Guide when choosing aquarium furnishings for fishes housed in a laboratory environment

Furnishing aquariums for different fish species housed in captivity can be difficult. This is especially true if you are to make sure that they have the best possibilities to maintain a good animal welfare. For fishes housed in a laboratory environment this is even more difficult. To ensure welfare in such environments, our legislation requires that fish be provided with an interior and a bottom substrate that corresponds to the fish's natural environment. However, such furnishings can make it difficult to keep the aquarium clean, for example if the fish naturally lives on a mud bottom or amongst plants.

We have identified the fish species that are housed as research animals in Sweden and we have worked with experts to produce a guide on furnishings for these. The material is intended to be used as support when choosing furnishings for fishes housed in a laboratory environment in Sweden, and can be helpful for researchers, animal research facilities and members of regional animal experiment ethics committees.

The document contains different ways of furnishing aquariums in order to improve the welfare of fish depending on their needs. It also contains tips on how furnishings can be replaced if it is necessary to avoid deterioration of water quality. The document contains cross-species recommendations as well as species-specific information about each of the species that we have identified being held for research in Sweden.

• Report: Aquarium furnishings for fish housed in a laboratory environment Pdf, 637.7 kB.