Multi-species module

Extensions needed: multi-species

Zebrabase is suitable for any species of fish or any animals kept in groups. You can detail your species-specific parameters as age constraints, or liminal animal densities for tanks. You can also filter animals according to their species, or color-code them based on the species in the Facility view.

If a parameter is not filled in, it automatically acquires Zebrabase default values (which are pre-set for Danio rerio). The default values can be inspected in Admin / Configuration. Some of these default values can be changed by the admin, however, great care should be taken when changing any values in the Configuration.

New species can be added in Admin / Codebooks / Fishline / Species / Add species.

Species code

When adding a new species, it is useful to add an abbreviation or a code for the species. This may be up to six numbers, letters, or a combination of the two.

Life stages

The life stages are automatically updated in Zebrabase for each species. Age: juvenile, adult, and retired, refers to the number of days from the birth of the individual until the animal transforms to the stated developmental stage. This means the age (in days) when the fry becomes juvenile, adult, and finally retires. The retirement age is the age when the fish are usually removed from the breeding program.

Animal density

For welfare reasons, fish should be kept in densities between a minimum and a maximum. Zebrabase will color-code tanks according to their animal density in the Facility view.

The count constraints are the limits for the color-coding of the tanks. The color-coding levels are: very low, low, standard, high, and very high. Hence there are the four values of count constraints that define the ranges. Any tank filled with more fish than what is the limit for count high is considered very high. The color-coding is visible when selecting the option Count in the Status drop-down menu in the Facility view.

Days between burden checks

In genetically modified lines, a possible genetic burden should be confirmed after 3 generations of breeding. Currently, this is represented by the number of days by which typically 3 generations have been bred.

Reported from age

This is the age by which the animals must be reported when used in experiments. In Danio rerio, this is typically 5 days.

Default diet

Any default diet for each species can be selected. Diets can be defined in Admin / Codebooks / Diet.