Aspects of larval rearing

Fish--and zebrafish (Danio rerio) in particular--are now the second-most used biomedical model in the United Kingdom. The use of fish in research rose by 23% in 2011, primarily reflecting a rise in the use of zebrafish. Despite the increasing importance of zebrafish as a biomedical model system, there are currently no legislative guidelines or requirements for larval husbandry in the United Kingdom, the European Union, or the United States. This has led to a variety of procedures and methods being developed for larval rearing, many of which are not derived from peer-reviewed protocols. This article reviews published work relating to larval rearing and some unpublished protocols to establish optimized and standardized husbandry procedures.