Facilities
Clean room
Our clean room consists of two 15-rack recirculating aquaculture systems (Aquatic Habitats) and features dusking and dawning diurnal lighting control. For research or breeding projects requiring alternate light cycles three racks on one of the systems can be programmed independently. Both systems combined have 2,600 tanks and a holding capacity of more than 60,000 zebrafish. Both systems are fitted with a 5-stage filtration system to maintain appropriate water quality.
- 1st Stage: Mesh filter screen
- 2nd Stage: Biological filtration
- 3rd Stage: Rotating drum filters
- 4th Stage: Activated carbon
- 5th Stage: UV disinfection
Basic parameters including temperature, conductivity, and pH are monitored by a state of the art electronic system that provides continuous real time data to maintain ideal housing conditions.
Behavioural Room
The behavioral room consists of a single Aquatic Habitats zebrafish rack, capable of housing up to 1,280 zebrafish. This room features countertop space for customizable behvioral analysis units as well as its own workspace for monitoring and analyzing behavioural measurements. The behavioural room zebrafish rack is a recirculating system with a 5-stage filtration system.
- 1st Stage: 120-micron filter pad
- 2nd Stage: Biological filtration
- 3rd Stage: Activated carbon
- 4th Stage: 50-micron filter cartridge
- 5th Stage: UV disinfection
In-House Quarantine Room
The in-house quarantine room consists of a four rack system (Aquatic Habitats Zebrafish System), capable of housing over 5,000 zebrafish. This room allows researchers to bring in zebrafish from within Canada and can also be used for research that use pathogens and toxic compounds. one of the racks is flow-through, while the remaining three racks are recirculating with a 5-stage filtration system.
- 1st Stage: 120-micron filter pad
- 2nd Stage: Biological filtration
- 3rd Stage: 50-micron filter sock
- 4th Stage: 100-micron filter sock and Activated carbon
- 5th Stage: UV disinfection
Basic parameters including temperature, conductivity, and pH are monitored by a state of the art electronic system that provides continuous real time data to maintain ideal housing conditions.
CFIA Import Quarantine
Our quarantine room consists of the same system as Procedure room 1 as well as a storage room and a prep room.
Injection Suite
Four microinjectors with brightfield stereomicroscopes are available from Monday to Friday in two separate time slots. For injections at 0 hpf a microinjector can be reserved from 9 am until noon. For injections at other time points (24, 48, 72, etc) microinjectors can be reserved from 1 pm until 5 pm.