University of Oregon, Eugene

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Zebrafish Husbandry Facility ManagmentZoltan
M. Varga
Workshop on Zebrafish Husbandry
June 27, 2008

• University of Oregon, Eugene
• Sponsored by the NIH/National Center for Research
  Resources

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Overview

• Intro/Overview
• Husbandry
• Water
• Fish Density
• Food
• Management
• Fish for injection experiments
• Disease management

2008 - Presentation Structure - Zoltan
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Intro

• Common Goal for Fish Facilities
• Support science and basic research
• Support scientists
• Many, healthy, breeding fish
• gt robust population

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All Many Ways lead to the Goal
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Husbandry

• Aquaculture/Water
• Clean good, oversized filtration
• Consistent RO water Instant Ocean salt mix
• Controlled monitor parameters
• pH 7.2 - 7.6
• 28.5C
• 500 (- 1000) µS
• Nitrates lt 10 ppm, better lt5 ppm
• dH 5-10 (60-70 ppm)

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Husbandry

• ZIRC Recirculating Aquaculture/Water
• 3 Aquaneering Filters
• Each 9000 gal (33000 L)
• Max. ca. 9000 gal Tanks

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Fish density at ZIRC - 20-gallon tanks

• 20-gallon tanks 220
• Wild types
• Popular lines/large families
• Ca. 300 Fish/Tank
• 4 Fish/L
• 80 5-gallon tanks
• Intermediate sized populations

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Fish Density at ZIRC - 1-gallon tanks

• 4100 1-gallon tanks
• Identified carriers heterozygous, homozygous
• Small families ca. 20 -25
• 5 - 6 fish / L

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Husbandry

• Food
• Dont overfeed!
• Small amounts, several times/day (lt5 minute rule)
• Vitamins, Trace Elements, Proteins,
• ZIRC Food Mix
• Zeigler Zebrafish Granule 2000g
• Spirulina Flake 500g
• Cyclopeeze 200g
• Golden Pearl 300-500 225g
• Golden Pearl 500-800 225g
• Artemia Supplement

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Husbandry - ZIRC Feeding Schedule

• Weekday Feeding Schedule
• 9am-11am
• Larvae/Juveniles brine shrimp.
• Adults Flake Mix.
• Larvae/Juveniles fed first because they are fed
  3 more times
• 1st Mid-day Feeding between 11am and 1pm
• Larvae/Juveniles powder food.
• 2nd Mid-day Feeding between 1pm and 3pm
• Larvae/Juveniles powder food.
• 3pm-5pm
• All fish brine shrimp.
• Weekend Feeding Schedule
• 1st Feeding 10am-12pm
• All fish DRY food.
• Adults Master Mix.
• Larvae/Juveniles juvenile powder food.
• 2nd Feeding (2pm-4pm) All fish Brine Shrimp.

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Management

• Injection Fish - givem a break!

M F M F M F
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3
Mo Tue Wed Thu Fri
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Fish Health Management

• Fish Health - best practices
• Quarantine!
• Sentinels!!! !
• Clean tanks
• Minimize fish numbers and density
• Remove OLD fish
• Avoid excessive inbreeding
• Avoid stressing fish, use good husbandry
  practices

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Health Management - good husbandry conditions
prevent disease outbreaks!

• Jennifer Ramsay, Kent Lab Mycobacteria Study -
  cumulative mortality
• 2 Mycobacterium species harmful vs. harmless
• Stressed (bad husbandry) vs unstressed (good
  husbandry)

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General Health Management Tips

• Fish Health Check
• Establish how diseased fish look like
• Get informed e.g. http//zebrafish.org/zirc/healt
  h/diseaseManual.php
• Microsporidia
• Mycobacteria
• Train everyone in your facility
• Monitor individual fish stocks/tanks regularly
  (daily/weekly)
• Remove diseased and moribund fish
• Put someone in charge!

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General Health Management Tips

• Fish Health Check
• Establish what is the basic mortality rate in
  your facility ?
• (normal/routine conditions)
• Establish infection rates of healthy looking fish
• Definition Disease outbreak, if mortality goes
  clearly above base mortality rate
• And

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DONT PANIC!
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Management

• Location ( Rooms/Space)
• Stand-alone fish facility (different Building)
• Stand-alone animal facility, with fish facility
• Fish facility in Research Institute (basement)
• Animal facility, with fish facility in Research
  Institute
• Aquaria in Laboratory space
• Fish facility in Research Institute (spread out,
  several rooms, floors)
• Fish facility in Medical Research Institute
• IACUC

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Fish Management

• Database
• Avoid duplicate and triplicate fish stocks
  between labs/researchers sharing stocks
• Keep track of family lineages, avoid inbreeding
• Avoid old fish
• Keep track of crossing times
• Locate fish
• Keep track where sick, moribund fish occurred

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Husbandry and Management

• Standardize Husbandry Language and Definitions
• What is a healthy colony?
• How do we define clean?
• How do we define fish density?
• How do we define fecundity?
• Fish Stress?
• What are reproducible husbandry standards for
  husbandry experiments???
• What is your most pressing husbandry concern?

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and thanks for all the fish!
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(No Transcript)
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ZIRC Recirculating Water System