Ambient lighting vs dedicated lighting: Enhancing Zebrafish Welfare with ZebLED
October 31, 2025
Zebrafish lab lighting is fundamentally incorrect – lighting is designed around humans, and in most scenarios the only lights being those installed in the ceiling between racks – providing light for humans to undertake their work.
At Biosystems, where animal welfare is at our core, we believe that the primary lighting should be designed around the animals in our care… we designed ZebLED for exactly that reason, a dedicated rack lighting system engineered specifically for zebrafish research environments.
Lighting is a key environmental factor in zebrafish husbandry — directly influencing behaviour, welfare, and the accuracy of daily health assessments.
Optimised for inspection and welfare
ZebLED delivers uniform, shadow-free illumination across every tank, enabling technicians to conduct rapid, non-invasive visual checks. This enhances the detection of subtle behavioural or health changes without relying on handheld torches or tank movement — significantly reducing animal disturbance.
Minimising stress through optical precision
Unlike conventional room lighting, ZebLED is designed to control internal reflection and light directionality. The result is a calmer, more stable visual field within each tank, reducing external glare and movement cues that can trigger stress or startle responses in zebrafish.
Controlled transitions for consistency and reproducibility
ZebLED’s programmable control allows smooth dawn–dusk ramps and dedicated “inspection” modes, maintaining consistent photoperiods and eliminating abrupt light changes. These features support refined husbandry practices, reduced stress responses, and improved experimental reproducibility — aligning with the principles of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement).
At TMC and Biosystems, we design lighting where welfare, precision, and research integrity meet — helping facilities achieve healthier fish, more efficient workflows, and higher-quality science.