Aquarist vs marine biologist

The differences between aquarists and marine biologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-3 months to become an aquarist, becoming a marine biologist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a marine biologist has an average salary of $54,008, which is higher than the $32,605 average annual salary of an aquarist.

The top three skills for an aquarist include animal husbandry, scuba and water chemistry. The most important skills for a marine biologist are ecology, data analysis, and water quality.

Aquarist vs marine biologist overview

	Aquarist	Marine Biologist
Yearly salary	$32,605	$54,008
Hourly rate	$15.68	$25.97
Growth rate	28%	1%
Number of jobs	737	17,273
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 84%	Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Average age	32	40
Years of experience	3	2

Aquarist vs marine biologist salary

Aquarists and marine biologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Aquarist	Marine Biologist
Average salary	$32,605	$54,008
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $48,000	Between $34,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between aquarist and marine biologist education

There are a few differences between an aquarist and a marine biologist in terms of educational background:

	Aquarist	Marine Biologist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 84%	Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Most common major	Biology	Ecology, Population Biology, And Epidemiology
Most common college	University of California, Berkeley	University of California - Davis

Aquarist vs marine biologist demographics

Here are the differences between aquarists' and marine biologists' demographics:

	Aquarist	Marine Biologist
Average age	32	40
Gender ratio	Male, 43.3% Female, 56.7%	Male, 54.1% Female, 45.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 2.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 10.3% White, 71.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	11%	10%

Differences between aquarist and marine biologist duties and responsibilities

Aquarist example responsibilities.

Manage complicated water filtration systems, and implement nutrition plans for a variety of snake species.
Prepare and assist with an AZA accreditation.
Assist with first AZA accreditation process of the zoo.
Maintain facility cleanliness to meet and exceed all USDA standards.
Exceed all minimum requirements set by USDA, and assist USDA personnel during facility inspections.
Complete physical checks and monitor patients to detect unusual or harmful behavior and report observations to professional staff.

Marine biologist example responsibilities.

Manage detailed GLP laboratory manual daily.
Navigate projects with GPS; create and interpret geospatial data (GIS).
Gain an in-depth working knowledge of GIS.
Enter data into NOAA databases and extrapolate data into graphs and charts.
Utilize hand-held GPS units during fieldwork to collect and organize spatial data.
Serve as program lead in writing and renewing permits involving ESA list species.

Aquarist vs marine biologist skills

Common aquarist skills

Animal Husbandry, 15%
Scuba, 14%
Water Chemistry, 7%
Food Preparation, 6%
Cleanliness, 6%
Life Support Systems, 5%

Common marine biologist skills

Ecology, 28%
Data Analysis, 14%
Water Quality, 5%
GPS, 5%
NOAA, 5%
Husbandry, 4%