EXPERIMENTAL EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES 



STANDARD LABORATORY EQUIPMENT 

 IN EXPERIMENTAL EMBRYOLOGY* 



MAJOR EQUIPMENT 



1. Water tatle - wood or stone tatle provided with current of water to depth of 1" 

 to be used for holding finger howls, etc., at fairly constant temperatures. 



2. Befrigeratlon - electric refrigerators (or constant temperature rooms) with heat- 

 ing units installed so that the temperatures may he regulated. Best temperatures 

 are k°C., lO^C, and 20°C. 



3. Incuhators - thermostatically controlled hoxes which can he regulated at tempera- 

 tures above the laboratory temperatures. Best temperatures are 25°C., 29°C., 

 52°C., and 35°C. Chick incubators regulated at 105°C. for few eggs (Oaks, Chicago) 

 or for several hundred eggs (Buffalo Incubator Company, Buffalo) should be on hand. 



1+. Centrifuge - heavy electric centrifuge with large capacity as well has smaller 

 electric and hand centrifuges. 



5. Animal cage - a wooden frame with no floor, screened sides and top, should be made 

 to fit into the water table If the table is large enough. The cage may be divided 

 into compartments with the doors opening on top. If the cage is to sit in water, 

 the wood should be treated with some waterproofing. Frogs and salamanders may be 

 kept in such a cage on the water table in healthy condition If they are provided 

 with cool running water. 



6. Aquaria - the sizes and shapes of aquaria depend upon the particular animals con- 

 cerned. For Urodele and Anuran tadpoles (larvae) the low) flat tanks with con- 

 siderable surface are best. Ideal dimensions are the 12 x 12 x 1+ enamel (restaur- 

 ant ) pans . 



For fish, four sizes are desirable: 



For fry - ^ gallon battery Jars or Woolworth aquaria. 



For tropicals and breeding pairs - l6^ x 8 l/5 x 8^ inches wide is best 



( 5 gallons ) . 

 For larger fish, or large groups of non-belligerent fish - 20^ x lOj x 12^ 



inches high (about 10 gallon capacity). 

 For Zebra fish which are very active - 2U^ x 6| x 6 Inches wide. 

 All fish tanks should have slate bottoms and glass covers. One corner of the 

 glass cover may be cut off to facilitate removal, emd for feedings. 



The larger tanks may be sub-divided by cutting a piece of glass to fit and 



then covering the edges of the glass with split rubber tubing and inserting the 



glass into the tank. The mbber tubing will hold the plate in position and at the 

 same time block the passage of small fry from one compartment to the other. 



7. Microtome - Spencer rotary probably the best. 



8. Embedding ovens - Columbia probably the best. 



9. Slide warmer - Chicago Apparatus Company, thermostatically controlled electric 

 warmer. 



10. Balances - Coarse (200 + gram capacity) and sensitive types. 



* Note: The following list is rather exhaustive because it Includes equipment needed to 

 carry on all of the complicated procedures outlined. The list is Intended as a 

 guide for the Instructor. Many of the experiments can be conducted with a pair 

 of watchmaker' s forceps, a scalpel, a binocular microscope, and heat absorbed 

 lighting. It is not necessary, therefore, to provide all the items in this list 

 in order to encourage research in experimental embryology. 



