ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a detailed overview of the basic requirements for housing aquatic animals used in research. The treatment of this subject in the chapter spans from the microenvironment to the macroenvironment. The central component of the microenvironment of an aquatic animal is water. The aqueous environment has numerous features, both physical and chemical in nature. Temperature exerts profound effects on aquatic animals, as well as on the biological and chemical processes that define their environments. The pH of an aqueous solution is determined by the relative concentration of acids and bases within it. Alkalinity is the measurement of all bases present in an aqueous solution. Salinity reflects the total concentration of all dissolved ions in water, and exerts a profound influence on animals residing within it. The primary waste product of aquatic animal metabolism is ammonia, which is also produced during the decomposition of decaying organic matter.
