Fish Facility

 

The Team

Matthias
Verena
Andreas
René
Jula
Lea
Simone

Contact us

On Call Duty: 0664 88 32 6518

Lab: 7454

new line registration file: https://seafile.ist.ac.at/smart-link/5fe34ec9-bf6d-4758-94ff-f92510d4f552/

Test Version:https://ista.a-tune.com/tickatlab_test/default.aspx

Animal Database Productive Version: https://tickatlab.ista.ac.at/tickatlab/default.aspx

1. Basic Fish Room Rules
  • Zebrafish are freshwater fish
  • When you are working in the fish facility and the plant facility never enter the fish facility directly after you worked in the plant facility. Make sure that you be very disciplined with wearing a green lab coat when dealing with plants and soil. If you do need to work in both facilities on the same day, please, be very careful to always do your fish work first and then go to the plant rooms.
  • New fish users must get detailed introduction by a team member of the aquatic facility into basic fish room rules before they are granted free access to the facility. An introduction into fish handling may be either done by a team member of the aquatic facility or a sufficiently experienced person from the lab.
  • Opening hours from 8 a.m till 10 p.m. (Do not switch on the lights in the fish facility before or after this hours)
  • When entering the facility take care that your shoes are clean to avoid drag-in of dirt and contaminants. Always use the foot disinfection baths on your way in. If the disinfection mat is dried out please add 2l of water or tell the facility staff.
  • Before taking up work in the facility thoroughly wash and disinfect your hands. Working in the fish facility might expose you to fish pathogens that may cause zoonotic disease in humans. Gloves must be used for all works in the fish facility. After finishing your work wash and disinfect your hands again.

When taking fish out of the system (for setting up, fin clipping etc.)

  • For animal welfare and health reasons try to reduce the time in the set up boxes. Put the fish back in the system before afternoon.
  • Fish in single boxes during mating must have an adequate quantity of water
  • Do not keep the fish out of the system for longer than two days. If a longer isolation period is necessary get in touch with us to find a solution.

Tanks without printed label are only allowed for maximum 3 days. They must be properly labeled with name of line, responsible person, date of birth, ID number and date of isolation. If the fish have to stay for a longer period in the MC area, a database label must be printed.

Wild-type strains are kept by the fish facility staff. The main strains for experimentation are TL and AB, GOL, WIK and Tü strains are kept in lower numbers

  • If wild-type fish are used for set-up, the set-up date and number of pairs used must be noted on a white tape stripe located on the front of each individual tank and the mating must be registered in the database. Fish may be used for set-up at the most once a week. If possible give them a longer recovery time.
  • To be able to monitor the egg-lay performance of the animals the number of collected egg lays must be noted in the database.

Dead and sick fish must be taken out of the system as soon as they are spotted to avoid spreading of pathogens.

  • Sick fish must be killed immediately by putting them into the MESAB container that is located in the fridge. Sick fish may not be collected in tanks that are connected to the water system!
  • Dead fish must be put into the yellow box in the freezer. Any withdrawal of dead and euthanasia of sick fish must be documented in the database.

Keep the facility clean and tidy

  • Clean up after you have finished your work! Don’t leave water puddles, nets or plastic ware on the work benches
  • Thoroughly rinse used nets with tap water before putting them into the used-nets-container
  • Thoroughly rinse used set-up boxes and inlays with tap water

All used set-up boxes, mouse cages, sieves, nets, greens, etc must be processes through the dish washers

  • All used tank materials should be put to trollies in front of main glass tank system before 4pm (Monday-Thursday) or 2pm (Friday) to enable efficient cleaning
  • Used nets, sieves etc are collected in labeled beakers on the set-up bench

The weekly facility clean-up takes place on Fridays between 11 and 12 – please try to organize your schedule (setting back fish etc) accordingly

The emergency exit may be used in case of emergency, only. It must not be used as regular exit or entry route.

2. Fish Line Maintenance

While breeding of wild-type strains is done by the fish facility staff, individual mutant and transgenic lines need to be kept by the respective responsible people.

If you plan to raise fish for line maintenance sign up into the Baby Raising list. There is a maximum of 20 slots per week.

  • Babies will be put into the system on Tuesdays and should be between 5 and 7 days of age. Thus, the fish must be set-up on Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays.
  • The maximum of larvae per dish is 40! The number of fish per tank strongly influences the speed of growth. If you place more than 40 individuals into a single tank you strongly inhibit growth and well-being of the animals.
  • Don´t forget to write down the number of raised babies into the list.
  • Don’t forget to print the label. Without printed label the babies will not be transferred in the system.

