Zebrafish Maintenance and Husbandry

Overview

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a powerful vertebrate model system for studying development, modeling disease, and screening for novel therapeutics. Due to their small size, large numbers of zebrafish can be housed in the laboratory at low cost. Although zebrafish are relatively easy to maintain, special consideration must be given to both diet and water quality to in order to optimize fish health and reproductive success.

This video will provide an overview of zebrafish husbandry and maintenance in the lab. After a brief review of the natural zebrafish habitat, techniques essential to recreating this environment in the lab will be discussed, including key elements of fish facility water recirculation systems and the preparation of brine shrimp as part of the zebrafish diet. Additionally, the presentation will include information on how specific zebrafish strains are tracked in a laboratory setting, with specific reference to the collection of tail fin samples for DNA extraction and genotyping. Finally, experimental modifications of the zebrafish environment will be discussed as a means to further our understanding of these fish, and in turn, ourselves.

Procedure

Proper husbandry is essential to the success of experiments performed in zebrafish. Optimal water quality promotes fish health and experimental reproducibility. Additionally, zebrafish egg production is highly dependent on proper nutrition. This video describes how fish are housed and fed in the lab, tips on handling and managing stocks, and a glimpse into how the zebrafish environment is manipulated in biological experiments.

Let’s start by going over the basics of the fish habitat

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Tags
Zebrafish MaintenanceZebrafish HusbandryWater QualityFish HealthExperimental ReproducibilityZebrafish NutritionFish HabitatTap Water ToxicityPurification SystemReverse Osmosis UnitSalinityPH OptimizationWater ChangeRecirculation SystemUV Treatment

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0:00

Overview

0:39

Housing Zebrafish in the Laboratory

3:00

Zebrafish Nutrition

4:22

Working with Adult Fish

5:59

Applications

7:36

Summary

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