Turquoise killifish, Nothobranchius furzeri, have an intrinsically short life span, with a median life span of <6 months and a maximum (90%) life span of 9 months. This short life span, which is unique among vertebrates, evolved naturally and has resulted in N. furzeri becoming a widely used laboratory model species in aging research and other disciplines. Here, we describe a protocol for the maintenance and breeding of the species under laboratory conditions. We provide details for egg incubation, hatching, everyday care of juvenile and adult fish, breeding and treatment of most common diseases. Emphasis is given to the fact that the requirements of N. furzeri substantially differ from those of other fish model taxa; N. furzeri live brief lives and in nature undergo nonaquatic embryo development, with consequences for their laboratory culture.

Institute of Vertebrate Biology Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Brno Czech Republic

Zobrazit více v PubMed

PLoS One. 2010 Oct 11;5(10):e13287 PubMed

Gerontologia. 1961;5:146-9 PubMed

J Exp Zool. 1981 Jan;215(1):23-33 PubMed

Mech Ageing Dev. 2012 May;133(5):226-33 PubMed

PLoS One. 2010 Aug 03;5(8):e11958 PubMed

Ecol Lett. 2011 Jun;14(6):591-602 PubMed

Dev Dyn. 2012 Jun;241(6):1133-41 PubMed

PLoS One. 2008;3(12):e3866 PubMed

Evolution. 2015 Jun;69(6):1461-75 PubMed

J Fish Biol. 2012 Dec;81(7):2175-98 PubMed

J Fish Biol. 2011 Mar;78(3):796-809 PubMed

J Fish Biol. 2010 Aug;77(3):754-68 PubMed

Aging Cell. 2006 Jun;5(3):275-8 PubMed

Aging Cell. 2011 Oct;10(5):824-31 PubMed

Cell Cycle. 2012 May 1;11(9):1697-704 PubMed

Aging Cell. 2005 Oct;4(5):223-33 PubMed

Comp Biochem Physiol A Comp Physiol. 1986;84(4):767-70 PubMed

Cell. 2015 Feb 26;160(5):814-5 PubMed

BMC Evol Biol. 2013 Sep 12;13:196 PubMed

Mutat Res. 1982 Feb;97(1):35-42 PubMed

PLoS One. 2011;6(8):e22684 PubMed

Dev Biol. 1979 May;70(1):171-9 PubMed

Aging Cell. 2015 Oct;14(5):857-66 PubMed

Evodevo. 2013 Sep 04;4(1):24 PubMed

Exp Gerontol. 1983;18(1):29-38 PubMed

Cell. 2015 Dec 3;163(6):1527-38 PubMed

Cell. 2015 Dec 3;163(6):1539-54 PubMed

Curr Biol. 2006 Feb 7;16(3):296-300 PubMed

J Exp Zool. 1977 Oct;202(1):49-56 PubMed

Aquat Toxicol. 2002 Oct 30;60(3-4):185-201 PubMed

Exp Gerontol. 1969 Jul;4(2):127-9 PubMed

J Evol Biol. 2015 Oct;28(10):1892-900 PubMed

J Fish Biol. 2009 Jan;74(1):198-212 PubMed

BMC Dev Biol. 2015 Nov 17;15:43 PubMed

Aging Cell. 2009 Apr;8(2):88-99 PubMed

Ageing Res Rev. 2007 May;6(1):64-72 PubMed

J Exp Zool. 1972 Dec;182(3):389-414 PubMed

BMC Genomics. 2013 Mar 16;14:185 PubMed

Aging Cell. 2012 Apr;11(2):252-61 PubMed

J Exp Zool. 1975 Aug;193(2):137-46 PubMed

J Exp Biol. 2010 Oct 1;213(Pt 19):3280-8 PubMed

Exp Gerontol. 1979;14(3):149-55 PubMed

Aging Cell. 2012 Apr;11(2):241-51 PubMed

Cell Tissue Kinet. 1981 May;14(3):285-300 PubMed

Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2016 May;91(2):511-33 PubMed

Proc Biol Sci. 2003 Nov 7;270 Suppl 2:S189-91 PubMed

Cell. 2015 Feb 26;160(5):1013-26 PubMed

Dis Model Mech. 2014 Feb;7(2):181-92 PubMed

Exp Gerontol. 2002 Aug-Sep;37(8-9):1055-68 PubMed

Exp Gerontol. 2011 Apr;46(4):249-56 PubMed

Anat Rec (Hoboken). 2013 Apr;296(4):681-91 PubMed

Mech Ageing Dev. 2009 May;130(5):290-6 PubMed

BMC Evol Biol. 2013 Apr 03;13:77 PubMed

J Fish Biol. 2013 May;82(5):1733-8 PubMed

Biogerontology. 2015 Feb;16(1):63-9 PubMed

J Evol Biol. 2014 May;27(5):854-65 PubMed

G3 (Bethesda). 2011 Dec;1(7):531-8 PubMed

Impaired fin regeneration and angiogenesis in aged zebrafish and turquoise killifish

Macroevolutionary foundations of a recently evolved innate immune defense

Embryo ecology: Developmental synchrony and asynchrony in the embryonic development of wild annual fish populations

Good performance of turquoise killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri) on pelleted diet as a step towards husbandry standardization

Nothobranchius furzeri, an 'instant' fish from an ephemeral habitat

Limited scope for reproductive senescence in wild populations of a short-lived fish

Longitudinal demographic study of wild populations of African annual killifish

Costly defense in a fluctuating environment-sensitivity of annual Nothobranchius fishes to predator kairomones

Community assembly in Nothobranchius annual fishes: Nested patterns, environmental niche and biogeographic history

Female fecundity traits in wild populations of African annual fish: the role of the aridity gradient

Evolutionary ecology of aging: time to reconcile field and laboratory research