– Generation of new lines must be registered by Verena one week before you raise the fish.

  • Identification of the fish must be done before they reach 8 months.
  • Raising of lines considered as animal experiment must be registered in the database by using the function “One step statistic”.
  • Youngster fish which are ready to move in the adult area must be moved within two weeks after the facility staff put the names list on the facility door. If this is not the case, the raising will be closed for the concerned persons.

WE Fish Duty

WeekendResponsible Person Public HolidayPublic HolidayPublic Holiday
new round
29-30. NovemberRené (swap with Andy)
06-07. December06 Irene + 07 Verena Deep08. December- Long
13-14. DecemberKoni (swap with Jula)
20-21.DecemberJula (swap with Koni)
27-28.DecemberLong swap with Naoya (swap with Laura))24. December- Alena25. December- Roxy26. December - Roxy
03-04.JanuaryLong (sickness Naoya (swap with Long))31. December- Koni01. January- Andy
10-11.JanuaryXin (sickness Laura (swap with Naoya))06. January- Verena
17-18.JanuaryNikhil
24-25.JanuaryPrajwal
31-01.January/FebruaryRené
07-08.FebruaryRoxy
14-15.FebruaryTushna
took Suyashs slotVerena
21-22.FebruaryViraj
new round
28.-1.MarchAlena
07-08.March

Andy
14-15.MarchDeep
21-22.MarchDeep (due to 06.12 )Irene
28-29.MarchJula
04-05.AprilKoni06.04.2026 - free
11-12.AprilLaura
18-19.AprilLia
25-26.AprilNaoya (because of sickness 3& 4.01) swaped with Long
02-03.MayNaoya01.05.2026 - free
09-10.May Zach 14.05.2026 - free
16-17.MayPrajwal
23-24.May

Simone25.05.2026 - free
skips roundRoxy
30-31.MayRené04.06.2026 - free
06-07.JuneTushna
skips roundVerena
13-14.JuneViraj
20-21.JuneLaura (because of sickness 10& 11.01 swaped with Xin

after 2 holidays you skip the next round of fish duty 😛 (Verena1, Roxy1, René1, Jula1, Alena1, Andy1, Koni1, Irene1, Long1)

3. Quarantine Room Rules

The quarantine room is meant to protect our main system from pathogens that might be carried by fish from the outside. To achieve this the following rules have to respected:

  • Enter the Quarantine Room as little as possible.
  • Gloves must be used for all works in the Quarantine Room. After finishing your work wash and disinfect your hands again.
  • If you touch anything in the Quarantine Room thoroughly wash your hands with soap, dry them and use hand disinfectant when you finished your work and before you leave the room.
  • If you enter the Qurantine Room take care to always use the foot disinfection bath on your way in and the way out. If the disinfection mat is dried out please add 2l of water or tell the facility staff.
  • Anything that you took into the Quarantine Room has to stay there. NOTHING MAY BE TAKEN OUT OF THE QUARANTINE ROOM. Place used items into the marked container. The facility staff will take care that item in the Quarantine will be cleaned and disinfected before they enter the main facility again. Thus, you should take care to only take items into the quarantine that are autoclaveable.
  • Fish may be transferred to the main system only as embryos. Embryos coming from the Quarantine must be bleached before they may enter the main system.
  • Embryos from the Quarantine have to be injected in the heisenberg lab. It is not allowed to injected them in the fish facility injection room.
  • For getting embryos out of the Quarantine Room (for transfer into the main system )
    • Wipe surface of the workbench with ethanol.
    • Place clean petridish on disinfected area. Transfer egg lay into petridish.
    • prepare a bleaching solution (3,5 ml bleach for 1l VE water) and a box with 1l E3 with methyelblue
      • Transfer embryos to clean tea strainers, put them into the E3 bath and place the corresponding label with the genotype on the tea strainer.
      • Transfer tea strainer with embryos to the bleach bath and incubate for 6 minutes. Make sure that all Embryos are in the bleach!
      • Transfer tea strainer with embryos to the E3 bath and incubate for 5 minutes.
      • Wash the embryos into a new petri dish with E3 (methylenblue optional)
      • Disinfect the outside from the petri dish with ethanol
      • Pick up petri dish and leave the Quarantine Room. Take care to use the foot disinfection bath.
      • Start the bleaching procedure in the main facility:
        • Transfer embryos to clean tea strainers, put them into the E3 bath and place the corresponding label with the genotype on the tea strainer.
        • Transfer tea strainer with embryos to the 2nd bleach bath and incubate for 3 minutes. Make sure that all Embryos are in the bleach!
        • Transfer tea strainer with embryos to the 3rd E3 bath and incubate for 5 minutes.
        • Transfer tea strainer with embryos to the 4th E3 bath and incubate for 5 minutes.
        • Wash the embryos into a new petri dish with E3 (methylenblue optional)
        • Optional: add 0,5ml Pronase to each petri dish
        • Incubate the bleached embryos at 28 degrees.
        • Clean bleaching area with ethanol
  • For getting embryos out of the Quarantine Room (for experimentation)
    • Wipe surface of the workbench with ethanol.
    • Place clean petridish on disinfected area. Transfer egg lay into petridish.
    • disinfect the outside from the pertidish with ethanol
    • put the petridish in a tranfer box and leave the Quarantine Room.
    • Take care to use the foot disinfection bath.
    • experiments have to be done in the heisenberg lab
4. Weekend Fish Duty

