Fish Flashcards
(163 cards)
Metals to avoid in facility materials?
Copper and lead
Which metal is the most corrosive resistant?
Titanium
Which disinfectant to avoid?
Phenols (One-Stroke Environ, Pheno-Tek, Tek-Trol, Lysol)
Which disinfectants can be used?
- 2% bleach (Na-hypochlorite)
- 1% virkon aquatic (potassium peroxymonosultate + NaCl) - a peroxygen compound (oxidizing)
- 70% ethanol for tanks
Preferred method of ventilation of aquatic environments - regenerative blower or air compressor?
Regenerative blower better than air compressor (latter is better for high pressure needs not constant, low pressure)
Types of life support systems
- Closed System - no additional water or air provided from external sources after the initial set-up
- Recirculating System - water is filtered and reused within the system
- Flow-through System
- water is removed at a certain % and replaced with new water
Preferred mechanical filter
Uniform medium with effective particle size of 0.3 mm which will remove 95% of particles down to 6 um
Common order of filtration steps in recirculating system?
Mechanical –> biological –> chemical
Acceptable levels of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate?
NH3 = 0
NO2 < 0.1-0.5 mg/L (ppm)
NO3 < 200 mg/L (ppm)
From mock exam: Ammonia (NH3); 0.05 ppm Nitrite (NO2-); 0.1 ppm Nitrate (NO3-); 50 ppm
What converts ammonia to nitrite (NO2)?
- Ammonia oxidizing Bacteria (AOB) – Nitrosomonas, Nitrospira, Nitrosococcus
- Ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA)
What converts nitrite to nitrate (NO3)?
Nitrogen oxidizing bacteria (NOB) - Nitrobacter and Nitrospira
Types of chemical filters
- activated carbon/charcoal (nonspecific) = the most common; binds cations and anions
- foam fractionation/protein skimmers – protein contaminants removed with rising bubbles
- UV filtration
What is zebrafish maintenance temperature? What should temperature fluctuations be limited to?
75-82F
24-28C
limit temp change to +/- 1.5C per day
What temperatures determine male vs female in zebrafish?
Male = 22C
Female = 31C
Which water quality issue causes the most morbidity/mortality?
Decreased oxygen saturation
Will see surface breathing behavior
What is ideal pH? What is caused by low or high pH?
Ideal = 7-8
High pH results in increased unionized ammonia (NH3)
Low pH 1) inhibits nitrifying bacteria causing increased ammonia
2) Zinc, copper, Fe, aluminum, etc are more soluble in acidic water causing greater chance of toxicity
What is recommended conductivity?
125 - 2,500 uS (microsiemens)
What is recommended water hardness for zebrafish?
Zebrafish are hardwater species 80-200 ppm (Calcium & Magnesium)
What is recommended light level for zebrafish?
5-30 ft-candles or 54-354 lux at water surface
How to remove Chlorine/ chloramines
- 24-hr period of aeration/“aging” (***but does not remove chloramine)
- Activated charcoal
- Commercial dechlorinator (sodium thiosulfate)
- Near-boiling
How much water volume to change daily in recirculating system?
1-10% of total water volume daily
What types of algae are good vs bad?
Green = good
Red = bad
How long should quarantine be?
2-3 wk (minimum)
4-6 wk (for Mycobacterium)
What are refined vs traditional quarantine strategies?
Refined = import surface-disinfected embryos (bleach-import-spawn-move)
Traditional = spawn within quarantine facility and then bleach (import-spawn-bleach-move)