The husbandry of zebrafish (Danio rerio): A review

Abstract

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has recently emerged as a pre-eminent vertebrate biomedical research model. The same favorable characteristics that have contributed to its popularity as a model of human disease and development; i.e. high fecundity, small size, rapid generation time, optical transparency during early embryogenesis, have also long endeared it to investigators in numerous other disciplines, including animal behavior, fish physiology, and aquatic toxicology. Despite this, the scientific rigour of zebrafish husbandry techniques is poorly developed. While there is a considerable body of literature on zebrafish that has both direct and indirect relevance to their husbandry, this information is from disparate sources, and little of it is has been applied to developing standard protocols. This review is an attempt to integrate the available scientific information related to zebrafish biology and culture into an overview of the field that can be used to improve the efficiency with which this important model animal is used in research. The review also highlights those areas in which further studies are needed.