies and procedures and legislative requirements. |
Forms
Assessment Cover Sheet
ACMCAS305A - Maintain aquascapes and aquatic animals
Assessment task 1: [title]
Student name:
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I declare that the assessment tasks submitted for this unit are my own work.
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Result: Competent Not yet competent
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Assessment Record Sheet
ACMCAS305A - Maintain aquascapes and aquatic animals
Student name:
Student ID:
Assessment task 1: [title] Result: Competent Not yet competent
(add lines for each task)
Feedback to student:
Overall assessment result: Competent Not yet competent
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Student signature:
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