HOWARD — Five East Knox FFA members competed in the State Aquarium Management Career Development Event on Nov. 11 in the Lausche Building at the Ohio Exposition Center in Columbus.
The local team placed 19th out of a group of squads from across Ohio. Team members were Keaton Spence, Hayden Garman, John Chadwick, Brayden Moran, and A.J. Salmons.
To qualify for the State finals the participants had to complete the online general knowledge test taken prior to the state event with questions over fish characteristics, anatomy, feeding, diseases, reproduction, fish handling, aquarium tanks, filters, water pH, and tank set-up.
The top five scorers from the preliminaries advanced to the state finals with the top four making the team score.
At the finals members had to identify gouramis, cichlids, cypriniformes, goldfish and koi, catfish, livebearers, tetras, freshwater invertebrates, marine fish and invertebrates, aquarium equipment, aquarium plants, fish diseases, and fish foods. Additionally, each contestant performed four practicums.
The practicums consisted of using test strips to determine pH, identifying filter types and their function, catching and bagging aquarium fish, and identifying fish and their diet.
The purpose of the Aquarium Management Career Development Event is to provide students the opportunity to demonstrate knowledge and skills associated with fish and other aquarium animals in the pet industry.
This is the second year that East Knox FFA has had an Aquarium Management team.