An efficient new assay for measuring zebrafish anxiety: Tall tanks that better characterize between-individual differences

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are increasingly being used to model anxiety. A common behavioral assay employed for assessing anxiety-like behaviors in zebrafish is the “novel tank test”. We hypothesized that using deeper tanks this test would result greater between-individual variation responses and a more ‘repeatable’ assay. After mapping literature identifying parameters analysis, we performed novel anxiety tests both custom-designed ‘tall’ with increased depth ‘short’ trapezoidal tanks. compared repeatability of between tall short also investigated sex differences. Overall, regardless depth, almost all associated were significantly repeatable (R = 0.24 0.60). Importantly, our better captured differences, resulting higher estimates (average tanks: R 0.46; average 0.36) clearer Our has advantages over based on which underestimate repeatability. argue use will improve reliability data across studies zebrafish. results call attention designing most appropriate biomedical sciences as current methods may lack sensitivity detect subtle, yet important, information, such variation, an important component data.