Estimated time: 4–5 hours
Mandatory: Get an update on current weekend procedures during the week before (not the day before)
Feeding rule: Minimum 3 hours between 1st and 2nd feeding

MORNING (8:00-12:00)

1. Artemia – Setup

  • Set up new Artemia in the tank labeled for the day
  • Add 60 ml Artemia eggs (stored in the fridge)
  • Empty the Artemia tank down to the first red feeding mark into a bucket and transfer them into the last artemia tank
    → Do NOT remove the air stone
  • Wait till the Artemia are settled down

2. Rotifers

  • Shake Roti Grow+ thoroughly
  • Feed rotifer buckets with the current amount
    → Check the WE-Duty Whiteboard

3. System Checks

  • Check water parameters of:
    • Tecniplast systems
    • Nursery
    • Quarantine
  • Fill out the documentation list

4. Artemia – Harvest & 1st Feeding

  • Sieve Artemia and wash out salt
  • Refill with 3 L osmose water
  • Feed it the:
    • Babies and don’t forget the Quarantine tanks
  • Leftovers:
    • Put back or
    • Use it in tanks labeled “+Artemia”

5. Dry Food

  • Feed youngsters and adults using the feeding gun
    → QR code “How to use the fish gun” is inside the package

6. Dead Fish Patrol

Write number on the Dead Fish Report

Remove dead or sick fish

Record them in the database

Count fish before freezing

BREAK

Wait at least 3 hours before second feeding

AFTERNOON (13:00-….)

7. Artemia – 2nd Feeding

  • Remove air stone and let Artemia settle
  • Harvest Artemia down to the second red feeding mark
  • Sieve and wash Artemia
  • Refill with 6–7 L RO water
  • Feed:
    • Youngsters (main system)
    • Larger babies
    • Quarantine (if applicable)
  • Discard leftovers – do not overfeed

8. Cleaning

  • Clean both used Artemia tanks
  • Disinfect with ethanol

9. Rotifers – 2nd Feeding

  • Shake Roti Grow+
  • Feed rotifer buckets with amount from WE-Duty Whiteboard
  • Add 30 ml ChlorAmX per bucket

10. Final Step

Feed powder food to all Artemia-fed babies

If you have any problems call the person who has the emergency duty

🠗QR-Code:How do use the fish gun 🠗

https://intranet.ista.ac.at/content/perma?id=176528

Feeding schemeMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySunday
Adults
1. feedingZebrafeed (Adult)ArtemiaGemma Wean 0,3ArtemiaGemma Wean 0,3Gemma Wean 0,3Gemma Wean 0,3
Youngsters
1. feedingZebrafeed (Youngster)Gemma Wean 0,2Gemma Wean 0,2Gemma Wean 0,2Gemma Wean 0,2Gemma Wean 0,2Gemma Wean 0,2
2. feedingArtemiaArtemiaArtemiaArtemiaArtemiaArtemiaArtemia
Artemia Babies
1. feedingArtemiaArtemiaArtemiaArtemiaArtemiaArtemiaArtemia
2. feedingArtemiaArtemiaArtemiaArtemiaArtemiaArtemiaArtemia
3. feedingpowder foodpowder foodpowder foodpowder foodpowder foodpowder foodpowder food
Rotifer Babies no extra feeding needed

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