Zebrafish is a tropical freshwater fish that enjoys a certain popularity among aquarium lovers

Zebrafish is a tropical freshwater fish that enjoys a certain popularity among aquarium lovers. A little over 30 years ago, it was introduced as a model species for research in the field of developmental biology and genetics. Since then, hundreds of laboratories around the world analyze this fish which has also proved to be very useful for the study of human biology as say the https://www.ikanbiotech.com laboratory. Genetically, the zebrafish is more similar to the human species than the vinegar or worm fly and is easier to handle, maintain and breed than the mouse. In 2002, the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute published on the Internet the first draft of the zebrafish genome sequence, which includes about 17,000 genes. The tropical life of a fish of a laboratory: zebrafish model The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a small and active native fish of India that usually inhabits the rivers of central Asia. It was selected among the great diversity of fish that exist in nature to enter the laboratory. However, there was no need to look for it in rivers, because, like other species of the same genus, it is a common species of aquariums. It is a known fish since it is easy to maintain, quite resistant to variations of the conditions of the environment and can coexist with many species. Despite its extensive use in aquariums and laboratories, many aspects of the natural habitat and the ecology of this species are unknown. It's kind of a small size. Adult individuals usually have between 3 and 5 cm long and 1 cm wide depending on the environmental conditions. It has an elongated shape with a dorsal fin. On the sides it has between 5 and 9 bands of blue color that overlap with the background color that in the males is golden and in the silver-colored females. This striking aspect has earned him the popular name of zebrafish. The ventral zone is of whitish and pink color. Its natural habitat is more or less calm waters, sometimes stagnant, of central Asia, particularly in the Ganges region of India. It can also be found in the rivers of Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Myanmar. It is an omnivorous animal that feeds on mosquito larvae and other insect species (zooplankton) and also by microscopic algae (phytoplankton). In the aquarium, they are maintained at a temperature of between 22 and 30 ° C, pH of neutral water (~ 7) and 5 to 10 degrees of hardness. It belongs to the Cyprinid family (Cyprinidae) and is related to carp. It is a peaceful animal that forms small aggregations of individuals and shows a social behavior. Convive with other species of the same genus, such as Danio nigrofasciatus, Danio Kerri or Danio Roseus, and other genera such as giant Danio (Devario aequipinnatus), the small Danussella translucent and the needlefish (Microphis sp). Among the possible predators of this species is the serpent head (Channa sp.) And the freshwater needle (Xenentodon cancala). Knowing the ecological relationships and natural conditions in which this species lives is important for any attempt to understand the evolution or function of phenotypic traits. In natural conditions, the mating season occurs betwee April and August. It is an oviparous species and the laying of eggs occurs on the banks of the rivers. Eggs often hatch three days after fertilization and, at five or six months, individuals reach reproductive maturity. In the laboratory, females can place between 200 and 300 eggs, the embryonic development takes place within 24 hours and the larvae start feeding independently within five days. In optimum conditions, the generation time, from egg to egg, is three months.