Home Page Research Link 2000 Zebrafish Home Page Council on Undergraduate Research Setting up a Zebrafish lab for obtaining embryos For maximal embryo production, keep male and female zebrafish in separate tanks. Female fish are slightly bigger, plumper at the belly, and more silvery.
Male fish are longer, slimmer, and slightly yellow at the belly.
Scrub algae from tank walls, check for cloudy water. When attempting to obtain embryos from fish, change half of the water in the tank at least once a week. For optimal mating conditions, feed fish three times a day, with a brine shrimp feeding in the middle of the day. For flake food use Tetramin Rich Mix that is pulverized finely by hand. For optimal matings, feeding schedule should be consistent and at the same times each day.