The days at the aquarium are starting to merge together smoothly. I am a lot more confident in doing the jobs at Discovery Reef. When I finish one job, instead of asking what I should do next I have started taking initiative and completing jobs on my own. I have learned a lot about how the water systems work. There is a lot more to it than I realized. I am not yet sure being an aquarist is something that would like to pursue in the future, but I really enjoy learning everything and think it is important.
When I first started my internship I was curious about what things the aquarists do for enrichment for the fish. This past week I learned of a new way to enrich the fish. They call them "crabby patties". Basically they are small round pucks or discs made of dental paste that have small pieces of food (for example krill). These crabby patties are dropped into the Discovery Reef tank and the fish get to forage on them to remove the food. This allows them to interact and work a little harder to get their food. Using dental paste as the base gives them a substance to hold the food that is not harmful to the fish.
This past week was also filled with fun, new activities! A new intern started for the summer, I had a blast going to the Zoombezi Bay water park, and met Jack Hanna!
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| Me and a few other interns with Jack Hanna. |
While I am here for the summer I am also looking for a part-time job. I have decided to take a job working as a lifeguard at Zoombezi Bay. This week I started the training and next week I should be working, which is super exciting!
The summer is already starting to fly by but I am having tons of fun enjoying the zoo, Columbus, and learning new skills at the aquarium. I will leave you with a fun fact:
The large 85, 000 gallon Discovery Reef tank is modeled after a coral atoll, similar to what is found in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. One side of the reef is shallower, representing a more dense coral growth and as you move toward the other end it get deeper as if moving towards the open ocean.
Till next time,
Sierra.
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