Table 1.
Optimal parameters to standardize zebrafish housing conditions according to refs. [39,96,97,98,99,100,101,102,103].
| Parameters | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Filters | Mechanical | Filter pads; cleaned daily and changed monthly |
| Chemical | Activated charcoal; changed every 6 months | |
| Biological | Bio-balls or ceramic rings hosting nitrifying bacteria (Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter) | |
| Germicidal light | Ultraviolet light at 254 nm; bulbs changed after 6000 h of use | |
| Temperature | 24–29 °C (ideally 28.5 ± 0.5 °C) | |
| Photoperiod | 14 h of light|10 h of dark (automated light system to be checked regularly) | |
| Water | Type | Dechlorinated water (ideally filtered reverse osmosis water) |
| pH | 6.5–8.0 adjusted with sodium bicarbonate | |
| Conductivity | 150 to 1700 µS adjusted with commercial salts | |
| Hardness | 3–8 d (ideally 4–5 d) | |
| Ammonia | < 0.1 mg/L (as close to 0 mg/L as possible) | |
| Nitrites | < 0.3 mg/L (as close to 0 mg/L as possible) | |
| Nitrates | <25 mg/L | |
| Renewal | 5–10% in a daily basis (occasionally up to 15%) | |
| Fish density | 5 adults/L, 25 juveniles/L and 100 larvae/L | |