Zebra fish: housing, husbandry, and health monitoring recommendations

The zebra fish (Danio rerio) has become a very popular and useful animal model in recent years. Zebra fish can replace mammalian models in a variety of scientific fields. Their mode of reproduction and the transparency of the embryos make them a unique tool for research. Many research institutions are adapting facilities and are educating personnel to be able to work with a species which in most cases is very different of the ones used traditionally. Information in the literature that can help professionals at research institutions to cope with this new challenge is spread and not easy to find. Some of the knowledge is in ‘commercial’ text about products and is sometimes not scientifically based. Of special interest are housing environment, husbandry practices, including health monitoring, veterinary care and experimental procedures.